Method for managing real-time data history of a file system

Abstract

A data management method is provided for storing a real-time history of a file system, or a component thereof, such as a directory or a file. The real-time history is stored as an object-oriented logical representation comprising at least a set of version metadata objects, and a set of one or more links that associate given objects of the set of version metadata objects. As one or more events occur in the real-time history, the logical representation is restructured dynamically. The logical representation is useful to provide any point-in-time reconstruction of the file system component on an as-needed basis.

1 . A data management method, comprising: 
 storing a real-time history of a data set, or a component thereof, as a logical representation, the data set having a hierarchical data structure, wherein the logical representation comprises at least a set of version metadata objects, and a set of one or more links that associate given objects of the set of version metadata objects; and    reconstituting the logical representation in response to a new event in the real-time history.    
     
     
         2 . The data management method as described in  claim 1  wherein the data set having a hierarchical data structure is a file system.  
     
     
         3 . The data management method as described in  claim 2  wherein the component is a component of the file system and is one of: a directory, and a file.  
     
     
         4 . The data management method as described in  claim 1  wherein the set of one or more links comprise at least one of: a version link, a parent-child link, and a data link.  
     
     
         5 . The data management method as described in  claim 2  wherein the new event is one of: a file create, a file modify, a file delete, a file rename, and a file relocate.  
     
     
         6 . The data management method as described in  claim 1  wherein the new event is one of: a directory create, a directory modify, a directory delete, a directory rename, and a directory relocate.  
     
     
         7 . The data management method as described in  claim 1  wherein the logical representation is n-dimensional.  
     
     
         8 . The data management method as described in  claim 1  wherein the set of version metadata objects conform to an object hierarchy.  
     
     
         9 . The data management method as described in  claim 8  wherein the object hierarchy comprises a set of data objects, wherein each data object in the set of data objects conforms to a given schema.  
     
     
         10 . The data management method as described in  claim 9  wherein the given schema includes at least one of: a directory class schema, and a file class schema.  
     
     
         11 . The data management method as described in  claim 1  further including: 
 generating the real-time history; and    transferring the real-time history from a first location to a second location remote from the first location.    
     
     
         12 . The data management method as described in  claim 11  wherein the first location is a data source having an associated host driver and the second location is a data store.  
     
     
         13 . The data management method as described in  claim 12  wherein the real-time history provides a data protection service.  
     
     
         14 . The data management method as described in  claim 11  wherein the first location is a first data store and the second location is a second data store.  
     
     
         15 . The data management method as described in  claim 14  wherein the real-time history provides a data distribution service.  
     
     
         16 . A data management method, comprising: 
 generating a real-time event data stream by capturing data changes associated with one or more events associated with a file system data source;    receiving the real-time event data stream at a given location remote from the file system data source; and    storing the real-time event data stream at the given location as a first n-dimensional logical representation, wherein the n-dimensional logical representation comprises a set of version objects, and a set of links associating at least first and second of the version objects.    
     
     
         17 . The method as described in  claim 16  further including: 
 deriving a second n-dimensional logical representation from the first n-dimensional logical representation in response to a given event in the real-time event data stream.    
     
     
         18 . The data management method as described in  claim 16  wherein the set of one or more links comprise at least one of: a version link, a parent-child link, and a data link.  
     
     
         19 . The data management method as described in  claim 16  wherein the file system data source is one of: a directory, and a file.  
     
     
         20 . The data management method as described in  claim 16  wherein the given event is one of: a file create, a file modify, a file delete, a file rename, and a file relocate.  
     
     
         21 . The data management method as described in  claim 16  wherein the given event is one of: a directory create, a directory modify, a directory delete, a directory rename, and a directory relocate.  
     
     
         22 . A data structure supported in a data store, comprising: 
 a set of data objects each of which conform to an object hierarchy, at least first and second of the data objects being associated with one another and representing a first version of a file system component and a subsequent version of the file system component, the file system component being one of: a directory, and a file; and    a set of links associating the set of data objects, wherein the set of links comprise at least one version link associating the first version of the file system component and the subsequent version of the file system component;    wherein the set of data objects and the set of links provide an n-dimensional logical representation of the file system component at a given point-in-time.    
     
     
         23 . The data management method as described in  claim 1  wherein the new event is one of: a transaction, a checkpoint, a software upgrade, a virus detection, a user or business tag, and a network event.