System, method and computer program product for controlling file migration in archiving systems

Abstract

Embodiments provide a solution for controlling file migration in archiving systems. A networked device can be configured to, during an archiving process, exclude or otherwise prevent files from migrating to tape or another archiving appliance connected to the networked device which, in one embodiment, implements an archive node appliance. The archive node appliance may be configured to start an archiving process to store a file. The archiving process may cause the file to be stored in a share or directory on the archive node appliance. The archive node appliance may check a file exclusion policy associated with the share or directory to determine whether the file is to be excluded from migration. The archive node appliance may stop the archiving process if it determines that the file exclusion policy contains a pattern that matches the file name. One example of such a pattern can be a user-defined glob.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 ports for connecting to one or more networks and to a tape library;   at least one processor;   a data store embodied on at least one non-transitory computer readable medium; and   stored instructions translatable by the at least one processor to perform:
 receiving a request from a host machine or a network device on the one or more networks to store a file; 
 storing the file in the data store; 
 determining one or more file exclusion policies applicable to the file, the one or more file exclusion policies containing exclusion patterns; 
 comparing a file name associated with the file against the exclusion patterns; and 
 if the file name matches any of the exclusion patterns, excluding the file in the data store from migrating to a tape in the tape library or to an archiving system on the one or more networks such that the file is never migrated from the apparatus. 
   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the exclusion patterns comprise user-specified exclusion patterns. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one file exclusion policy of the one or more file exclusion policies is associated with a directory containing the file. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one file exclusion policy associated with the directory is applicable to all files in the directory. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a policy management module embodied on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium and configured for managing the one or more file exclusion policies.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a file migration module embodied on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium and configured for applying the one or more file exclusion policies in conjunction with file migration.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the determining further comprises the file migration module performing:
 determining a share on which the file resides;   determining whether an association exists between a file exclusion policy and the share; and   if the association exists, obtaining policy values for the file exclusion policy.   
     
     
         8 . A method, comprising:
 an archive node appliance receiving a request from a host machine or a network device on one or more networks to store a file, the archive node appliance having at least one processor, a data store embodied on at least one non-transitory computer readable medium, and ports for connecting to the one or more networks and to a tape library;   the archive node appliance storing the file in the data store;   the archive node appliance determining one or more file exclusion policies applicable to the file, the one or more file exclusion policies containing exclusion patterns;   the archive node appliance comparing a file name associated with the file against the exclusion patterns; and   if the file name matches any of the exclusion patterns, the archive node appliance excluding the file in the data store from migrating to a tape in the tape library or to an archiving system on the one or more networks such that the file is never migrated from the archive node appliance.   
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the exclusion patterns comprise user-specified exclusion patterns. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein at least one file exclusion policy of the one or more file exclusion policies is associated with a directory containing the file. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the at least one file exclusion policy associated with the directory is applicable to all files in the directory. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a file migration module applying the one or more file exclusion policies in conjunction with file migration, the file migration module embodied on the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium.   
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the determining further comprises the file migration module performing:
 determining a share on which the file resides;   determining whether an association exists between a file exclusion policy and the share; and   if the association exists, obtaining policy values for the file exclusion policy.   
     
     
         14 . A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions translatable by at least one processor of an apparatus to perform:
 receiving a request from a host machine or a network device on one or more networks to store a file;   storing the file in a data store on the apparatus;   determining one or more file exclusion policies applicable to the file, the one or more file exclusion policies containing exclusion patterns;   comparing a file name associated with the file against the exclusion patterns; and   if the file name matches any of the exclusion patterns, excluding the file in the data store from migrating to a tape or to an archiving system on the one or more networks such that the file is never migrated from the apparatus.   
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein the exclusion patterns comprise user-specified exclusion patterns. 
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein at least one file exclusion policy of the one or more file exclusion policies is associated with a directory containing the file. 
     
     
         17 . The computer program product of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one file exclusion policy associated with the directory is applicable to all files in the directory. 
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein the determining further comprises:
 determining a share on which the file resides;   determining whether an association exists between a file exclusion policy and the share; and   if the association exists, obtaining policy values for the file exclusion policy.   
     
     
         19 . The computer program product of  claim 18 , wherein the exclusion patterns are stored as entries in a first table containing the policy values and wherein the exclusion patterns are associated with an entry in a second table containing information linking the share to an instance of the file exclusion policy. 
     
     
         20 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein the exclusion patterns are in a glob format for filename pattern matching.