File system content archiving based on third-party application archiving rules and metadata

Abstract

An information management system according certain aspects for archiving file system content may include a third-party application archiving data agent configured to: access third-party application archiving rules for archiving data to one or more secondary storage devices, wherein the third-party application archiving rules are defined by a third-party application to archive files associated with the third-party application; access third-party metadata associated with a plurality of files in a file system, wherein the plurality of files is associated with the third-party application and the third-party metadata is defined by the third-party application; determine whether to archive one or more files of the plurality of files based at least in part on the third-party application archiving rules and the third-party metadata; and in response to determining that a first file of the plurality of files should be archived, archive the first file to the one or more secondary storage devices.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An information management system for archiving file system content, the system comprising:
 one or more hardware computing devices; and   a third-party application archiving data agent configured to execute on the one or more hardware computing devices, wherein the third-party application archiving data agent:
 accesses third-party application archiving rules for archiving data to one or more secondary storage devices, wherein the third-party application archiving rules are defined by a third-party application to archive files associated with the third-party application; 
 accesses third-party metadata associated with a plurality of files in a file system, wherein the plurality of files is associated with the third-party application and the third-party metadata is defined by the third-party application; 
 determines whether to archive one or more files of the plurality of files to the one or more secondary storage devices based at least in part on the third-party application archiving rules and the third-party metadata associated with the plurality of files; and 
 in response to determining that a first file of the plurality of files should be archived, archives the first file to the one or more secondary storage devices. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the third-party application archiving rules comprise criteria for archiving files associated with the third-party application; and   the third-party application archiving data agent, as part of the determination of whether to archive the one or more files of the plurality of files, determines whether the third-party metadata associated with a particular file of the plurality of files satisfies the criteria.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the third-party metadata comprises one or more of: a file creation time, a file modified time, a file access time, a file extension, a user associated with a file, a file size, or a file name. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the archiving of the first file does not create a new version of the first file by the third-party application. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the third-party application archiving data agent has access to information associated with a structure of one or more directories of the third-party application, and the third-party application archiving data agent accesses the third-party application archiving rules by obtaining the third-party application archiving rules from the one or more directories. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the third-party application archiving data agent does not create a set of archiving rules in addition to the third-party application archiving rules. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the third-party application archiving data agent determines whether to archive the one or more files of the plurality of files in response to detecting initiation of an archiving process by the third-party application. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the third-party application archiving data agent overrides or changes at least one requirement of the third-party application archiving rules that is incompatible with a setting of the third-party application archiving data agent. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a storage manager configured to execute on computer hardware; and   wherein the third-party application archiving data agent, as part of the archiving of the first file to the one or more secondary storage devices, instructs the storage manager to archive the first file.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 one or more media agents configured to execute on computer hardware; and   wherein the storage manager instructs the one or more media agents to copy the first file to the one or more secondary storage devices.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the third-party application archiving data agent comprises a plug-in for the third-party application. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the third-party application archiving data agent is further configured to:
 in response to said determining that the first file of the plurality of the files should be archived, create a placeholder for the first file.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the placeholder comprises information for restoring the first file from the one or more secondary storage devices. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the third-party application archiving data agent is further configured to restore the first file from the one or more secondary storage devices upon access of the placeholder for the first file. 
     
     
         15 . A method of archiving file system content, the method comprising:
 accessing, using computer hardware, third-party application archiving rules for archiving data to one or more secondary storage devices, wherein the third-party archiving rules are defined by a third-party application to archive files associated with the third-party application;   accessing, using computer hardware, third-party metadata associated with a plurality of files in a file system, wherein the plurality of files is associated with the third-party application and the third-party metadata is defined by the third-party application;   determining whether to archive one or more files of the plurality of files to the one or more secondary storage devices based at least in part on the third-party rules and the third-party metadata associated with the plurality of files; and   in response to determining that a first file of the plurality of files should be archived, archiving the first file to the one or more secondary storage devices.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the third-party application archiving rules comprise criteria for archiving files associated with the third-party application; and   said determining whether to archive the one or more files of the plurality of files comprises determining whether the third-party metadata associated with a particular file of the plurality of files satisfies the criteria.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the third-party metadata comprises one or more of: a file creation time, a file modified time, a file access time, a file extension, a user associated with a file, a file size, or a file name. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein said archiving the first file does not create an updated version of the first file by the third-party application. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising accessing information associated with a structure of one or more directories of the third-party application, and wherein said accessing the third-party application archiving rules comprises obtaining the third-party application archiving rules from the one or more directories. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising, in response to said determining that the first file of the plurality of the files should be archived, creating a placeholder for the first file.