# US 2021/0342084 A1 · Using a secondary storage system to implement a hierarchical storage management plan > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0342084 A1 - Document ID: US20210342084A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/865,098 - Filed: 2020-05-01 - Published: 2021-11-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-05-01 - Assignees: Cohesity, Inc. - Applicants: Cohesity, Inc. - Inventors: Yu-Shen Ng; Nagapramod Mandagere; Karandeep Singh Chawla - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210342084A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/0647: {Migration mechanisms} - G06F 3/061: {Improving I/O performance} - G06F 3/0619: {in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors} - G06F 3/0653: {Monitoring storage devices or systems} - G06F 3/0659: {Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling} - G06F 3/067: {Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]} - G06F 3/0685: {Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays} - G06F 11/1435: {using file system or storage system metadata} - G06F 11/1461: {Backup scheduling policy} - G06F 11/1469: {Backup restoration techniques} - G06F 2201/84: Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A copy of files of a primary storage system are stored at a secondary storage system. The metadata associated with the copy of the files of the primary storage system stored at the secondary storage system are analyzed to determine at least a portion of a hierarchical storage tier management plan for the primary storage system including by identifying one or more files to be migrated from a first tier of storage of the primary storage system to a different storage tier. An implementation of at least a portion of the hierarchical storage tier management plan is initiated. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: storing a copy of files of a primary storage system at a secondary storage system; analyzing metadata associated with the copy of the files of the primary storage system stored at the secondary storage system to determine at least a portion of a hierarchical storage tier management plan for the primary storage system including by identifying one or more files to be migrated from a first tier of storage of the primary storage system to a different storage tier; and initiating an implementation of the at least the portion of the hierarchical storage tier management plan. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata associated with the copy of the files includes at least one of source metadata and inferred metadata. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the source metadata and the inferred metadata provides point-in-time metadata information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the one or more files to be migrated from the first tier of storage of the primary storage system to the different storage tier includes determining whether metadata associated with a file indicates to migrate the file from the first tier of storage of the primary storage system. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the metadata associated with the file indicates to migrate the file from the first tier of storage of the primary storage system in the event the file has not been created, accessed, or modified within a particular time period. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the metadata associated with the file indicates to migrate the file from the first tier of storage of the primary storage system in the event the file has not been accessed or modified more than a threshold number of times within a particular time period. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, in response to determining that the metadata associated with the file indicates to migrate the file from the first tier of storage of the primary storage system, determining whether a policy associated with the primary storage system prevents the file from being migrated from the primary storage system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, in response to determining that the policy associated with the primary storage system does not prevent the file from being migrated from the primary storage system, identifying the file as a file to be migrated from the first tier of storage of the primary storage system to the different storage tier. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, in response to determining that that the metadata associated with the file does not indicate to migrate the file from the first tier of storage of the primary storage system, the file is maintained on the primary storage system. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the implementation of the at least the portion of the hierarchical storage tier management plan comprises sending a request for a latest version of a file to the primary storage system. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein initiating the implementation of the at least the portion of the hierarchical storage tier management plan further comprises receiving the latest version of the file. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the implementation of the at least the portion of the hierarchical storage tier management plan further comprises providing to the primary storage system file relocation metadata that enables retrieval of a latest version of a file stored on the different storage tier. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the different storage tier is the secondary storage system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the different storage tier is a cloud storage system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying whether data associated with the one or more identified files or metadata associated with the one or more identified files has not been modified since a last backup snapshot. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising modifying the portion of the hierarchical storage tier management plan based on whether the data associated with the one or more identified files or the metadata associated with the one or more identified files has not been modified since the last backup snapshot. ### Claim 17 A computer program product, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for: storing a copy of files of a primary storage system at a secondary storage system; analyzing metadata associated with the copy of the files of the primary storage system stored at the secondary storage system to determine at least a portion of a hierarchical storage tier management plan for the primary storage system including by identifying one or more files to be migrated from a first tier of storage of the primary storage system to a different storage tier; and initiating an implementation of the at least the portion of the hierarchical storage tier management plan. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein identifying the one or more files to be migrated from the first tier of storage of the primary storage system to the different storage tier includes determining whether metadata associated with a file indicates to migrate the file from the first tier of storage of the primary storage system. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the metadata associated with the copy of the files includes at least one of source metadata and inferred metadata. ### Claim 20 A system, comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled with the processor, wherein the memory is configured to provide the processor with instructions which when executed cause the processor to: store a copy of files of a primary storage system at a secondary storage system; analyze metadata associated with the copy of the files of the primary storage system stored at the secondary storage system to determine at least a portion of a hierarchical storage tier management plan for the primary storage system including by identifying one or more files to be migrated from a first tier of storage of the primary storage system to a different storage tier; and initiate an implementation of the at least the portion of the hierarchical storage tier management plan.