# US 8,544,023 B2 · Management interface for a system that provides automated, real-time, continuous data protection

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- Number: US 8,544,023 B2
- Document ID: US8544023B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/901,888
- Filed: 2010-10-11
- Published: 2011-10-13
- Granted: 2013-09-24
- Earliest claimed: 2004-11-02
- Assignees: Dell Software Inc.
- Applicants: Siew Yong Sim-Tang; Daniel J. Fraisl; Anthony N. Hoeber
- Inventors: Siew Yong Sim-Tang; Daniel J. Fraisl; Anthony N. Hoeber
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8544023B2

## CPC

- G06F 11/1456: {Hardware arrangements for backup}
- G06F 11/1448: {Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore}
- G06F 16/168: {Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs (query results presentation G06F16/156)}
- G06F 16/1873: {Versioning file systems, temporal file systems, e.g. file system supporting different historic versions of files}
- G06F 11/1458: {Management of the backup or restore process}
- G06F 11/1461: {Backup scheduling policy}
- G06F 11/1464: {for networked environments}
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A data management system that protects data into a continuous object store includes a management interface having a time control. The time control allows an administrator to specify a “past” time, such as a single point or range. When the time control is set to a single point, a hierarchical display of data appears on a display exactly as the data existed in the system at that moment in the past. The time control enables the management interface to operate within a history mode in which the display provides a visual representation of a “virtual” point in time in the past during which the data management system has been operative to provide the data protection service.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A data management system, comprising:
a management gateway comprising a processor and memory, the management gateway communicably coupled to a host driver and a set of nodes;
wherein the host driver is associated with each of a set of data sources, the host driver monitoring and capturing application events and generating a continuous application-aware, data stream;
wherein the set of nodes share a distributed data storage, the nodes receiving and storing, as data objects, the continuous application-aware data streams generated by the host drivers, wherein the stored data objects comprise a distributed data object store;
wherein the management gateway provides a display interface comprising a time control that enables specification of a past time and display of a representation of the distributed data object store, or a given portion thereof, as it existed at the past time; and
wherein the display interface updates the representation of the distributed data object store in real-time as data streams generated by the host drivers are received.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The data management system as described in claim 1 wherein the time control is one of: a linear timeline, a radial time dial, a calendar, and a search specification dialog.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The data management system as described in claim 1 wherein the display of the representation of the distributed data object store comprises a structure of a distributed data object store hierarchy and contents of one or more data objects at given locations in the distributed data object store hierarchy.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The data management system as described in claim 1 wherein the time control includes a zoom function to enable the past time to be specified at a first, coarse granularity or to a second, fine granularity.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The data management system as described in claim 1 wherein the display interface includes a display object, wherein selection of the display object causes the representation of the distributed data object store to switch to a current point in time.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The data management system as described in claim 5 further including the steps: in response to selection of a given display object, displaying a set of one or more user-traversable versions of the given display object.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The data management system as described in claim 1 wherein the display interface includes a policy control that enables specification of a policy.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The data management system as described in claim 7 wherein the policy is a retention policy.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The data management system as described in claim 1 wherein the representation of the distributed data object store also includes contents of data objects in the distributed data object store.