Creating secondary copies of data based on searches for content

Abstract

A method and system for creating secondary copies of data whose contents satisfy searches within data stores is described. In some cases, the system searches for data within a data store, identifies a set of data that satisfies the search, copies the identified set of data, and transfers the copy to secondary or other storage. In some cases, the system utilizes search-based secondary copies of days during restoration processes in order to restore data similar to and/or associated with data requested to be restored.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for restoring additional data that is associated with data that satisfies a search request, the method comprising:
 based on a first search request comprising first search criteria, identifying first data whose contents satisfy the first search criteria;   based on a data structure comprising associated search criteria, determining that additional search criteria are associated with the first search criteria;   identifying second data whose contents satisfy the additional search criteria;   creating a search-based secondary copy of the first data and the second data,
 wherein contents of the search-based secondary copy satisfy the first search criteria and the additional search criteria associated with the first search criteria, and 
 wherein the search-based secondary copy is stored in a data storage environment; 
   receiving a request to restore data associated with metadata included in the request;   identifying third data that is associated with the metadata in the request to restore and satisfies the request to restore;   before responding to the request to restore, determining whether at least some of third data is part of the search-based secondary copy; and   based on determining that at least some of the third data is part of the search-based secondary copy, responding to the request to restore, comprising:
 (i) restoring the third data, and 
 (ii) additionally restoring the search-based secondary copy that includes the first data and the second data, 
 wherein the third data is associated with at least some of the first data and with at least some of the second data in the search-based secondary copy. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein in the data storage environment, based on the responding to the request to restore, the search-based secondary copy is associated with the third data. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein based on including the third data in responding to the request to restore, the data storage environment deems the search-based secondary copy to be associated with the third data. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 updating an index, which comprises entries that associate secondary copies of data with media locations for the secondary copies, and further comprises an entry for the search-based secondary copy; and   determining content within the search-based secondary copy that is associated with other content within the data storage environment.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first data and the second data are part of at least two distinct secondary copies of data. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first data and the second data are part of at least two distinct secondary storage media. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the search-based secondary copy is created from backup copies of production data that are stored on secondary storage media in the data storage environment. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first data, the second data, and the third data is backup data. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first data, the second data, and the third data is archive data. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first search criteria comprise a keyword; and further comprising:
 determining that the second data is associated with the keyword; and   storing the search-based secondary copy to a data bucket associated with the keyword.   
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to execute a computer-implemented method comprising:
 based on a first search request comprising first search criteria, identifying first data whose contents satisfy the first search criteria;   based on a data structure comprising associated search criteria, determining that additional search criteria are associated with the first search criteria;   identifying second data whose contents satisfy the additional search criteria;   creating a search-based secondary copy of the first data and the second data,
 wherein contents of the search-based secondary copy satisfy the first search criteria and the additional search criteria associated with the first search criteria, and 
 wherein the search-based secondary copy is stored in a data storage environment; 
   receiving a request to restore data associated with metadata included in the request;   identifying third data that is associated with the metadata in the request to restore and satisfies the request to restore;   before responding to the request to restore, determining whether at least some of third data is part of the search-based secondary copy; and   based on determining that at least some of the third data is part of the search-based secondary copy, responding to the request to restore, comprising:
 (i) restoring the third data, and 
 (ii) additionally restoring the search-based secondary copy that includes the first data and the second data, 
 wherein the third data is associated with at least some of the first data and with at least some of the second data in the search-based secondary copy. 
   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein in the data storage environment, based on the responding to the request to restore, the search-based secondary copy is associated with the third data. 
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein based on including the third data in responding to the request to restore, the data storage environment deems the search-based secondary copy to be associated with the third data. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:
 updating an index, which comprises entries that associate secondary copies of data with media locations for the secondary copies, and further comprises an entry for the search-based secondary copy; and   determining content within the search-based secondary copy that is associated with other content within the data storage environment.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the first data and the second data are part of at least two distinct secondary copies of data. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the first data and the second data are part of at least two distinct secondary storage media. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the search-based secondary copy is created from backup copies of production data that are stored on secondary storage media in the data storage environment. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first data, the second data, and the third data is backup data. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first data, the second data, and the third data is archive data. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the first search criteria comprise a keyword; and wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:
 determining that the second data is associated with the keyword; and   storing the search-based secondary copy to a data bucket associated with the keyword.