Retention management in a worm storage system

摘要

A write-once-read-many, WORM, storage system is arranged to store datasets each with associated attributes including a WORM attribute indicating the dataset's WORM status, and to protect from change or deletion WORM datasets, and at least certain of their attributes including those relevant to WORM status. Retention management capabilities are provided for such a storage system, including the ability to set a given dataset for retention for a particular retention period by storing a corresponding retention date in an attribute of the dataset, and setting the WORM attribute to indicate that the dataset is a WORM dataset. Also provided is the ability to determine expiry of the retention period for the given dataset, and then to remove the stored retention date and change the WORM attribute of the dataset to indicate that it is no longer a WORM dataset.

主权项

1. A method of retention management in a write-once-read-many WORM storage system in which WORM datasets, and details and at least certain of their attributes including those relevant to WORM status, are protected from change or deletion, the method comprising:
setting a given dataset for retention for a particular retention period by storing a corresponding retention date in a first attribute of the given dataset, and setting a WORM attribute to indicate that the given dataset is a WORM dataset, wherein at least the first attribute and the WORM attribute are stored along with the given dataset in a file system; determining expiry of the retention period for the given dataset by comparing the stored retention date with a current time; and in response to determining the expiry of the retention period: removing the stored retention date from the first attribute, and changing the WORM attribute to indicate that the given dataset is no longer a WORM dataset wherein the first attribute is one of the dataset's existing attribute and is to store a first metadata type when the given data is not a WORM dataset, wherein the first metadata type when the given dataset is not a WORM data, wherein the first metadata type is different from the retention date, and further comprising, in response to determining the expiry of the retention period, the first attribute to store the first metadata type wherein prior to storing the retention date in the first attribute, an original value of the first attribute is stored elsewhere, this original value being subsequently restored at the time the stored retention date is removed from the first attribute, wherein the original value is of the first metadata type.