Patent ID: 8190583
Filing Date: 2012-05-29
Classification: G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. An apparatus comprising: a user interface module to allow an administrator of a data storage system to define a data set having storage objects and to associate the data set with an owner and a data management policy, wherein each storage object includes a logical representation of data stored in storage containers that are managed by storage severs in the data storage system, wherein a physical implementation of the storage containers is independent of the logical representation of the storage containers, wherein the data set is a singular logical storage unit representation of the plurality of storage objects, the data set enabling storage and management of data across the plurality of storage objects via a singular entity, and wherein the data set includes associated meta data for mapping the data set to each of the plurality of storage objects, wherein the data set is instantiated as a unique logical entity in the data storage system with independently attached metadata and includes references to the plurality of storage objects represented by the data set; and a data set manager to manage the data set as a single unit and to identify storage consumed by each data set in accordance with implementation of the data management policy and the associated owner of the data set, wherein an action corresponding to the data management policy is directly applied to the data set existing as a unique logical entity in the data storage system, wherein the storage objects have differing tiers of charging rates, and wherein the usage of the storage objects by the data set is accumulated in accordance with a tier associated with each storage object that is used by the data set, and wherein the usage of the storage objects by the data set is accumulated by comparing logged times associated with the usage with a predetermined list of peak usage rates.