Patent ID: 7325019

Claim:
An apparatus to enable a user to manage data replication policies, the apparatus comprising: a graphical user interface to output to the user a representation of contents of a data structure containing a plurality of data replication relationships implemented by a plurality of storage servers and an indication of a first replication policy, the graphical user interface being configured to enable the user to apply the first replication policy to a first data replication relationship of the plurality of data replication relationships; a policy cloning tool to allow the user to select the first replication policy for cloning and to automatically clone the first replication policy in response to the user's selection, wherein the cloned first replication policy has identical attributes to the first replication policy; a policy editor to enable the user to rename the cloned first replication policy and to specify a change to an attribute of the cloned first replication policy to produce a second replication policy which is different from the first replication policy; and a relationship manager to allow the user to apply the second replication policy to a second data replication relationship of the plurality of data replication relationships.