Abstract: Techniques described herein relate to a method for performing data protection services for limited access cloud data. The method includes identifying, by a cloud service provider (CSP) proxy, a backup generation event associated with a virtual machine (VM); in response to identifying the backup generation event: obtaining VM information associated with the VM; instantiating a VM agent within the VM; obtaining a metadata file from the VM agent; obtaining VM data from limited access cloud data; storing the VM data and a copy of the metadata file in a backup storage to generate a backup of the VM; generating indexing metadata associated with the backup using the metadata file; and providing the indexing metadata to a data manager.

Abstract: Techniques described herein relate to a method for performing data protection services for limited access cloud data. The method includes identifying, by a data manager, a protection policy assignment event; in response to identifying the protection policy assignment event: identifying subscriptions associated with cloud resources; identifying services associated with each subscriptions; assigning protection policy types to the subscriptions based on the associated services; and initiating performance of data protection services based on the protection policy assignments associated with each subscription.

Abstract: Techniques described herein relate to a method for performing data protection services for limited access cloud data. The method includes identifying, by a cloud service provider (CSP) proxy, a protection policy event associated with an incremental approximation backup of an object; in response to identifying the protection policy event: obtaining previous object metadata associated with the object; obtaining object data from on-premises cloud resources associated with the object; generating slices of the object data; generating current checksums and current object metadata associated with each slice; selecting a first slice of the slices; making a first determination that a first current checksum of the current checksums and a first previous checksum associated with the first slice do not match; in response to the first determination: storing the first slice in a backup storage; and updating a first portion of the current object metadata associated with the first slice.

Abstract: Techniques described herein relate to a method for performing data protection services for limited access cloud data. The method includes obtaining, by a data manager, an initial cloud service provider (CSP) proxy generation request from a user; in response to obtaining the initial (CSP) proxy generation request: creating an authentication account in a CSP directory based on the initial CSP proxy generation request; instantiating a CSP proxy in an on-premises CSP using authentication information associated with the authentication account; storing the authentication information; and associating the user with the authentication information and the CSP proxy, wherein after the associating the CSP proxy can access limited access cloud data and cloud resources of the on-premises CSP.

Abstract: Network configuration details associated with a host are collected with each bare metal recovery (BMR) backup of the host. The network configuration details are stored in backup storage with each BMR backup copy. A target host is booted into a preinstallation environment. The target host is configured into a DHCP mode to allow the target host to establish a network connection to a backup management server. Details about the host are received from a user. A listing of BMR backup copies corresponding to the host details are retrieved from the backup management server. A selection of a BMR backup copy to be restored onto the target host is received. Network configuration details corresponding to the selected BMR backup copy are downloaded from backup storage. A recovery wizard at the target host is populated with the network configuration details.

Abstract: Network configuration details associated with a host are collected with each bare metal recovery (BMR) backup of the host. The network configuration details are stored in backup storage with each BMR backup copy. A target host is booted into a preinstallation environment. The target host is configured into a DHCP mode to allow the target host to establish a network connection to a backup management server. Details about the host are received from a user. A listing of BMR backup copies corresponding to the host details are retrieved from the backup management server. A selection of a BMR backup copy to be restored onto the target host is received. Network configuration details corresponding to the selected BMR backup copy are downloaded from backup storage. A recovery wizard at the target host is populated with the network configuration details.

Abstract: A registry writer is instructed via a copy service on a host to prepare for generation of a snapshot. The registry writer is responsible for saving system hive files to disk before the snapshot is generated. A reporting of the system hive files is received from the registry writer. Communications are exchanged with an API exposed by an operating system of the host to identify user hive files. The system hive files reported by the registry writer and the user hive files identified using the API exposed by the operating system are backed up from the snapshot to secondary storage.

Abstract: A data structure is generated to store information about a set of writers associated with a copy service. The information is gathered from the copy service and populated into the data structure. The information includes names of the writers, writer types as being system or application writers, and system writer subtypes as being one of bare metal recovery (BMR) writers or system state recovery (SSR) writers. The data structure is reviewed to determine whether a particular writer should participate in the backup. Based on the review, a list is generated including a subset of the participating writers. Instructions are issued, via the copy service, for the writers in the list to prepare for creation of a snapshot. Upon creation of the snapshot, data is backed up from the snapshot to secondary storage.

Abstract: Writers participating in a backup are identified. A mapping is generated between the writers and associated files. The mapping includes file properties. The mapping is initialized by tagging the writers with a full backup tag. A base backup copy of the writers is created by conducting a full backup of each writer tagged with the full backup tag. At a current backup operation after creating the base backup, a list of current files that will participate in the current backup operation is generated. The list of current files is compared against the files in the mapping to determine whether a particular writer associated with a current file should be tagged with the full backup tag or an incremental backup tag. The particular writer is tagged with the incremental backup tag when file properties associated with the current file have changed.

Abstract: A target host is booted into a preinstallation environment. A request to register as a recovery agent is issued from a REST API of the target host to a backup management server. A TLS certificate to establish a secure channel is received from the backup management server. A request identifying a backup copy to be stored on the target host is issued from the REST API of the target host and over the secure channel to the backup management server. Credentials required to access a backup storage at which the backup copy is stored is received. Using the credentials, the backup copy is retrieved from the backup storage.

Abstract: Communications are exchanged with a copy service of a host to identify writers associated with the copy service. The identification includes a type of a writer as being a system or application writer. Writers identified as system writers are added to a list of writers that should participate in a backup operation. For writers identified as application writers, components of an application writer are iterated through to determine whether a component of the application writer has a name or logical path that includes a name of a system service. When any component has the name or logical path that includes the name of the system service, the application writer is promoted to be of type system writer by adding the application writer to the list of writers that should participate in the backup operation. Components of each writer listed in the list of writers are backed up.

Abstract: Writers on a host and associated with a copy service are identified. The identification includes names of the writers and writer types as being system or application writers. For each writer identified as a system writer, a size of the system writer is calculated and a check is made as to whether a volume associated with the system writer includes system data. When the volume include system data, the volume is marked as a critical volume and a size of the critical volume is obtained. A tally is maintained summing the sizes of the system writer and critical volume.

Abstract: Writers participating in a backup are identified. A mapping is generated between the writers and associated files. The mapping includes file properties. The mapping is initialized by tagging the writers with a full backup tag. A base backup copy of the writers is created by conducting a full backup of each writer tagged with the full backup tag. At a current backup operation after creating the base backup, a list of current files that will participate in the current backup operation is generated. The list of current files is compared against the files in the mapping to determine whether a particular writer associated with a current file should be tagged with the full backup tag or an incremental backup tag. The particular writer is tagged with the incremental backup tag when file properties associated with the current file have changed.

Abstract: Described is a system (and method) for providing multiple types of granular delete operations for a cloud-based object storage. The system may include a server that acts as an intermediary between a client device and an object storage that stores client data. The server may allow a client to perform a hard delete (or permanent) delete and a soft delete. The server may perform a specialized processing to synthetically create the soft delete feature using a permanent object delete operation provided by the object storage. The specialized processing may include manipulating retention periods associated with objects depending on whether the object is subject to a hard delete or a soft delete. As a result, the server may provide the ability for clients to perform a soft delete at an object level using existing storage level APIs that do not directly support such a feature.

Abstract: Described is a system for synchronizing expiration times for incremental backup data stored on a cloud-based object storage. More particularly, the system may provide a layer of intelligence when updating the expiration times associated with backup data to ensure that a full recovery of the client data to a point-in-time of any incremental backup may be performed. To provide such a capability, the system may maintain specialized metadata identifying expiration times for objects and a list of objects required to perform a full recovery to a point-in-time for each of the performed backups (e.g. full or incremental). The system may access this metadata to identify which objects stored by a previous backup are still referenced by a subsequent backup. Based on the identified objects, the system may synchronize object expiration times to ensure objects are not prematurely deleted from the object storage.

Abstract: Described is a system for rule-based re-tiering of backup data stored on a cloud-based object storage. More specifically, the system may re-tier objects based on one or more storage rules such that the system retains the ability to efficiently perform a full restore of backup data even when incremental backups are performed to a cloud-based object storage. To provide such a capability, the system may maintain a specialized metadata database that stores information indicating the backup time for each backup, and a list of objects required to perform a full restore to each of the backup times. Accordingly, when initiating a re-tiering based on one or more storage rules, the system may intelligently select candidate objects for re-tiering by leveraging the metadata database to ensure that objects that may still need to be referenced are not unnecessarily moved to a lower storage tier.

Abstract: Described is a system for intelligent re-tiering of backup data stored on a cloud-based object storage. More specifically, the system may re-tier objects such that the system retains the ability to efficiently perform a full restore of backup data even when incremental backups are performed to a cloud-based object storage. To provide such a capability, the system may maintain a specialized metadata database that stores information indicating the backup time for each backup, and a list of objects required to perform a full restore to each of the backup times. Accordingly, when using a threshold time (e.g. expiry) to select object candidates for re-tiering, the system may leverage the metadata database to ensure that objects that may still need to be referenced are not unnecessarily moved to a lower storage tier.

Abstract: A system including persistent storage for storing an object repository and a user data backup. The system also includes a manager that obtains fragmented user data associated with an object that is potentially duplicative of an object stored in the object repository; makes a determination that the object is duplicative based on a copy of the object stored in the object repository; in response to making the determination, adds the fragmented user data to a user data backup without adding the object to the backup; associates the fragmented user data in the user data backup with the copy of the object stored in the object repository; and stores the user data backup in the persistent storage.

Abstract: A backup manager for managing backup services includes persistent storage and a backup analyzer. The persistent storage includes a backup data repository and protection policies. The backup analyzer identifies a new backup stored in backup storage; performs a backup compatibility analysis on the new backup to determine inter-backup compatibility of the identified new backup; updates the backup data repository based on the inter-backup compatibility to obtain an updated backup data repository; and modifies a backup schedule using the updated backup data repository to meet a requirement of a protection policy of the protection policies.

Abstract: A system for providing backup services for limited-access user data includes persistent storage for storing a user data visualization enhanced user data backup and a manager. The manager identifies a backup generation event for limited-access user data based on a protection policy; in response to identifying the backup generation event, obtains fragmented user data from an application that gates access to the limited-access user data; obtains organizational metadata associated with the fragmented user data from the application; makes a determination that the fragmented user data is associated with a user data visualization; in response to making the determination, obtains user data visualization metadata associated with the fragmented user data from the application; and generates the user data enhanced user data backup using the organizational metadata, the user data visualization metadata, and the fragmented user data.