Abstract: A portable, self-contained data mover container with all required packages for data management, and which can be hosted on a physical host, VM, cloud or appliance, such as a storage array. The data mover container protects multiple workloads such as NAS, native OS filesystem, applications, and so on. An automated process spins up and tears down containers without any impact on the host. If a container fails to run on a host if desired resources are not available, it automatically runs on other hosts for same data set. Minimal user intervention to achieve scale and performance is required, as the system automatically computes the desired number of containers required depending upon dataset and available resources. Containers can be patched and upgraded independently on a host without making any change to the hosting environment.

Abstract: Embodiments are described for storing array snapshots of a block-based system in networked storage, such as an NAS or SAN device. A system and process determines a size of the block device and splits it into a number of slices based on the size of the block device, with each slice comprising slice data. The slice data is written to protection storage either directly or through temporary buffer memory. The slice number and memory location for the slice data is stored in a key/value map, where the key comprises the slice number, and the value comprises the location. Backup agents are deployed to back up the slice data for each slice of the block device to the networked storage, and the slice data is stored as array snapshots in the network storage.

Abstract: Techniques described herein relate to a method for performing pre-backup tasks. The method includes obtaining, by a proxy host, a snapshot request associated with an incremental backup of a file system stored in a network attached storage (NAS) from a backup manager; in response to obtaining the snapshot request: instantiating a NAS container to obtain a snapshot of the file system; providing the snapshot to the NAS container; after providing the snapshot to the NAS container: retrieving a previously generated slice list associated with the file system; identifying, using the slice list, changed data include in the file system; generating change rates associated with each slice; grouping the slices based on the change rates and group criteria to generate slice groups; generating an updated slice list specifying the slices and the slice groups; and providing the updated slice list to the backup manager.

Abstract: Techniques described herein relate to a method for performing pre-backup tasks. The method includes obtaining, by a proxy host, a snapshot request associated with an incremental backup of a file system stored in a network attached storage (NAS) from a backup manager; in response to obtaining the snapshot request: instantiating a NAS container to obtain a snapshot of the file system; providing the snapshot to the NAS container; after providing the snapshot to the NAS container: retrieving a previously generated slice list and backup metadata associated with the file system; identifying, using the backup metadata and the slice list, data types associated with each of the slices; grouping the slices based on the data types and group criteria to generate slice groups; generating an updated slice list specifying the slices and the slice groups; and providing the updated slice list to the backup manager.

Abstract: Techniques described herein relate to a method for backing up a file system. The method includes identifying, by a backup manager, a backup generation event associated with a file system stored in a network-attached storage; in response to identifying the backup generation event: initiating performance of pre-backup tasks to obtain a snapshot of the file system and a slice list associated with the file system; assigning priorities to slice groups specified by the slice list based on priority criteria; distributing backup jobs associated with the slice groups to available proxy hosts based on priority; initiating performance of the backup jobs on the available proxy hosts; making a determination that additional slice groups are remaining; and in response to the determination: adding the remaining slice groups to a slice queue.

Abstract: Techniques described herein relate to a method for performing pre-backup tasks. The method includes obtaining, by a proxy host, a snapshot request associated with a full backup of a file system stored in a network attached storage (NAS) from a backup manager; in response to obtaining the snapshot request: instantiating a NAS container to obtain a snapshot of the file system; providing the snapshot to the NAS container; after providing the snapshot to the NAS container: generating, using the snapshot, slices associated with the file system; sorting the slices based on average file sizes associated with each slice; grouping the slices based on the average file sizes and group criteria to generate slice groups; generating a slice list specifying the slices and the slice groups; and providing the slice list to the backup manager.

Abstract: A method comprises requesting and receiving from a cloud mobility platform metadata for accessing one or more file systems which have been tiered to cloud storage, and writing the metadata to at least one backup storage location. In the method, a plurality of stub files are read, the plurality of stub files corresponding to a plurality of files of the one or more file systems which have been tiered to cloud storage. The plurality of stub files are written to the at least one backup storage location.

Abstract: A method for performing a backup includes: making a first determination that a last backup of assets is paused; obtaining, based on the first determination, a completed asset list and a non-completed asset list for the last backup; initiating a new backup for assets on the completed asset list for the last backup; and resuming backing up of assets on the non-completed asset list for the last backup.

Abstract: Techniques described herein relate to a method for performing pre-backup tasks. The method includes obtaining, by a proxy host, a snapshot request associated with a full backup of a file system stored in a network attached storage (NAS) from a backup manager; in response to obtaining the snapshot request: instantiating a NAS container to obtain a snapshot of the file system; obtaining providing the snapshot using to the NAS container; after providing the snapshot to the NAS container: generating, using the snapshot, slices associated with the file system; sorting the slices based on the number of files included in each slice; grouping the slices based on the number of files and group criteria to generate slice groups; generating a slice list specifying the slices and the slice groups; and providing the slice list to the backup manager.

Abstract: A method for managing data backup includes: making a determination that an asset source is a first type of asset source, in which a source client device comprises the asset source; generating, based on the determination, a data transfer path for a plurality of snapshots associated with the asset source between the source client device and a data protection system; initiating a backup for user data associated with the asset source to a target client device; obtaining the plurality of snapshots to the data protection system using the data transfer path, in which the user data is backed up in the target client device while at least a portion of the plurality of snapshots is obtained by the data protection system; and deleting the plurality of snapshots from the source client device, upon receipt of confirmation that the plurality of snapshots is successfully stored in the data protection system.

Abstract: Described is a system for automated creation of various data storage environments for application testing. The system may provide an efficient mechanism for creating various computing environments employed by clients of a data protection and recovery service. For example, different clients may utilize different data storage infrastructure (e.g. servers, storage arrays, databases, etc.) on which common backup-related components are overlaid. The system may build different combinations of computing environments and perform application testing across such environments simultaneously (or in parallel) within a virtual environment. Accordingly, the system may verify the operational consistency of backup-related applications across a large sample of client computing environments in an efficient manner.

Abstract: Embodiments for managing metadata in a high density network attached storage system. A change file list is obtained though external or internal crawler processes. A slicer creates multiple slices of the entire fileshare to enable parallel backup of the slices. A backup engine creates a separate backup containers and separate metadata files for each slice. The individual metadata files are combined into a single consolidated metadata file, and the individual metadata files are then deleted. The consolidated metadata file contains all of the elements comprising the entire fileshare, and a corresponding container ID is also added to each entry of the file. Another table contains details of the sub-assets and their backup properties. A backup agent obtains the backup IDs for the individual sub-assets, using a job ID field for a backup query operating on the single consolidated metadata file.

Abstract: One example method includes, in a network attached storage platform, determining a size of a slice of data that is included in a share of the network attached storage platform, when the size of the slice exceeds a threshold, re-slicing the slice to generate multiple new slices, and each of the new slices has a size that is smaller than the threshold, and when all slices in the share have been evaluated in terms of their respective sizes, generating a slice list that includes the new slices.

Abstract: A method for managing data backup includes: making a determination that an asset source is a first type of asset source, in which a source client device comprises the asset source; generating, based on the determination, a data transfer path for a plurality of snapshots associated with the asset source between the source client device and a data protection system; initiating a backup for user data associated with the asset source to a target client device; obtaining the plurality of snapshots to the data protection system using the data transfer path, in which the user data is backed up in the target client device while at least a portion of the plurality of snapshots is obtained by the data protection system; and deleting the plurality of snapshots from the source client device, upon receipt of confirmation that the plurality of snapshots is successfully stored in the data protection system.

Abstract: A method for managing data protection includes: obtaining metadata associated with a backup from a backup storage; performing analysis on the metadata using an analysis engine to generate an analysis result; generating a data protection strategy using the analysis result; and providing the data protection strategy to a production agent.

Abstract: A method for performing a backup includes: making a first determination that a last backup of assets is paused; obtaining, based on the first determination, a completed asset list and a non-completed asset list for the last backup; initiating a new backup for assets on the completed asset list for the last backup; and resuming backing up of assets on the non-completed asset list for the last backup.

Abstract: A portable, self-contained data mover container with all required packages for data management, and which can be hosted on a physical host, VM, cloud or appliance, such as a storage array. The data mover container protects multiple workloads such as NAS, native OS filesystem, applications, and so on. An automated process spins up and tears down containers without any impact on the host. If a container fails to run on a host if desired resources are not available, it automatically runs on other hosts for same data set. Minimal user intervention to achieve scale and performance is required, as the system automatically computes the desired number of containers required depending upon dataset and available resources. Containers can be patched and upgraded independently on a host without making any change to the hosting environment.

Abstract: In one example, a method includes receiving, at a physical proxy node, a backup request from a client outside the cluster environment, the backup request identifies a VM that is to be backed up, and including data that resides on a virtual federated database that is an element of the cluster environment and to which respective databases of each node of the cluster environment are mapped, and the backup request is received at the physical proxy node due to the position of the physical proxy node in a PSOL. Next, initiating, with an agent at the physical proxy node, a save program on the physical proxy node, and initiating, with the save program, a secondary save process on the physical proxy node that is a federated backup process and includes reading the VM identification from the backup request, and backing up the VM identified in the backup request.

Abstract: Embodiments are described for storing array snapshots of a file system in networked attached storage (NAS) device. A system and process determine an organization of the file system comprising directories and files in a defined hierarchy, and a size of each file and a number of files in each directory. One or more slicer processes slice the file system into a number of slices, wherein each slice contains at least one of: a defined number of files or files having a defined total size. Backup agents are deployed as proxies to back up the slices to the NAS device, and the slices are backed up as array snapshots in the NAS device.

Abstract: Embodiments for predictive scheduling of backups in a data protection system by initiating a first backup job in a series of scheduled consecutive backup jobs, wherein a second backup job is allowed to begin only after the first backup job is finished and not active, detecting whether or not the first backup job is still active when a second job is to start, and if so, estimating an amount of additional time required to finish the first backup job. The second backup job is then rescheduled to start at least at the end of the additional time. The estimated amount of additional time is determined using a throughput to target storage device parameter. This parameter is periodically checked to determine if there is a change to the estimated amount of additional time, and if so, the estimated time is recalculated based on the changed parameter.