Abstract: An incremental backup of a database includes issuing a request to a copy service requesting a snapshot of a volume having the database, and identifying a writer of the database that should participate in creating the snapshot. From the snapshot, changes to the database since a last backup of the database and log files associated with the database that include data not yet committed to the database, are transmitted to a backup storage unit.

Abstract: A virtual machine (VM) is disclosed. The VM includes a virtual processor including a plurality of applications, a volume shadow copy service (VSS) controller and an intelligent application requester that is configured to discover an application in the plurality of applications. The discovered application requires VSS supported backup and needs to be monitored for disk input/output (I/O) from a time a backup operation of the application is initiated till the back operation ends. The VM also includes a software component configured to monitor the disk I/O related to the application. The software component is configured to interface with the VSS controller to effectuate VSS supported backup of the application. The VM includes a control interface to enable an external software to control the intelligent application requester.

Abstract: Techniques to provide direct access to backup data are disclosed. An indication is received to provide access to backup data backed up previously to a target device. The backup data as stored on the target device is used to spawn on the target device a logical volume corresponding to the backup data. Access to the logical volume as stored on the target device is provided to a production host.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to presenting virtual machine backup files for instant restore by creating a virtual volume on a local machine with files that emulate remote VM files, and setting up kernel mode interceptor hook system object and the user mode process for I/O redirection. The virtual volume created and the file extents table is passed as an input to the user mode process. The user mode process waits for events triggered by the kernel mode driver object. If the I/O is within defined file boundaries, the file is converted to relative extents and read from the remote storage node. Write requests are automatically accomplished by attaching a differencing disk created on the local machine to the last known incremental file and performing a native OS mount of that file.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a restore module of a storage system receives a request from a client device over a network for restoring a data stream stored in the storage system. In response to the request, the restore module identifies a sparse disk file stored in the storage system, where the sparse disk file represents the requested data stream. The sparse disk file includes payload blocks sparsely located and intertwined with metadata of the sparse disk file. A converter executed in a memory by a processor of the storage system converts the sparse disk file into a native disk file based on the payload blocks of the sparse disk file, using a fast-copy method without having physically copying data content of the payload blocks. A block-based accessing interface is provided to the client to allow the client accessing the native disk file. Each block of content represented by the native disk is accessed based on a block identifier and an offset indicating a location of the block within the native disk file.

Abstract: Embodiments are described for analytic backup of datasets in a client-server network. A system or processor-based operation derives historical data about backup operations performed in a client-server computer network system and analyzes a present backup operation to be performed for a client computer dataset with respect to a plurality of parameters comprising data type, backup level/data density, backup method, and target storage type. A report comparing one or more past backup operations from the historical data to the present backup operation is generated and transmitted to a user of the client to facilitate selection of an optimum backup method for the present backup operation with respect to minimized backup operation time.

Abstract: First and second virtual hard disk files are accessed. The first virtual hard disk file corresponds to a backup of a file and includes a first set of payload blocks to store data associated with the backup. The second virtual hard disk file corresponds to an incremental backup of the file and includes a second set of payload blocks to store data associated with the incremental backup. Data from a payload block of the first set of payload blocks is merged with data from a payload block of a corresponding payload block of the second set of payload blocks to form a merged payload block. The merged payload block is streamed for storage as a synthetic full backup of the first and second virtual hard disk files. The merging does not alter the first and second virtual hard disk files.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to performing block-based backups of data using dynamic save streams by parsing, in a backup manager component, a data saveset to convert the data into blocks, analyzing the blocks in a stream engine component to define a number and respective size of save streams to assign certain blocks to respective streams, and transmitting the save streams to a backup storage media to perform a backup operation.

Abstract: Embodiments are described for dynamically modifying backup policy of an application using changes in metrics of a data set generated by the application and/or user-specified rules. Each application can have its own backup policy having a protection level that determines a frequency of backup for the application data set. An application can have an initial backup policy. An application backup policy can be based on the application type, a percent of change to the data set since the last backup, a size of the data set, or other metric. A user can specify a rule for the backup policy and protection level for the application. The backup policy or protection level can be dynamically updated in response to changes in the data set or a user-specified rule, on a per-application basis.

Abstract: Techniques to provide direct access to backup data are disclosed. An indication is received to provide access to backup data backed up previously to a target device. The backup data as stored on the target device is used to spawn on the target device a logical volume corresponding to the backup data. Access to the logical volume as stored on the target device is provided to a production host.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a virtual disk block consolidation process and system component that uses certain merging techniques to optimize the amount of disk space used by the incremental backup operations. The process merges the differencing disk at each user snapshot together so that a single backup copy is maintained. This helps reduce the space required to store the backups. A saveset consolidation is then performed so that the differencing disk representing the incremental backups are merged to a single backup that may represent either a synthetic full backup or a virtual full backup.

Abstract: Synchronizing catalogs of virtual machine copies is described. A system determines the number of copies of a virtual machine in a catalog associated with a virtual machine storage management tool. The system determines the number of copies of the virtual machine in a catalog associated with a backup application. The system creates a copy of the virtual machine, which is associated with the backup application, if the number of copies of the virtual machine in the catalog associated with the virtual machine storage management tool is greater than zero and if the number of copies of the virtual machine in the catalog associated with the backup application is zero.

Abstract: A request is received to clone a primary backup copy. An identification is made of a disk image file including the primary backup copy. The disk image file is scanned to split an amount of data to be cloned among a set of hosts. The hosts are provisioned. The hosts are assigned a portion of the amount of data to be cloned. A host clones its respective portion in parallel with another host to create clone sets on a clone target. A clone set includes a copy of at most a portion of the primary backup copy.

Abstract: A method of backing up data includes backing up, using a processor, multiple save sets of data to a first backup data storage; obtaining a first save set from the first backup data storage after the backup of the first save set has completed on the first backup data storage; determining that the first backup data storage is capable of concurrent read and write operations; and replicating, based at least in part on the determining, the first save set onto a second backup data storage while backing up of one or more other save sets of the multiple save sets to the first backup data storage is pending.

Abstract: A file stored in a volume on a client is backed up in a mountable format by creating on the client a template virtual volume that corresponds to the volume in which the file is stored. A set of file extents occupied by the file is identified. A file extent in a backup stream is identified. If the file extent is not within the set of file extents, the template virtual volume is accessed to backup a data block associated with the virtual volume. If the file extent is within the set of file extents, the file is accessed to backup a data block of the file.

Abstract: A system for network software debugging comprises a processor, an input interface, and an output interface. The processor is configured to determine a set of available components of a selected component type, and determine a set of backup processes running on the component. The input interface is configured to receive a selection of a backup process of the set of backup processes. The output interface is configured to provide an indication of a change of verbosity level.

Abstract: Embodiments are described for automatic backup and replication of virtual machines in a virtual center. A system or processor-based operation defines policies governing backup conditions and criteria for backing up and recovering the virtual machines, continuously polls the VMs of the virtual center to determine the health or change in each virtual machine. A backup component backs up at least one VM by copying or transferring data including content and state information of the VM to a storage device or other virtual center. The system detects if a failure condition or change in excess of a defined threshold value exists for any virtual machine, and if so, initiates a recovery operation, and then sends a message to the system administrator regarding the backup and recovery.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, analytics module of a storage system receives a request for analyzing a data stream stored in the storage system. In response to the request, the analytics module identifies a sparse disk file stored in the storage system representing the requested data stream. The sparse disk file includes payload blocks sparsely located and intertwined with metadata of the sparse disk file. A converter converts the sparse disk file into multiple native disk files based on the payload blocks of the sparse disk file, using a fast-copy method without having physically copying data content of the payload blocks. A block-based accessing interface is provided to allow multiple clients to concurrently access the native disk files, respectively. Each block of content represented by the native disk is accessed based on a block identifier and an offset indicating a location of the block within the native disk file.

Abstract: A service request from a customer is received at a first computer system. The service request concerns an issue with an application that is installed in a second computer system of the customer. The service request includes a set of fields, and corresponding values inputted by the customer. The service request is parsed to identify the application, the operating system (OS) of the second computer system, and a configuration setting. Code modules automatically create and configure the testing environment so that the environment includes the application, the operating system, and configuration specified in the service request. A test case is then executed in the testing environment, and a notification is generated that includes a result of the executed test case.

Abstract: Information identifying a set of changed blocks on a volume of a client are received. The changed blocks are blocks of the volume that have changed since a previous backup of the client. The set of changed blocks are filtered to identify a subset of changed blocks that are associated with a particular file. The subset of changed blocks is streamed to a backup storage server for storage as an incremental virtual hard disk file. The incremental virtual hard disk file is associated to a full backup virtual hard disk file, where the full backup virtual hard disk file is a full backup of a previous version of the particular file.