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 that is performed for backing up data. The method includes obtaining an asset backup request; and in response to the asset backup request: obtaining an asset and an asset entry associated with the asset backup request; dividing the asset into pseudo-assets using the asset entry; storing the pseudo-assets across backup storages to generate pseudo-asset backups; initiating the merging of the pseudo-asset backups to generate an asset backup; and updating asset backup metadata based on the asset backup.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems for efficiently backing up a production host. In one or more embodiments, assets are assigned to one or more slices. Depending on the type of assets assigned to a slice such as directory information versus data, the slices are assigned a flag. This flag may then be used to determine which streams a slice should be assigned to and based on the specific flags of the slices assigned to each stream, the order by which the streams are transferred to backup containers located in a backup storage may be determined. This may result in better or more efficient utilization of available connections between the containers and the production host, resulting in better utilization of system and network resources as well as a better backup and recovery performance.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems for efficiently restoring a production host. Selected assets are restored from a plurality of slices stored on a plurality of containers in a backup storage system. In order to restore the selected assets, a hierarchical mapping of the slices is produced by analyzing a backup's metadata, from which the assets are to be restored. The hierarchical mapping is then searched for highest level slice containing the assets and then searching the lower-level slices associated with the highest-level slice to efficiently discover the slices containing the selected assets. This invention reduces and/or eliminates the need to crawl the entire slice list once the highest level is discovered; only its children need to be searched for the asset. Once the slices associated with an asset are found, they can be quickly restored from the corresponding containers which hold the assets.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems for efficiently restoring a production host. Selected assets are restored from a plurality of slices stored on a plurality of containers in a backup storage system. In order to restore the selected assets, a hierarchical mapping of the slices is produced by analyzing a backup's metadata, from which the assets are to be restored. The hierarchical mapping is then searched for highest level slice containing the assets and then searching the lower-level slices associated with the highest-level slice to efficiently discover the slices containing the selected assets. This invention reduces and/or eliminates the need to crawl the entire slice list once the highest level is discovered; only its children need to be searched for the asset. Once the slices associated with an asset are found, they can be quickly restored from the corresponding containers which hold the assets.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems for efficiently backing up a production host. In one or more embodiments, assets are assigned to one or more slices. Depending on the type of assets assigned to a slice such as directory information versus data, the slices are assigned a flag. This flag may then be used to determine which streams a slice should be assigned to and based on the specific flags of the slices assigned to each stream, the order by which the streams are transferred to backup containers located in a backup storage may be determined. This may result in better or more efficient utilization of available connections between the containers and the production host, resulting in better utilization of system and network resources as well as a better backup and recovery performance.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems that improve the operation of one or more computing devices by allowing backups and restorations to be performed on files and folders that are normally unavailable for normal restoration. By utilizing the backup's meta-data, a backup agent can receive an indication that a file or folder is not available and take appropriate actions so that the files and folders that are normally not available can be properly restored. Making it possible to efficiently perform a backup of a file-system that can be restored even when files and/or folders are normally unavailable to be restored normally.

Abstract: A method for performing data backup includes: receiving a backup request specifying a file where the file is stored in a shared storage. Additionally, in response to the backup request: retrieving, by a primary data node, properties of the file; determining, by the primary data node, resource availability for plurality of secondary data nodes where the primary data node and the plurality of secondary data nodes is operatively connected to the shared storage and a backup storage; logically dividing, by the primary data node, the file into a plurality of segments using at least the properties of the file; and coordinating, by the primary data node, the backup of the file using the plurality of segments and the resource availability of the plurality of secondary data nodes.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems that improve the operation of one or more computing devices by allowing backups and restorations to be performed on files and folders that are normally unavailable for normal restoration. By utilizing the backup's meta-data, a backup agent can receive an indication that a file or folder is not available and take appropriate actions so that the files and folders that are normally not available can be properly restored. Making it possible to efficiently perform a backup of a file-system that can be restored even when files and/or folders are normally unavailable to be restored normally.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems for backing up user defined logical assets. In accordance with one or more embodiments, a user may define a logical asset type prior to a backup being performed. The user may define the logical asset type based on any rules, filters, or attributes of files and/or folders stored in a file system. Once the user has defined the asset type, the system may utilize file-system meta-data to quickly ascertain which files and folders meet the definition of the logical asset type, allowing for the backup of the user defined asset to be performed with minimal additional workload by the production hosts, clients, backup agents, and other associated components of the system.

Abstract: A method for performing a data backup process on a cluster includes: obtaining a backup generation request for virtual machines; in response to obtaining the backup generation request: generating a first set of backup groupings based on the backup generation request where each of the first set of backup groupings includes at least one of the virtual machines; issuing a disable migration command to a plurality of production hosts where each of the plurality of production hosts is associated with at least one of the virtual machines; identifying, after the issuing, a virtual machine of the virtual machines that is migrating; removing, based on the identifying, the virtual machine from the first set of backup groupings to obtain a second set of backup groupings where the virtual machine is placed in an excluded group after the removing; and backing up the second set of backup groupings.

Abstract: Techniques described herein relate to a method for performing data protection services for data stored in a shared storage. The method may include identifying, by a primary data node, a protection policy event initiating performance of data protection services for data stored in the shared storage used by the primary data node and secondary data nodes; in response to identifying the protection policy event: obtaining primary data node monitoring information associated with the primary data node; obtaining secondary data node monitoring information associated with the secondary data nodes; assigning at least one resource limit to the primary data node and the secondary data nodes based on the primary data node monitoring information and the secondary data node monitoring information; and initiating performance of the data protection services by the primary data node and the secondary data nodes based on the assigned at least one resource limit.

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 performing data backup includes: receiving a backup request specifying a file where the file is stored in a shared storage. Additionally, in response to the backup request: retrieving, by a primary data node, properties of the file; determining, by the primary data node, resource availability for plurality of secondary data nodes where the primary data node and the plurality of secondary data nodes is operatively connected to the shared storage and a backup storage; logically dividing, by the primary data node, the file into a plurality of segments using at least the properties of the file; and coordinating, by the primary data node, the backup of the file using the plurality of segments and the resource availability of the plurality of secondary data nodes.

Abstract: A method for performing a data backup process on a cluster includes: obtaining a backup generation request for virtual machines; in response to obtaining the backup generation request: generating a first set of backup groupings based on the backup generation request where each of the first set of backup groupings includes at least one of the virtual machines; issuing a disable migration command to a plurality of production hosts where each of the plurality of production hosts is associated with at least one of the virtual machines; identifying, after the issuing, a virtual machine of the virtual machines that is migrating; removing, based on the identifying, the virtual machine from the first set of backup groupings to obtain a second set of backup groupings where the virtual machine is placed in an excluded group after the removing; and backing up the second set of backup groupings.

Abstract: A backup manager for providing backup services includes persistent storage and a backup orchestrator. The persistent storage includes protection policies. The backup orchestrator generates a backup for a client based on the protection policies; obtains system metadata from the client; generates a backup map for the backup based on the system metadata; generates a backup hierarchy for the backup based on the backup map; and stores the backup and at least one selected from a group consisting of the backup hierarchy and the backup map.

Abstract: Techniques described herein relate to a method for generating backups of virtual machines. The method may include, in response to identifying a backup generation event associated with virtual machines: obtaining, by a backup agent, virtual machine metadata associated with the virtual machines; identifying groups of virtual machines based on the virtual machine metadata; provisioning resources to generate backups of the virtual machines based on the groups of virtual machines; and generating a backup of the virtual machines based on the groups of virtual machines using the provisioned resources associated with the groups of virtual machines.

Abstract: Backup operations may save a full backup and subsequent checkpoints. Systems and methods for handling backup and restore operations when checkpoints are deleted. Checkpoints can be merged during a restore operation to account for deleted checkpoints. Also, the backup can continue to leverage existing backups even though checkpoints have been deleted.

Abstract: A production host for hosting applications includes a persistent storage and a production agent. The persistent storage stores application data of the applications. The production agent obtains a backup analysis request for an application executing on the production host; in response to obtaining the backup analysis request: obtains an identity of the application; identifies backups in a backup storage, wherein the identified backups are associated with the identity of the application; performs a backup policy compliance analysis of the identified backups to generate a backup protection map for the application.

Abstract: A method and system for backup processes that includes identifying a target volume and identifying a number of available threads to back up the target volume. The elements in the target volume are distributed among the available threads based on a currently pending size of data in the threads. The elements are stored from each thread into a backup container, and merged from each of the backup containers into a backup volume.