Abstract: Embodiments are directed to methods and apparatus for making available to at least one scanning tool, information about at least one data unit shared among multiple storage objects of a plurality of storage objects stored on a storage system. The at least one scanning tool can use the information to influence at least one scanning operation on the at least some of the plurality of storage objects. Embodiments may be implemented in a computer system comprising at least one application program, at least one mapping layer that makes available to the at least one application program a plurality of storage objects, and a storage system that stores data in each of the plurality of storage objects in one or more data units.

Abstract: This invention is a system and a method for operating a storage server in a data network using a new architecture. The system of operating a storage server includes a secondary storage that archives or stores a data object in transformed form such that the clients of the storage server can no longer access the data directly. The method of accessing the data object that is archived or transformed in a different form to the secondary storage includes recalling only those data blocks that are required for read or write operation.