Abstract: Processing I/O operations may include: receiving, at a data storage system, an I/O operation from a host, wherein the I/O operation is directed to a logical address and includes an I/O tag used in connection with performing data reduction processing for first data stored at the logical address; and performing processing to back up a data set including the first data stored at the logical address. The processing may include: sending, from the data storage system to a backup application, the data set and hints regarding the first data set, wherein the hints include a first hint determined in accordance with the I/O tag from the host; performing, in accordance with the hints, data reduction processing of the data set to generate a second data set; and storing the second data set on one or more backup storage devices.

Abstract: A storage array updates snapshots of each of a plurality of storage objects of a storage group associated with a production volume on which an application image is logically stored and sends corresponding diff's to remote backup storage. The snapshots are maintained locally on the storage array and corresponding backup snapshots are updated on the remote backup storage. The remote backup storage shares a checksum algorithm with the storage array. In response to prompting from the storage array, the remote backup storage obtains or calculates a checksum of a designated backup snapshot determined with the checksum algorithm and sends the checksum to the storage array. The storage array uses the shared checksum algorithm to calculate a comparable checksum of the corresponding local snapshot. The local and backup snapshot checksums are compared to verify the integrity of the backup snapshot.

Abstract: Processing I/O operations may include: receiving, at a data storage system, an I/O operation from a host, wherein the I/O operation is directed to a logical address and includes an I/O tag used in connection with performing data reduction processing for first data stored at the logical address; and performing processing to back up a data set including the first data stored at the logical address. The processing may include: sending, from the data storage system to a backup application, the data set and hints regarding the first data set, wherein the hints include a first hint determined in accordance with the I/O tag from the host; performing, in accordance with the hints, data reduction processing of the data set to generate a second data set; and storing the second data set on one or more backup storage devices.