Abstract: A method, apparatus and system for providing access to data comprising launching an image of a virtual machine, determining a file system or a storage container being unsupported by an operating system coupled to the virtual machine, mapping the file system or the storage container onto the operating system and accessing data within the file system or the storage container through the operating system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for pre-fetching data to be streamed from a data storage to a user computer comprising the steps of determining information regarding a file type of a data file, establishing pre-fetch parameters in response to the information, accessing the data file and pre-fetching data blocks from the data file in accordance with the pre-fetch parameters is described.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for using cloud-based storage to optimize data-storage operations may include: 1) receiving a request from a client device for instructions or directions for storing a data object, 2) accessing a data-placement policy that contains criteria for identifying storage systems suitable for storing the data object, 3) identifying, based at least in part on the data-placement policy, a plurality of storage systems for storing the data object, at least one of the storage systems including a third-party Internet-based storage system, and then 4) directing the client device to store the data object on the identified storage systems.

Abstract: A computer system and method for performing restore operations. A computer system includes one or more hosts. At least one host includes a backup agent. In response to a request to restore a file to a first host, a backup component identifies copies of portions of the file stored on a second host, retrieves the copies, and restores the file on the first host from the copies. The backup component maintains a catalog of entries corresponding to copies of portions of files stored on the hosts. In response to a request to restore the file to a first host, the backup component queries the catalog to identify one or more candidate locations where copies of portions of the file have been stored. The first and second hosts may be the same. The backup component may be located on a host or on a backup server.

Abstract: A cluster comprises a plurality of computer systems, wherein each of the plurality of computer systems is configured to execute one or more virtual machines. Each of the plurality of computer systems comprises hardware and a plurality of instructions. The plurality of instructions, when executed on the hardware, migrates at least a first virtual machine executing on a first computer system of the plurality of computer systems to a second computer system of the plurality of computer systems. The plurality of instructions migrates the first virtual machine responsive to a first load of the first computer system prior to the migration exceeding a second load of the second computer system prior to the migration.