Abstract: Operations include storing and/or accessing data in tape volume containers. A system receives a request to access a tape block in a data storage tape. The system maps the requested tape block in the data storage tape to an object in a container. The system then retrieves data from the object in the container. The system generates, from the retrieved data, a data stream in tape archive format. The system transmits the data stream, in tape archive format, in response to the request to access the tape block in the data storage tape.

Abstract: Operations include storing and/or accessing data in tape volume containers. A system receives a request to access a tape block in a data storage tape. The system maps the requested tape block in the data storage tape to an object in a container. The system then retrieves data from the object in the container. The system generates, from the retrieved data, a data stream in tape archive format. The system transmits the data stream, in tape archive format, in response to the request to access the tape block in the data storage tape.

Abstract: A continuous data protection system, and associated method, for point-in-time data recovery. The system includes a consistency group of data volumes. A support processor manages a journal of changes to the set of volumes and stores meta-data for the volumes. A storage processor processes write requests by: determining if the write request is for a data volume in the consistency group; notifying the support processor of the write request including providing data volume meta-data; and storing modifications to the data volume in a journal. The support processor receives a data restoration request including identification of the consistency group and a time for data restoration. The support processor uses the data volume meta-data to reconstruct a logical block map of the data volume at the requested time and directs the storage processor to make a copy of the data volume and map changed blocks from the journal into the copy.

Abstract: The invention transforms source data from a source platform to a target platform with a single copy. A data request signal is communicated from the target platform to the source platform and a location of the source data is determined in a disk subsystem supporting snapshot. The disk subsystem (i.e., a snapshot facility) copies the source data in raw form to one or more target disks designated by the target platform. The locations of the source data and the target disks are communicated to the target platform and the source data is read from the disk subsystem to transform the data to the target platform. The process starts from a request of an application resident within the target platform. One or more data management units can be used to determine source and target disk locations. Preferably, the source platform also communicates metadata to the target platform; and thus metadata, when available, is also copied via snapshot operations in the disk subsystem.