Abstract: Described is a system (and method) for providing multiple types of granular delete operations for a cloud-based object storage. The system may include a server that acts as an intermediary between a client device and an object storage that stores client data. The server may allow a client to perform a hard delete (or permanent) delete and a soft delete. The server may perform a specialized processing to synthetically create the soft delete feature using a permanent object delete operation provided by the object storage. The specialized processing may include manipulating retention periods associated with objects depending on whether the object is subject to a hard delete or a soft delete. As a result, the server may provide the ability for clients to perform a soft delete at an object level using existing storage level APIs that do not directly support such a feature.

Abstract: Described is a system for synchronizing expiration times for incremental backup data stored on a cloud-based object storage. More particularly, the system may provide a layer of intelligence when updating the expiration times associated with backup data to ensure that a full recovery of the client data to a point-in-time of any incremental backup may be performed. To provide such a capability, the system may maintain specialized metadata identifying expiration times for objects and a list of objects required to perform a full recovery to a point-in-time for each of the performed backups (e.g. full or incremental). The system may access this metadata to identify which objects stored by a previous backup are still referenced by a subsequent backup. Based on the identified objects, the system may synchronize object expiration times to ensure objects are not prematurely deleted from the object storage.

Abstract: Described is a system for rule-based re-tiering of backup data stored on a cloud-based object storage. More specifically, the system may re-tier objects based on one or more storage rules such that the system retains the ability to efficiently perform a full restore of backup data even when incremental backups are performed to a cloud-based object storage. To provide such a capability, the system may maintain a specialized metadata database that stores information indicating the backup time for each backup, and a list of objects required to perform a full restore to each of the backup times. Accordingly, when initiating a re-tiering based on one or more storage rules, the system may intelligently select candidate objects for re-tiering by leveraging the metadata database to ensure that objects that may still need to be referenced are not unnecessarily moved to a lower storage tier.

Abstract: Described is a system for intelligent re-tiering of backup data stored on a cloud-based object storage. More specifically, the system may re-tier objects such that the system retains the ability to efficiently perform a full restore of backup data even when incremental backups are performed to a cloud-based object storage. To provide such a capability, the system may maintain a specialized metadata database that stores information indicating the backup time for each backup, and a list of objects required to perform a full restore to each of the backup times. Accordingly, when using a threshold time (e.g. expiry) to select object candidates for re-tiering, the system may leverage the metadata database to ensure that objects that may still need to be referenced are not unnecessarily moved to a lower storage tier.

Abstract: Described is a system (and method) for managing specialized metadata that may be used to manage and search incremental backup data stored on a cloud-based object storage. The system may create and store such metadata as part of a specialized metadata database that includes a data catalog and a backup catalog. The system may leverage the metadata database to initiate operations to efficiently manage incremental backup data stored on the object storage. For example, the metadata may be relied upon to efficiently reconstruct (e.g. synthetically) the client data to a point-in-time of any incremental backup. In addition, the metadata may include properties of the backed-up data, which are maintained separately from the backup data stored as objects. Accordingly, these properties may be searched to identify and locate backup data without having to retrieve the stored objects.

Abstract: Described is a system for synchronizing expiration times for incremental backup data stored on a cloud-based object storage. More particularly, the system may provide a layer of intelligence when updating the expiration times associated with backup data to ensure that a full recovery of the client data to a point-in-time of any incremental backup may be performed. To provide such a capability, the system may maintain specialized metadata identifying expiration times for objects and a list of objects required to perform a full recovery to a point-in-time for each of the performed backups (e.g. full or incremental). The system may access this metadata to identify which objects stored by a previous backup are still referenced by a subsequent backup. Based on the identified objects, the system may synchronize object expiration times to ensure objects are not prematurely deleted from the object storage.

Abstract: Described is a system that leverages object storage provided access controls to secure backup data stored on a third-party cloud-based object storage. More particularly, the system may implement a mechanism that ensures that a backup system acts as a gateway for accessing the backup data stored on the object storage. For example, the system may prevent object storage administrative accounts that are authorized to access data directly on the storage from maliciously or inadvertently jeopardizing the integrity of the backup data. Moreover, the backup system may encrypt the backup data to prevent such administrative accounts from performing various backup related operations such as data recovery. Accordingly, to perform backup operations and decrypt the backup data, an account must be authorized by the backup system acting as an exclusive gateway to the backup data stored on a third-party storage.

Abstract: Enabling point-in-time recovery for databases which change transaction log recovery models is described. If a database is associated with a recovery model that creates independent backups of the database's transaction log, a system identifies most recent backup information and a current transaction log sequence number. If the most recent backup information includes a transaction log sequence number and the current transaction log sequence number is a reset value, the system creates a full backup of the database, without first creating any independent backup of the transaction log. The system creates an independent backup of the transaction log when the independent backup of the transaction log is scheduled next, subsequent to creating the full backup of the database.

Abstract: Described is a system (and method) for managing specialized metadata that may be used to manage and search incremental backup data stored on a cloud-based object storage. The system may create and store such metadata as part of a specialized metadata database that includes a data catalog and a backup catalog. The system may leverage the metadata database to initiate operations to efficiently manage incremental backup data stored on the object storage. For example, the metadata may be relied upon to efficiently reconstruct (e.g. synthetically) the client data to a point-in-time of any incremental backup. In addition, the metadata may include properties of the backed-up data, which are maintained separately from the backup data stored as objects. Accordingly, these properties may be searched to identify and locate backup data without having to retrieve the stored objects.

Abstract: Described is a system for rule-based re-tiering of backup data stored on a cloud-based object storage. More specifically, the system may re-tier objects based on one or more storage rules such that the system retains the ability to efficiently perform a full restore of backup data even when incremental backups are performed to a cloud-based object storage. To provide such a capability, the system may maintain a specialized metadata database that stores information indicating the backup time for each backup, and a list of objects required to perform a full restore to each of the backup times. Accordingly, when initiating a re-tiering based on one or more storage rules, the system may intelligently select candidate objects for re-tiering by leveraging the metadata database to ensure that objects that may still need to be referenced are not unnecessarily moved to a lower storage tier.

Abstract: Described is a system for intelligent re-tiering of backup data stored on a cloud-based object storage. More specifically, the system may re-tier objects such that the system retains the ability to efficiently perform a full restore of backup data even when incremental backups are performed to a cloud-based object storage. To provide such a capability, the system may maintain a specialized metadata database that stores information indicating the backup time for each backup, and a list of objects required to perform a full restore to each of the backup times. Accordingly, when using a threshold time (e.g. expiry) to select object candidates for re-tiering, the system may leverage the metadata database to ensure that objects that may still need to be referenced are not unnecessarily moved to a lower storage tier.

Abstract: Described is a system for managing backup data stored on a cloud-based object storage irrespective of the storage provider. The system may include a server (or gateway) that provides a backup service, and acts as an intermediary between a client device and object storage. To provide such capabilities, the system may manage an application programming interface (API) that provides a uniform set of methods to a client device irrespective of the destination object storage provider. A function library may include provider-specific functions that invoke corresponding storage-layer operations provided by the destination object storage. The server may also manage an operation pool to schedule operations and saturate bandwidth to the object storage. The server may also implement a specialized metadata database to provide further storage efficiencies by storing certain backup data exclusively within the metadata database.

Abstract: Described is a system (and method) for specialized data management when performing incremental backups to a cloud-based object storage. When backing up client data, the server may utilize incremental backups to conserve the amount of storage space required on the object storage. However, the server may implement a configuration that enables full reconstruction of the client data at the time of recovery. To provide such capabilities, the server may leverage a specialized metadata database. The metadata database may be an embedded database maintained by the server. The server may leverage the metadata database to provide further storage efficiencies by storing certain incremental backup data exclusively within the metadata database. Accordingly, the server may implement a data management configuration as part of a backup service that conserves storage usage, and as a result, storage costs when using on a third-party cloud-based object storage.

Abstract: Described is a system (and method) for efficient object storage management when backing up data to a cloud-based object storage. The system may be implemented as part of a server (or gateway) that provides a backup service to a client device by acting as an intermediary when backing up data from the client device to a third-party cloud-based object storage. The system may implement various specialized procedures to efficiently store backup data as objects within the object storage. The procedures may include packing client data into objects of a consistent size to improve storage performance. The system may also improve storage performance and conserve storage by analyzing the data stored within an object and reallocating the data as necessary. More particularly, the system may efficiently reallocate data to new objects when the amount of live data within an object falls below a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Described is a system (and method) for providing multiple types of granular delete operations for a cloud-based object storage. The system may include a server that acts as an intermediary between a client device and an object storage that stores client data. The server may allow a client to perform a hard delete (or permanent) delete and a soft delete. The server may perform a specialized processing to synthetically create the soft delete feature using a permanent object delete operation provided by the object storage. The specialized processing may include manipulating retention periods associated with objects depending on whether the object is subject to a hard delete or a soft delete. As a result, the server may provide the ability for clients to perform a soft delete at an object level using existing storage level APIs that do not directly support such a feature.

Abstract: Described is a system for cloud-based processing of backup data for storage onto various types of object storage systems. A specialized cloud-based component (e.g. proxy server) may act as an intermediary when backing up data from a client system to an object storage. For example, the cloud-based component may be provided as part of backup service that operates in conjunction with a client system. Accordingly, the system may allow different clients of a backup service to efficiently and seamlessly interact with the different third-party object storage providers via a single cloud-based component. To provide such object-storage-agnostic functionality, the cloud-based component may include a function library that includes object-storage-specific functions. For example, the cloud-based component may invoke a specific set of operations that interact with a storage API provided by a particular object storage provider.

Abstract: Described is a system for cloud-based scheduling of data operations to an object storage. The system may include a server that acts as an intermediary between a client device and an object storage that stores client data. Requests by the client device to manage data on the object storage may be routed through the server. In response, the server may execute corresponding data operations directly on the object storage. The server may manage bandwidth limits for operation requests to an object storage by maintaining a specialized operation pool. The operation pool may be configured to manage operation-specific queues, and these operation-specific queues may include sub-operations (or threads) that are executed on the object storage. Sub-operations of various types of operations may be initiated for concurrent execution on the object storage based on scheduling information derived from the operation pool.

Abstract: Federated restore of availability group database replicas is described. A system receives a restore request associated with an availability group, and identifies a primary node in a cluster of nodes, the primary node storing a primary database replica associated with the availability group. The system identifies a secondary node in the cluster of nodes, the secondary node storing a secondary database replica associated with the availability group. The system removes the primary database replica and the secondary database replica from the availability group. The system simultaneously restores a backup database replica, associated with the availability group, as the primary database replica in the primary node and the secondary database replica in the secondary node. The system adds the restored primary database replica and the restored secondary database replica to the availability group.