Abstract: A method that is performed for backing up data. The method includes obtaining, by a backup storage, an incremental backup request; and in response to the incremental backup request, identifying backup extents of a full backup associated with the incremental backup request using backup metadata; generating an intermediate backup file comprising the backup extents, wherein each of the backup extents is a reference to a correspond data block; obtaining modified data blocks from a production host; and updating the intermediate backup file using on the modified data blocks to generate a virtual synthetic backup file.

Abstract: A method for recovering data includes obtaining a recovery request for application data, identifying a backup associated with the recovery request, generating a placeholder disk associated with the backup, generating a template virtual machine associated with the placeholder disk, generating an application-based virtual disk based on the placeholder disk, generating a file extent map based on the recovery request, populating the application-based virtual disk using the backup, the placeholder disk, and the file extent map to obtain a populated application-based virtual disk, replacing the placeholder disk with the populated application-based virtual disk, and after replacing the placeholder disk with the populated application-based virtual disk, initiating a migration of the template virtual machine.

Abstract: Techniques described herein relate to a method for backing up virtual machines. The method may include obtaining, by a backup storage, a virtual synthetic full backup request targeting virtual machine data of a virtual machine; and in response to the virtual synthetic full backup request: identifying, in the backup storage, backup extents using backup metadata; generating an intermediate backup that includes the backup extents, where each of the backup extents is a reference to one of any number of virtual machine data blocks in a full backup; obtaining modified virtual machine data blocks from a production host, where the modified virtual machine data blocks are obtained from a virtual machine snapshot of the virtual machine data; and generating a virtual synthetic full backup using the intermediate backup and the modified virtual machine data blocks.

Abstract: A method that is performed for backing up data. The method includes obtaining, by a backup storage, an incremental backup request; and in response to the incremental backup request, identifying backup extents of a full backup associated with the incremental backup request using backup metadata; generating an intermediate backup file comprising the backup extents, wherein each of the backup extents is a reference to a correspond data block; obtaining modified data blocks from a production host; and updating the intermediate backup file using on the modified data blocks to generate a virtual synthetic backup file.

Abstract: A method for recovering data includes obtaining a recovery request for application data, identifying a backup associated with the recovery request, generating a placeholder disk associated with the backup, generating a template virtual machine associated with the placeholder disk, generating an application-based virtual disk based on the placeholder disk, generating a file extent map based on the recovery request, populating the application-based virtual disk using the backup, the placeholder disk, and the file extent map to obtain a populated application-based virtual disk, replacing the placeholder disk with the populated application-based virtual disk, and after replacing the placeholder disk with the populated application-based virtual disk, initiating a migration of the template virtual machine.

Abstract: A method for managing backups includes mounting a block-based backup on a backup storage system to obtain a mounted backup, compressing the mounted backup to generate a compressed backup, and replicating the compressed backup to generate a plurality of compressed backups.

Abstract: A method for managing backups includes mounting a block-based backup on a backup storage system to obtain a mounted backup, compressing the mounted backup to generate a compressed backup, and replicating the compressed backup to generate a plurality of compressed backups.

Abstract: Performing block based striped backups in a storage system, by: obtaining a used block bitmap for a source volume to be backed up, defining a number of parallel save streams to simultaneously transmit separate data streams from the source volume to backup media of the storage system, converting the used block bitmap to the respective data streams based on the number of defined parallel save streams, embedding each data stream in a differencing disk payload, and maintaining a differencing disk chain across all data streams to create a last differencing disk that refers to all preceding differencing disks. The storage system may include AFTD devices in which the method mounts the last differencing disk to present a complete saveset, or data domain devices in which case the method synthesizes the respective data streams after a backup operation to present a complete saveset.

Abstract: One embodiment is related to a method for excluding files from a backup image file during a backup operation, comprising: determining files to be excluded from the backup image; taking a first snapshot of a source volume; exposing an iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface) disk with the first snapshot being a target; deleting files to be excluded from the exposed iSCSI disk; taking a second snapshot of the exposed iSCSI disk; and streaming the second snapshot of the exposed iSCSI disk to create a save set in a virtual disk file on a backup medium.

Abstract: One embodiment is related to a method for backing up a virtual disk file using parallel save streams, comprising: retrieving a block allocation table (BAT) of the virtual disk file; splitting the BAT into a plurality of split BATs; assigning data blocks of the virtual disk file to plexes based on the plurality of split BATs, wherein each plex corresponds to one of the plurality of split BATs; and streaming the plexes to a backup apparatus in parallel, wherein each plex occupies one stream.

Abstract: Performing block based striped backups in a storage system, by: obtaining a used block bitmap for a source volume to be backed up, defining a number of parallel save streams to simultaneously transmit separate data streams from the source volume to backup media of the storage system, converting the used block bitmap to the respective data streams based on the number of defined parallel save streams, embedding each data stream in a differencing disk payload, and maintaining a differencing disk chain across all data streams to create a last differencing disk that refers to all preceding differencing disks. The storage system may include AFTD devices in which the method mounts the last differencing disk to present a complete saveset, or data domain devices in which case the method synthesizes the respective data streams after a backup operation to present a complete saveset.

Abstract: One embodiment is related to a method for encrypting a block based backup image file, comprising: preparing an unencrypted block based backup image file; determining whether a region of the unencrypted block based backup image file to be streamed to a backup medium corresponds to a block allocation table (BAT) region; streaming regions of the unencrypted block based backup image file determined as not corresponding to the BAT region unchanged to the backup medium; and encrypting regions of the unencrypted block based backup image file determined as corresponding to the BAT region before streaming the regions determined as corresponding to the BAT region to the backup medium.

Abstract: One embodiment is related to a method for backing up a shared volume using parallel save streams, comprising: taking a snapshot of the shared storage volume that is shared across a plurality of nodes; identifying used blocks on the shared storage volume based on the snapshot; organizing logically the used blocks into extent sets, wherein a number of extent sets is equal to a number of the plurality of nodes; assigning the extent sets to the plurality of nodes, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is assigned one extent set; and streaming, by each of the plurality of nodes, a respective extent set to a backup apparatus, wherein the plurality of nodes stream the extent sets in parallel.

Abstract: Native file system creation for backup files is described. A system creates a virtual disk template corresponding to a disk associated with a client device. The system sends a copy of the virtual disk template as template data. The system sends a copy of a file on the disk as file data. The system stores a backup file in a file system format that is native to the client device by combining the template data and the file data. The system restores a file in the backup file to the disk via mounting the backup file as a virtual disk on the client device.

Abstract: Embodiments provide backup up databases using a checkpoint mechanism without requiring saving of transaction logs by: taking a backup snapshot of the database; exposing an iSCSI disk using the snapshot backup as a target by encapsulating the snapshot in a virtual disk; creating a read/write differencing disk for the exposed iSCSI disk; replaying transaction logs onto the iSCSI disk; and streaming the contents of the virtual disk to a storage medium to create a saveset.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a method of performing incremental block based backups for volume and sub-file level backups by providing a change block tracking driver component, maintaining a context of the change block tracking driver as a driver context using a single bitmap that represents the volume being tracked, and maintaining the bitmap as the only element to track changes across the volume backups and multiple application backups involving different sub-file level backups.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to presenting virtual machine backup files for instant restore by creating a virtual volume on a local machine with files that emulate remote VM files, and setting up kernel mode interceptor hook system object and the user mode process for I/O redirection. The virtual volume created and the file extents table is passed as an input to the user mode process. The user mode process waits for events triggered by the kernel mode driver object. If the I/O is within defined file boundaries, the file is converted to relative extents and read from the remote storage node. Write requests are automatically accomplished by attaching a differencing disk created on the local machine to the last known incremental file and performing a native OS mount of that file.

Abstract: First and second virtual hard disk files are accessed. The first virtual hard disk file corresponds to a backup of a file and includes a first set of payload blocks to store data associated with the backup. The second virtual hard disk file corresponds to an incremental backup of the file and includes a second set of payload blocks to store data associated with the incremental backup. Data from a payload block of the first set of payload blocks is merged with data from a payload block of a corresponding payload block of the second set of payload blocks to form a merged payload block. The merged payload block is streamed for storage as a synthetic full backup of the first and second virtual hard disk files. The merging does not alter the first and second virtual hard disk files.

Abstract: Embodiments provide granular recovery of virtual machine backups by generating the virtual machine backups comprising virtual disks that are configured as iSCSI targets; exposing, with an iSCSI server, the virtual disks as a logical unit number to an iSCSI client; performing SCSI read operations from the virtual disk using defined application program interfaces (APIs); and mounting a backup save set comprising the virtual disk files as a local disk on a computer where data recover is to be performed. Embodiments also emulate virtual disk storage as an iSCSI target by exposing the virtual disk as a logical unit number to an iSCSI client and mounting a backup save set as a local disk in an iSCSI server executing a backup process defining a granularity for data restore operations.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a virtual disk block consolidation process and system component that uses certain merging techniques to optimize the amount of disk space used by the incremental backup operations. The process merges the differencing disk at each user snapshot together so that a single backup copy is maintained. This helps reduce the space required to store the backups. A saveset consolidation is then performed so that the differencing disk representing the incremental backups are merged to a single backup that may represent either a synthetic full backup or a virtual full backup.