Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a mechanism by which a server system executing a host application monitors utilization of overwrite reserve space on a volume storing application data. The server system executes space reservation policies to ensure that the volume cannot run out of space due to snapshot creation. In one implementation, the server system initiates deletion of backup datasets stored on the volume if certain criteria provided by a system administrator are met. If deleting backup datasets cannot not stop the volume from running out of space due to continuous snapshot creation, the server system prevents the host application from temporarily issuing I/O requests to the storage system until space is recovered. Preventing the host application from issuing I/O requests, rather than failing I/O requests by the storage system, eliminates undesirable consequences, such as loss of data and the need to perform data recovery.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided for archiving and restoring transaction files of a database system without requiring the copying of the transaction files. A server system executes a host application that implements the database system comprising a set of database files and a set of transaction files that contains updates to the set of database files, the files being stored in a storage system. A backup engine interacts with the host application to archive a transaction file having an original filename in an original directory by creating a corresponding archive filename to the transaction file in an archive directory. The archive transaction files may be used later to perform a copy-less restore process of the database system that does not require copying of any transaction files. The copy-less restore process restores any altered original filenames by replacing, in the original directory, an altered original filename with its corresponding archive filename.