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: 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.

Abstract: A file stored in a volume on a client is backed up in a mountable format by creating on the client a template virtual volume that corresponds to the volume in which the file is stored. A set of file extents occupied by the file is identified. A file extent in a backup stream is identified. If the file extent is not within the set of file extents, the template virtual volume is accessed to backup a data block associated with the virtual volume. If the file extent is within the set of file extents, the file is accessed to backup a data block of the file.

Abstract: Information identifying a set of changed blocks on a volume of a client are received. The changed blocks are blocks of the volume that have changed since a previous backup of the client. The set of changed blocks are filtered to identify a subset of changed blocks that are associated with a particular file. The subset of changed blocks is streamed to a backup storage server for storage as an incremental virtual hard disk file. The incremental virtual hard disk file is associated to a full backup virtual hard disk file, where the full backup virtual hard disk file is a full backup of a previous version of the particular file.

Abstract: Techniques for performing an incremental restore from block-based backup are described herein. One method starts by parsing entries in first block allocation table (BAT) associated with first full backup information of parent volume to determine BAT entry corresponding to start of parent volume. Merged BAT associated with resultant image is then generated based on first BAT and incremental BATs respectively associated with one or more incremental backup information. One or more incremental backup information is based on incremental changes to parent volume subsequent to first full backup information being generated. Volume used blocks information is then generated based on merged BAT. Volume used blocks information includes start location of each volume used block. Starting from the entry corresponding to start of parent volume, data in blocks identified by each entry in merged BAT are read and written to target volumes corresponding respectively to each entry in merged BAT.