Patent ID: 8086572
Filing Date: 2011-12-27
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A data management method, comprising: using an operating system, operating a source volume of a source device wherein the source volume includes storage, a plurality of user files stored in said storage and a file system for locating said user files stored in said storage, said file system including an address table identifying the location of each file on said storage device, said operating including said operating system locating said user files in said storage using said file system and said address table of said file system; backing up contents of the source volume of the source device at a first client station as at least one object of a database stored in a data storage subsystem wherein the at least one object represents an image of the contents of the source volume of the source device; using the database, tracking attributes and location of the at least one object in the database; providing a plurality of alternative targets for restoration of the source volume, said alternative targets including a target file and a target volume; receiving selection of one of said target file and target volume for restoration of the source volume; in response to selection of the target volume for restoration of the source volume, using the at least one object, restoring the contents of the source volume of the source device from the at least one object to the selected target volume instead of to a target file so that the target volume contains the restored contents of the source volume including said plurality of files of the source volume and said file system of the source volume; in response to selection of the target file for restoration of the source volume, using the at least one object, restoring the contents of the source volume of the source device from the at least one object to at least one record of the selected target file in a file system stored on a storage device instead of to a target volume being operated as a volume by an operating system so that the at least one record of the target file contains internally within said at least one record of said target file, image data representing said contents of the source volume including image data representing both said plurality of files and said file system of the source volume within said at least one record of said target file; using an operating system, using the target file containing the image data as a temporary repository for the contents of the source volume including the file system of the source volume, in which the target file has not been mounted to permit using the file system contained within the target file; copying image data representing the contents of the source volume from the at least one record of the target file to a target volume of a target device so that the target volume contains the restored contents of the source volume including said plurality of files of the source volume and said file system of the source volume; and using an operating system, operating the target volume as a volume, including locating said user files in said target volume using said file system of said target volume.