Patent ID: 7925630

Claim:
A method comprising: generating a backup image at a secondary system, wherein the backup image comprises a copy of first data received from a primary system; validating the backup image at the secondary system, wherein the validating continues as second data is received from the primary system; storing the second data in a memory, if the validating is unfinished, wherein the memory is coupled to the secondary system; receiving a request for third data from the primary system, wherein the third data corresponds to a timestamp; determining if the memory comprises the third data; returning the third data from the memory, if the memory comprises the third data; accessing a validation table entry corresponding to the timestamp, if the memory does not comprise the third data, wherein the validation table entry indicates a validation result of an image, the validation result was generated before the receiving the request; selecting the image, if the validation result indicates a successful validation; returning the third data from the image, if the validation result indicates a successful validation; selecting an earlier image, if the validation result indicates a failed validation, wherein the earlier image is a successfully validated image, and the earlier image is a most recently validated image generated prior to the timestamp; returning the third data from the earlier image, if the earlier image is successfully validated; and wherein the backup image, the image, or the earlier image comprises a point-in-time copy of the third data, and the memory stores a copy of a version of the third data written to the memory since creation of the point-in-time copy of the third data.