Patent ID: 8738669

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for managing data objects, comprising: storing a compound object in a storage, the compound object being a binary file image having a plurality of data objects embedded therein, wherein the compound object is a compressed backup file and the storage is a backup storage; extracting metadata for each of the plurality of data objects from the compound object including identifying an unpack tool associated with the compound object based on a type of the compound object, wherein the identified unpack tool is selected from a plurality of unpack tools corresponding to a plurality of different types of compound objects, executing the identified unpack tool on the compound object to extract the metadata for each data object packed within the compound object without creating an instance of the data object from the compound object, wherein the metadata includes a layout of each data object in view of the compound object, including a size of each data object and a location of each data object within the compound object, the location representing an offset from beginning of the binary file image of the compound object, wherein the metadata further includes an access control list (ACL) attribute of a corresponding one of the data objects, wherein the metadata allows all data objects of the plurality of data objects to be accessed directly from the compound object without an instance of each data object being created; storing the extracted metadata in a metadata store that is separated from a storage location storing the compound object; exporting the metadata of the data objects in a file system namespace of a file system of the storage based on the metadata, such that each of the data objects is presented by the file system as if the corresponding data object were stored as a separate physical file in the storage when the data object is individually accessed; subsequently, in response to a request for accessing a first data object within the compound object, determining a size and a location of the first data object within the compound object based on the metadata associated with the first data object stored the metadata store; and providing access to the first data object directly from the compound object at the determined location within the compound object without using an application that understands a format of the compound object.