Patent ID: 7383466

Claim:
In a computing environment, a computer-implemented method for evaluating the effects of a volume revert without actually performing a volume revert operation, the method comprising: receiving a request to preview a volume revert operation that corresponds to reverting from a current state of a storage volume to an earlier state of the storage volume; changing to a revert preview mode in response to the request, including separately maintaining write data corresponding to write requests, and handling read requests by accessing the write data for data that has been written or accessing shadow copy data corresponding to the earlier state of the storage volume for data that has not been written; storing at least some of the write data corresponding to write requests, such that upon exiting the revert preview mode, the write data is configured to replace the current state storage volume data corresponding to the write data; and overwriting at least a portion of current state storage volume data with write data corresponding to at least one of the write requests received during the revert preview mode.