Patent ID: 7716186

Claim:
A method for transparent backup to a hierarchical storage system, the method performed by a computer readable storage medium storing a computer readable program executed by at least one computer and comprising: requesting a backup operation, communicating the request using a Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP) from a data management application to a tape server for the hierarchical storage system; sending data characteristics of a data set from the data management application to the tape server, wherein the data characteristics comprise a data set retention interval and a data set priority; generating a unique identifier for the data set at the tape server, the identifier comprising a source and a time stamp; transferring the data set to the hierarchical storage system; storing and managing the data set in locations of the hierarchical storage system transparent to the data management application; sending the identifier from the tape server to the data management application in response to the request, wherein the identifier identifies the data set within the hierarchical storage system; storing a plurality of instances of the data set on the hierarchical storage system, a first data set instance stored on a high-performance tape drive and a second data set instance stored on a magnetic tape drive; restoring the data set from the high-performance tape drive to a data source using the identifier if the first data set instance is available, wherein no other information is required to restore the data set; and restoring the data set from the magnetic tape drive to the data source using the identifier if the first data set instance is unavailable, wherein no other information is required to restore the data set.