Patent ID: 8438420

Claim:
A method, comprising: using backup data to recover a previously backed up data object, wherein the data object includes at least one sub-object that is being recovered to a remote location; intercepting, at an I/O intercept, an application's I/O request to access the data object and to modify the sub-object while the data object is in the process of being recovered, wherein the I/O intercept transparently routes I/O requests from the application to the data object; receiving an indication that the application has completed modification of the sub-object and has closed the data object before recovery of the data object is complete; maintaining the I/O intercept after the application has completed modification of the sub-object and has closed the data object; and preserving, at the remote location, one or more modifications made by the application to the sub-object being recovered to the remote location; wherein maintaining the I/O intercept and preserving the modifications to the sub-object facilitate the application's subsequent access of the sub-object; the remote location comprises a storage location other than a primary storage location of an object or sub-object with which the backup data is associated; recovering the backup data to the remote location includes using the backup data to create and store at the remote location a recovered copy of the object or sub-object, the recovered copy comprising said recovered data; and wherein modifying the recovered data comprises redirecting to and implementing on the recovered copy at the remote location a request by an application to modify the object or sub-object at the primary storage location.