Patent ID: 6938180

Claim:
A method performed with an enterprise storage system comprising disk storage and sequential storage media, the method serving data storage needs of a given client coupled to the enterprise storage system via a network, the method comprising: performing a physical device level backup of data from the disk storage to the sequential storage media, while minimizing demands on the client, the device level backup comprising a complete image backup of data in a host device as defined from a perspective of the given client, wherein the physical device backup comprises: a data manager obtaining a host device map from the client; the data manager obtaining a file system map from the client; the data manager copying raw data of the host device on the disk storage to the sequential storage and creating a restore mapping, the restore mapping identifying sequential bit position information of the sequential storage media and tracking correspondence among such bit positions to given files and bit positions within the given files; and persisting the host device map and the file system map on disk media; and performing a logical restore of data on a file by file basis from physically backed data on the sequential storage media, the logical restore involving locating files requested by the client on the sequential storage media and recovering the files from the sequential storage media, the files comprising files defined in accordance with a files system defined by the client.