Patent ID: 8706867

Claim:
A method performed by a media server comprising a primary storage for streaming media to a client computing device over a network, the method comprising: receiving a request for a media file at the media server, wherein the media server hosts a virtual layer comprising one or more virtual machines, wherein each virtual machine includes a corresponding operating system; wherein the virtual layer further includes a virtual machine storage manager hosted on a computing device different from the media server; determining that a storage location of the requested media file is a secondary storage location and not the primary storage, wherein the requested media file is stored in a backup format at the secondary storage location, wherein the secondary storage location includes a secondary data storage drive coupled to the network; and wherein the secondary data storage drive includes an index that stores index data generated during storage of data to the secondary data storage device, wherein the index includes an indication of specific files being stored during the storage of data; mounting the secondary storage drive to a virtual machine of the virtual layer; accessing the media file via the virtual machine; and transferring a portion of the media file from the secondary storage location, via the virtual layer, to the client computing device; wherein the primary storage includes a stub that indicates the secondary storage location of the requested media file.