Patent ID: 7716684

Claim:
In a system that includes one or more clients in communication with a server that stores a backup of data stored on the one or more clients, a method for preparing the system to back up data of a client, the method comprising: operating a graphical user interface at a first device for displaying to a user information about the data of the client; at an administrator module configured to execute in the first device, initiating first wizard program modules comprising dynamic link libraries configured to carry a user through the steps to complete a backup function, each of the first wizard program modules comprising one or more application programming interfaces which allow the first wizard program modules to communicate with a first operating system on which the administrator module is operating, wherein the steps to complete a backup function include selection of a network configuration and a type of data to be backed up, the network configuration including the first device having the first operating system and a second device having a second operating system; at a client module configured to execute in one or more of the clients, initiating second wizard program modules comprising dynamic link libraries configured to retrieve information about the data of a client, each of the second wizard program modules comprising one or more application programming interfaces which allow the second wizard program modules to communicate with the second operating system on which the client module is operating; and loading one or more common user interface screens of a common presentation layer onto the graphical user interface, wherein the one or more common user interface screens have a similar look and feel whether the first and second operating system are different, wherein the one or more common user interface screens have a similar look and feel whether the administrator module operates on the first device having the first operating system or on the second device having the second operating system; wherein the common presentation layer includes one or more application programming interface screens which allow the first and second wizard program modules to access the one or more common user interface screens.