Patent ID: 8504526

Claim:
A method for performing a backup operation in a storage system, the method comprising: receiving with a first media agent module executing on a first computing device a plurality of data chunks to back up on a first storage device as a single backup file and as part of a current backup operation; with the first media agent module, storing a first data chunk of the plurality of data chunks in a backup format on the first storage device; with the first media agent module, generating a first transaction log comprising metadata of the first data chunk; transmitting the first transaction log to a second computing device which is in networked communication with the first computing device and which is in networked communication with a third computing device that has a second media agent module executing thereon; with the first media agent module, storing a second data chunk of the plurality of data chunks in the backup format on the first storage device; with the first media agent module, generating a second transaction log comprising metadata of the second data chunk; transmitting the second transaction log to the second computing device, wherein said transmitting the first and second transaction logs is performed prior to the entire backup file being stored on the first storage device; detecting an unbalanced workload of the first media agent module prior to the entire backup file being stored on the first storage device; subsequent to said detecting, receiving with the first media agent module an instruction to cease backing up the plurality of data chunks to the first storage device; obtaining an index associated with a previous backup operation; accessing from a second storage device associated with the second computing device at least some of the metadata of the first and second transaction logs; with the second media agent module, using the accessed metadata to apply at least the first and second transaction logs to the index associated with the previous backup operation, wherein upon application of at least the first and second transaction logs to the index, the index reflects the point in the current backup operation at which the first media agent ceased backing up the plurality of data chunks to the first storage device; and with the second media agent module, resuming performance of the current backup operation at least partly by storing, in the backup format and on the first storage device, remaining ones of the data chunks of the plurality of data chunks.