Patent ID: 8732417

Claim:
An apparatus for creating snapshots of a target system comprising: a module for tracking modifications to a target system after a given time; a module for storing information from the target system in a first read-only snapshot and a writable snapshot; a module for modifying the writable snapshot after the given time; a module for making the modified writable snapshot a second read-only snapshot by closing the modified writable snapshot, wherein the second read-only snapshot is readable while closed, wherein the second read-only snapshot comprises either a full snapshot or an incremental snapshot provided in response to a request; a module for opening a third read-only snapshot to make the third read-only snapshot writeable, wherein the third read-only snapshot comprises one of the first read-only snapshot and the second read-only snapshot; and a restoration module configured to restore, to a time after the given time, a file out of a plurality of files of at least one of the first read-only snapshot and a backup of the first read-only snapshot.