Patent ID: 6934724

Claim:
In a computer environment including at least one data storage area and at least one backup data storage system coupled to the at least one data storage area, the at least one backup storage system configured to execute at least two backup processes in parallel to backup target data stored in the at least one storage area, each backup process to back up a respective portion of the target data, an apparatus comprising: at least one contention controller, coupled to the at least one backup storage system, that distributes the respective portions of the target data among the at least two backup processes based, at least in part, on an availability of at least one resource in the computer environment used by the at least one backup storage system to access the target data, wherein each backup process is capable of using the at least one resource, and wherein the at least one contention controller distributes the respective portions of the target data among the at least two backup processes so as to reduce a contention for the at least one resource between the at least two backup processes, wherein the at least two backup processes include N backup processes, and wherein the at least one contention controller pre-assigns a first portion of the target data to a first backup process of the N backup processes, wherein the first portion is to be backed up during a first time period when the N backup processes are executed, and wherein the at least one contention controller makes at least one comparison of contention for at least one first resource used to access the first portion between the first backup process and at least one other backup process of the N backup processes during the first time period, and generates at least one contention penalty for the first backup process based on the at least one comparison.