Patent ID: 8706694

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for providing continuous data protection (“CDP”) for a file stored on a virtual storage volume in a data storage system, the method comprising: executing a CDP client module on a client computer utilizing the virtual storage volume for storage, the client computer being communicatively connected to the data storage system through a network, the virtual storage volume being accessible to the client computer through the network, the CDP client module configured to: detect a modification to the file stored on the virtual storage volume made at the client computer, and upon detecting the modification, send a message over the network to the data storage system identifying the file and indicating a time of the modification, wherein the message includes only a filename identifying the file and the time of the modification; and executing a CDP server module in the data storage system containing the virtual storage volume, the CDP server module configured to: receive the message identifying the file and indicating the time of the modification, determine if a time of last update of the file on the virtual storage volume matches the time of the modification, and in response to determining that the time of last update of the file on the virtual storage volume matches the time of the modification included in the message sent over the network, locally copy a version of the file containing the modification from the virtual storage volume in the data storage system to a backup volume in the data storage system without writing the version of the file containing the modification over the network.