Patent ID: 8924667

Claim:
A method for backup storage management, comprising: defining a utilization threshold for each of a number of virtual tape libraries (VTLs); identifying a number of slipped backup jobs, wherein each of the number of slipped backup jobs is associated with one of the number of VTLs; collecting a number of storage statistics for each of the number of VTLs, wherein collecting the number of storage statistics includes checking for a reclaim space flag and a VTL storage extensibility flag of each of the number of VTLs; and allocating storage for each of the number of slipped backup jobs via a VTL backup storage manager that analyzes the utilization threshold, the number of slipped backup jobs, and the number of storage statistics for each of the number of VTLs, wherein allocating the storage includes creating a new VTL for at least one of the number of slipped backup jobs when the VTL corresponding to at least one of the number of slipped backup jobs exceeds the defined utilization threshold, does not have a reclaim space flag, and does not have a VTL storage extensibility flag, and wherein creating the new VTL for the at least one of the number of slipped backup jobs includes assigning a new utilization threshold to the new VTL equal to the defined utilization threshold of the VTL corresponding to the at least one of the number of slipped backup jobs.