Patent ID: 8548959

Claim:
A process comprising: maintaining on a backup server a metadata file; copying all of the metadata file from the backup server to a production server before restoring backup data from the backup server to the production server; creating a directory of all files that are to be restored to the production server utilizing the metadata file; creating an empty file for each one of the files that are to be restored to the production server; and in response to an indication of a completion of the copying of the metadata file from the backup server to the production server, the production server goes into a useable state prior to the restoring of the backup data to the production server, and before or during a time period in which backup data is copied from the backup server to the empty file for each one of the files that are to be restored to the production server, receiving a request from the production server to restore a file from the backup server with a higher priority than other files on the backup server, and restoring the file with a higher priority than other files on the backup server; and maintaining a list of files for which a request was received from the production server to restore a file with a higher priority and preventing said files from being restored again using a traditional, serial restoration.