Asset browsing and restoration over a network using on demand staging

A storage access system for asset browsing and restoration, the storage access system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a non-transitory computer readable medium storing machine readable instructions, wherein the processor executes the machine readable instructions to:
• retrieve a first portion of a compound asset from the storage access system on demand in response to a first indication from a client device to browse a portion of the compound asset;
• retrieve a second portion of the compound asset from the storage access system on demand in response to a second indication from a client device of at least one discrete item of the compound asset to restore;
• save the first portion as a staged asset;
• save the second portion as part of the staged asset;
• access an internal structure of the first portion of the compound asset, wherein to access the internal structure, the processor:
• detects a staged asset organization including a hierarchy of discrete items within the first portion;
• detects a staged asset header or a staged asset file table for the first portion;
• and
• accesses information, using the staged asset organization and the staged asset header or the staged asset file table for the first portion, relating to the discrete items within the first portion to determine the internal structure of the first portion;
• generate an asset directory based on the internal structure of the first portion, wherein the asset directory indicates discrete items within the compound asset including the at least one indicated discrete item;
• access the internal structure of the staged asset to generate at least one restored item;
• and
• remove or delete the staged asset from the storage access system subsequent to the at least one restored item being provided to the client device.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor of a storage access system for asset browsing and restoration, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

• instructions to access a portion of a compound asset in a storage system and restore the portion of the compound asset as part of a staged asset in a staging area of the storage access system, wherein the access and restoration is performed on demand in response to a first indication from a client device of at least one discrete item of the compound asset to restore;
• instructions to access an internal structure of the portion of the compound asset to generate at least one restored item related to the at least one discrete item, wherein the instructions to access the internal structure are further executable to:
• detect a staged asset organization including a hierarchy of discrete items within the portion;
• detect a staged asset header or a staged asset file table for the portion;
• and
• access information, using the staged asset organization and the staged asset header or the staged asset file table for the portion, relating to the discrete items within the portion to determine the internal structure of the portion;
• instructions to generate an asset directory based on the internal structure of the portion;
• instructions to provide the at least one restored item to the client device over a network without providing all data of the compound asset to the client device over the network;
• and
• instructions to remove or delete the staged asset from the storage access system subsequent to the at least one restored item being provided to the client device.