File indexing for virtual machine backups in a data storage management system

A method comprising:

• by a storage manager, tracking whether a block-level backup copy of virtual machine data has been indexed for at least one of:
• files within the block-level backup copy and content of the files,
• wherein the storage manager executes on a first computing device comprising one or more processors and computer memory and manages storage operations in a data storage management system that comprises the block-level backup copy,
• wherein the block-level backup copy comprises data generated by a virtual machine and was generated in a hypervisor-independent format by a block-level backup operation from a virtual disk accessed by the virtual machine;
• by the storage manager, selecting a second computing device for indexing the block-level backup copy,
• wherein the second computing device is selected based at least in part on having an operating system the same as an operating system used by the virtual machine, and
• wherein the second computing device comprises one or more processors and computer memory, executes a file system, and further executes at least one of a data agent for backing up virtual machine data and a copy analyzer for scanning block-level backup copies;
• by the storage manager, instructing the second computing device to activate live browsing of the block-level backup copy;
• by the storage manager, instructing the second computing device to scan for file indexing information in a plurality of backed up data files discovered by the live browsing within the block-level backup copy;
• by the storage manager, instructing the second computing device to transmit file indexing information resulting from the scan to an indexing service that maintains an index of file information including information about the plurality of backed up data files within the block-level backup copy;
• and
• wherein the index of file information is populated from the block-level backup copy of virtual machine data without using a hypervisor to perform the scan for the file indexing information.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a first computing device comprising one or more processors and computer memory, cause the first computing device to perform operations comprising:

• by a storage manager that executes on the first computing device, tracking whether a block-level backup copy of virtual machine data has been indexed for at least one of:
• files within the block-level backup copy and content of the files,
• wherein the storage manager manages storage operations in a data storage management system that comprises the block-level backup copy,
• wherein the block-level backup copy comprises data generated by a virtual machine and was generated in a hypervisor-independent format by a block-level backup operation from a virtual disk accessed by the virtual machine;
• by the storage manager, selecting a second computing device for indexing the block-level backup copy, and
• wherein the second computing device comprises one or more processors and computer memory, executes a file system, and further executes at least one of a copy analyzer for scanning block-level backup copies and a data agent;
• by the storage manager, instructing the second computing device to activate live browsing of the block-level backup copy;
• by the storage manager, instructing the second computing device to scan for file indexing information in a plurality of backed up data files discovered by the live browsing within the block-level backup copy;
• by the storage manager, instructing the second computing device to scan for content indexing information in the plurality of backed up data files;
• by the storage manager, instructing the second computing device to transmit the resulting file indexing information and content indexing information to an indexing service that maintains an index comprising file information and content information including information about the plurality of backed up data files within the block-level backup copy;
• and
• wherein the index is populated from the block-level backup copy of virtual machine data without using a hypervisor to scan for file indexing information and for content indexing information.