Extensible application backup system and method

An archive method using a primary storage and a secondary storage comprising:

• receiving a restore request for a target dataset archived on a secondary storage system and associated with an application on a primary storage system, wherein the primary storage system may have one or more different applications and each application having a corresponding one or more different proprietary application formats for storing their datasets;
• identifying an application translator module to be loaded into an extensible backup manager that converts between a predetermined storage format used by the extensible backup manager and a proprietary application format associated with the target dataset;
• converting the target dataset archived in a predetermined storage format back into the proprietary application storage format associated with the application using the application translator module;
• and
• invoking a data mover component from the extensible backup manager when the application translator module has completed converting from the predetermined storage format into the proprietary application format wherein the data mover component causes the incremental backup and the baseline backup of the entire target dataset, if the baseline backup is requested, to be moved from the secondary storage to the primary storage as requested in the restore request and to be stored on the primary storage in the proprietary application format associated with the application instead of the predetermined storage format associated with the extensible backup manager.

A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, for archiving using a primary storage and a secondary storage comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

• receive a backup request for a target dataset used by an application on a primary storage system to be backed up on a secondary storage system, wherein the primary storage system may have one or more different applications and each application having a corresponding one or more different proprietary application formats for storing their datasets;
• identify an application translator module component to be loaded into an extensible backup manager that converts between a proprietary application format associated with the target dataset and a predetermined storage format used by the extensible backup manager;
• schedule a baseline backup of entire target dataset from the primary storage to the secondary storage using the application translator module to convert from the proprietary application format into the predetermined storage format when the baseline backup of the target dataset has not yet been performed;
• perform an incremental backup of the target dataset in addition to the baseline backup of the entire target dataset, if the incremental backup is scheduled, wherein the incremental backup uses the application translator module to convert from the proprietary application format associated with the application into the predetermined storage format of the extensible backup manager;
• and
• invoke a data mover component from the extensible backup manager when the application translator module has completed converting from the proprietary application format into the predetermined storage format wherein the data mover component causes the incremental backup and the baseline backup of the entire target dataset, if scheduled, to be moved from the primary storage to the secondary storage as requested and stored in the predetermined storage format rather than the proprietary application format associated with the application.

A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, for archiving using a primary storage and a secondary storage comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

• receive a restore request for a target dataset archived on a secondary storage system and associated with an application on a primary storage system, wherein the primary storage system may have one or more different applications and each application having a corresponding one or more different proprietary application formats for storing their datasets;
• identify an application translator module to be loaded into an extensible backup manager that converts between a predetermined storage format used by the extensible backup manager and a proprietary application format associated with the target dataset;
• convert the target dataset archived in a predetermined storage format back into the proprietary application storage format associated with the application using the application translator module;
• and
• invoke a data mover component from the extensible backup manager when the application translator module has completed converting from the predetermined storage format into the proprietary application format wherein the data mover component causes the incremental backup and the baseline backup of the entire target dataset, if the baseline backup is requested, to be moved from the secondary storage to the primary storage as requested in the restore request and to be stored on the primary storage in the proprietary application format associated with the application instead of the predetermined storage format associated with the extensible backup manager