Storage management operations based on executable files served on demand to storage management components

A storage management system for performing storage management operations based on executable files served on demand to components of the storage management system, the system comprising:

• one or more executable files of a first storage management agent, wherein the storage management agent is one of a data agent and a media agent;
• a computing device that hosts a second storage management agent;
• a local storage device associated with the computing device;
• a first network-shared file system configured as detached from the computing device;
• a second network-shared file system configured as attached to the computing device;
• a storage manager in communication with the computing device, the first network-shared file system, and the second network-shared file system;
• wherein the storage manager is configured to
• store the one or more executable files of the first storage management agent to the first network-shared file system;
• transmit one or more first messages to the second storage management agent, wherein the one or more first messages instruct the second storage management agent to:
• (i) save metadata relating to the one or more executable files of the first storage management agent to the local storage device, (ii) release the second network-shared file system, and (iii) attach to the first network-shared file system;
• and
• transmit to the computing device one or more second messages that instruct the computing device to activate the first storage management agent by executing the one or more executable files served from the first network-shared file system;
• and
• wherein the computing device is configured to, in response to the one or more second messages received from the storage manager, execute the one or more executable files served from the first network-shared file system, thereby activating the first storage management agent on the computing device.

A method for upgrading a storage management component in a storage management system to a different version of the storage management component, wherein the method comprises:

• upgrading a storage management component that executes on a host computing device in a storage management system from a second version to a first version, wherein the upgrading is based on refreshing a connection to a designated network-shared file system, wherein the upgrading comprises:
• storing, by a storage manager, one or more executable files of the first version of the storage management component to a first network-shared file system, which is configured as unattached to the second version of the storage management component;
• in response to one or more first messages received from the storage manager:
• (i) saving, by the second version of the storage management component, to a local storage device associated with the host computing device, metadata relating to the one or more executable files of the first version of the storage management component, (ii) releasing, by the second version of the storage management component, a second network-shared file system that is configured as attached thereto before the refreshing of the connection to the designated network-shared file system, wherein the refreshed connection attaches to the first network-shared file system which comprises the one or more executable files of the first version of the storage management component;
• and
• executing the first version of the storage management component on the host computing device, based at least in part on the metadata and the one or more executable files of the first version of the storage management component, which executable files are served to the host computing device from the attached first network-shared file system.