Administering a shared, on-line pool of data storage resources for performing data storage operations

A method of creating secondary copies of data associated with user computing devices in a shared storage pool, comprising:

• receiving instructions to create a secondary copy of first data stored in primary storage associated with a first computing device in a networked pool of computing devices;
• accessing a data structure associated with the first computing device that identifies a first subset of computing devices in the networked pool that are designated for sharing storage resources with the first computing device;
• and
• causing a first storage controller to create the secondary copy of the first data in storage resources associated with a second computing device in the first subset of computing devices in the networked pool,
• wherein storage resources associated with the first computing device are designated for sharing with a third computing device in the networked pool such that the storage resources associated with the first computing device can be configured to be used by a second storage controller to create a secondary copy of second data stored in the primary storage that is associated with the third computing device.

A system for creating secondary copies of data associated with user computing devices in a shared storage pool, the system comprising:

• a first computing device in a networked pool of computing devices, the first computing device associated with a first data structure that lists a first subset of computing devices in the networked pool that are designated for sharing storage resources with the first computing device;
• and
• first computer hardware, the first computer hardware configured to:
• receive instructions to create a secondary copy of first data stored in primary storage associated with the first computing device;
• access the first data structure to identify the first subset of computing devices in the networked pool;
• and
• cause a first storage controller to create the secondary copy of the first data in storage resources associated with a second computing device in the first subset of computing devices in the networked pool,
• wherein storage resources associated with the first computing device are designated for sharing with a third computing device in the networked pool such that the storage resources associated with the first computing device can be configured to be used by a second storage controller to create a secondary copy of second data stored in the primary storage that is associated with the third computing device.