Content indexing of files in virtual disk block-level backup copies

A method for granular indexing backup copies of virtual machine data files using one or more pseudo-disk drivers, the method comprising:

• activating a first pseudo-disk driver at a first computing device, wherein the first pseudo-disk driver corresponds to a first logical view of first virtual machine data files in a virtual machine disk at a first point in time, wherein the first logical view is based on a first plurality of block-level backup copies of the first virtual machine data files at or before the first point in time, and wherein the backup copies were generated by a media agent, and wherein the first computing device comprises one or more hardware processors;
• by the first pseudo-disk driver, cause a first pseudo-disk to be mounted at the first computing device as a first data storage volume implemented in cache memory at the first computing device;
• by the pseudo-disk driver, receiving from a file manager application executing at the first computing device read requests for metadata in the first data storage volume, wherein the pseudo-disk driver transmits the read requests to the media agent if the read requests cannot be served from the pseudo-disk;
• by the media agent, responding to received read requests by recalling metadata from the first plurality of block-level backup copies without restoring each of the first virtual machine data files in its entirety to the first computing device;
• and
• by the first computing device, generating a first index that comprises metadata about the first virtual machine data files as of the first point in time, wherein the first index enables searching for individual files among the first virtual machine data files based on the first plurality of block-level backup copies.

A data storage management system comprising:

• a first computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer memory for executing program instructions;
• a second computing device comprising one or more hardware processors and computer memory for executing program instructions;
• wherein the first computing device is configured to:
• activate a first pseudo-disk driver that executes at the first computing device, wherein the first pseudo-disk driver corresponds to a first logical view of first virtual machine data files in a virtual machine disk at a first point in time, wherein the first logical view is based on a first plurality of block-level backup copies of the first virtual machine data files at or before the first point in time, and wherein the backup copies were generated by a media agent that executes at the second computing device;
• by the first pseudo-disk driver, cause a first pseudo-disk to be mounted at the first computing device as a first data storage volume implemented in cache memory at the first computing device;
• by the pseudo-disk driver, receive from a file manager application executing at the first computing device read requests for metadata in the first data storage volume, wherein the pseudo-disk driver transmits the read requests to the media agent if the read requests cannot be served from the pseudo-disk;
• wherein the second computing device is configured to:
• by the media agent, respond to received read requests by recalling metadata from the first plurality of block-level backup copies without restoring each of the first virtual machine data files in its entirety to the first computing device;
• and
• wherein the first computing device is further configured to:
• generate a first index that comprises file metadata for the first virtual machine data files in the virtual machine disk at the first point in time, wherein the first index enables searching for individual files among the first virtual machine data files based on the first plurality of block-level backup copies, and wherein the file metadata comprises file names and file attributes.