Method and system for generating and restoring a backup image

Abstract

A method and system for generating and restoring a backup image are disclosed. A server receives a request, which includes a backup path, to generate a backup image. The server generates a backup image offset map that indicates a relative location where a file is stored in the backup image before file data has been written to the backup image. The server stores the backup image offset map in a portion of the backup image on a storage device. The backup image offset map comprises an array having a number of elements equal to a number of inodes on a file system that hosts a backup path, an element of the array representing an inode on the file system, and indicates the relative location where a file that is associated with a number of the inode is stored in the backup image.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.