Centralized content addressed storage

A method for centralized content addressed storage, the method comprising:

• providing a virtualization layer on a computer architecture that includes a storage device for storing raw data including point-in-time raw data;
• operating a storage system that includes a first instance of a storage application and a second instance of the storage application, the first instance of the storage application including a first content storage addressed storage system on the virtualization layer;
• operating a second instance of the storage application including a second content storage addressed storage system on the virtualization layer or on another virtualization layer, wherein the first and second instances of the storage application are configurable to operate independently in the computer architecture and are configurable to operate together as a single CAS system in the computer architecture, wherein both the first instance of the storage application and the second instance of the storage application are configured for backup operations and recovery operations;
• presenting a virtualized representation of the computer architecture to the first instance of the storage application with the virtualization layer, wherein the first storage application is shielded from the computer architecture by the virtualization layer;
• processing the raw data to create backup data that includes space efficient versions of the raw data with each of the first and second instances of the storage application;
• storing the space efficient versions of the raw data to an archive mechanism in the computer architecture,
• wherein both the first and the second instances of the storage application are operable to recover and restore the space efficient versions of the raw data stored in the archive mechanism created by either or both of the first and the second instances of the storage application when the first and second instances of the storage application operate independently and when the first and second instances of the storage application operate cooperatively as the single CAS application, and
• wherein the storage system is configured to span both real and virtual environments.

A content addressed storage system, comprising:

• a storage system that includes a first instance of a content addressed storage (CAS) application and a second instance of the CAS application;
• the first instance of the CAS application provided on a virtualization layer on a first hardware subsystem, wherein the virtualization layer shields the first instance of the CAS application from the first hardware subsystem by presenting a set of components of the first hardware subsystem to the first instance of the CAS application;
• and
• a second instance of the CAS application provided on a second virtualization layer on a second hardware subsystem, wherein the second virtualization layer shields the second instance of the CAS application from the second hardware subsystem by presenting a set of components of the second hardware subsystem to the second instance of the CAS application,
• wherein the first hardware subsystem and the second hardware subsystem are subsystems of a hardware system,
• wherein the first and second instances of the CAS system are configurable to operate as independent instances and are configurable to operate together as a single CAS system to create a backup data set from a raw data set, wherein the backup data set is a space efficient version of the raw data set and is associated with both the first and the second instances of the CAS application,
• wherein the backup data set stored in storage includes data from both the first and the second instances of the CAS application and wherein the backup data set can be recovered and restored by either or both the first and second instances of the CAS application when the first and second instances of the CAS application are operating as the single CAS system and when the first and second instances of the CAS application are operating as independent instances,
• wherein the first instance of the CAS application and the second instance of the CAS application are configured for backup operations and recovery operations and wherein the storage system is heterogeneous and configurable to span both real and virtual environments.