File manager integration with virtualization in an information management system with an enhanced storage manager, including user control and storage management of virtual machines

1. A method for using a file manager application that executes on a client computing device to initiate information management operations for virtual machines in conjunction with a storage manager that manages an information management system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a storage manager that manages information management operations in an information management system, a first query from a file manager application executing on a client computing device, to determine whether a user-selected virtual machine is represented in secondary storage in the information management system;

if the storage manager determines that the virtual machine is represented by one or more secondary copies thereof in the secondary storage, based in part on retrieving information from one or more media agents associated with previously creating the respective one or more secondary copies, responding to the file manager application with indications of the respective secondary copies to be displayed to the user as respective file-representations that are usable for further user-initiated information management operations in the information management system;

receiving, by the storage manager, one or more messages from the file manager application indicating that a first information management operation has been initiated by the user of the file manager application for a first file-representation of the virtual machine,

wherein the first information management operation comprises at least one of: a backup of the first file-representation of the virtual machine to a secondary storage device in the information management system, an archiving of the first file-representation of the virtual machine to the secondary storage device in the information management system, and a restoring of the first file-representation of the virtual machine from the secondary storage device in the information management system;

in response to the one or more messages received from the file manager application,

managing, by the storage manager, the first information management operation which comprises:

(i) instructing a media agent with access to the secondary storage device to coordinate data transmission for the first file-representation of the virtual machine to and from the secondary storage device as directed by the storage manager,

and

(ii) receiving, by the storage manager from the media agent, metadata about the first information management operation;

reporting, by the storage manager, one or more results of the first information management operation to the file manager application for presentation to the user by the file manager application; and

updating, by the storage manager, an associated management database, the updating comprising storing the metadata received by the storage manager from the media agent to the management database.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the storage manager from the file manager application, additional metadata that comprises information about an operation initiated by the user at the file manager application, wherein the operation comprises at least one of: shutting down a virtual machine, restarting a virtual machine, activating a virtual machine, and re-configuring a virtual machine; and

updating, by the storage manager, the associated management database, the updating comprising storing the additional metadata received from the file manager application to the management database.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the backup operation for the virtual machine comprises at least one of:

(a) a snapshot of the virtual machine created and stored in a secondary storage device in the secondary storage of the information management system,

(b) a backup copy of a file associated with the virtual machine created and stored in a secondary storage device in the secondary storage of the information management system, and

(c) a backup copy of a folder associated with the virtual machine created and stored in a secondary storage device in the secondary storage of the information management system.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the archiving operation for the virtual machine comprises at least one of:

(a) an archive copy of the virtual machine created and stored in a secondary storage device in the secondary storage of the information management system,

(b) an archive copy of a file associated with the virtual machine created and stored in a secondary storage device in the secondary storage of the information management system, and

(c) an archive copy of a folder associated with the virtual machine created and stored in a secondary storage device in the secondary storage of the information management system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the restoring operation for the virtual machine comprises at least one of:

(a) restoring a copy of the virtual machine from a secondary storage device in the secondary storage of the information management system to a primary storage device, thereby enabling the virtual machine to execute on the host computing device;

(b) restoring a copy of a file associated with the virtual machine from a secondary storage device in the secondary storage of the information management system to a primary storage device, and

(c) restoring a copy of a folder associated with the virtual machine from a secondary storage device in the secondary storage of the information management system to a primary storage device.

6. A method for using a file manager application to cause a storage manager component of an information management system to retrieve information about virtual machines that are represented in secondary storage, the method comprising:

receiving, by the storage manager, from a media agent component of the information management system, metadata about a virtual machine in the information management system,

wherein the metadata is based on one or more information management operations executed at least in part by the media agent for the virtual machine resulting in respective one or more secondary copies of the virtual machine,

wherein the media agent coordinates transmission of the one or more secondary copies of the virtual machine to and from a secondary storage subsystem as directed by the storage manager,

and

wherein the or more information management operations comprise at least one of a backup of the virtual machine to the secondary storage subsystem, an archiving of the virtual machine to the secondary storage subsystem, and a restoring of the virtual machine from the secondary storage subsystem;

updating, by the storage manager, an associated management database, the updating comprising storing the metadata received by the storage manager from the media agent;

receiving, by the storage manager, a query about the virtual machine from a file manager application that executes on a client computing device in the information management system;

determining, by the storage manager based on the query, that the virtual machine is represented in the secondary storage subsystem of the information management system by the one or more secondary copies;

based on the determining, retrieving information about the virtual machine in response to the query, by the storage manager, from at least one of: (a) the media agent that executed at least in part the one or more information management operations for the virtual machine, and (b) the management database; and

based on indications received from the storage manager of the one or more secondary copies of the virtual machine in the secondary storage subsystem, displaying by the file manager application, the one or more secondary copies as respective file representations that are usable for user-initiated information management operations, including at least one of an archiving and a restoring of a given secondary copy.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

further updating, by the storage manager, the associated management database, the further updating comprising additional metadata received from the file manager application,

wherein the additional metadata comprises information about user-initiated management operations for the virtual machine in the information management system.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

in response to a request received from the file manager application,

querying, by the storage manager, at least one of the associated management database and the media agent for information about one or more virtual machines in the information management system that are associated with a user of the file manager application; and

reporting one or more results of the querying operation to the file manager application to be presented to the user.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

in response to one or more messages received from the file manager application, wherein the one or more messages indicate that a virtual machine is to be created as initiated by a user of the file manager application, executing one or more administrative operations, by the storage manager in conjunction with a host computing device in the information management system, to create the virtual machine on the host computing device; and

reporting one or more results of the one or more administrative operations to the file manager application to be presented to the user.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

in response to one or more messages received from the file manager application, wherein the one or more messages indicate that a virtual machine is to be re-configured as initiated by a user of the file manager application, executing one or more administrative operations, by the storage manager in conjunction with a host computing device in the information management system that hosts the virtual machine, to re-configure the virtual machine according to the one or more messages; and

reporting one or more results of the one or more administrative operations to the file manager application to be presented to the user.

11. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

in response to one or more messages received from the file manager application, wherein the one or more messages indicate that an information management operation for the virtual machine has been initiated by a user of the file manager application,

managing the information management operation, by the storage manager, wherein the managing comprises (i) instructing a data agent in the information management system to perform the information management operation, and (ii) receiving metadata about the information management operation from at least one of the data agent and the media agent; and

reporting one or more results of the information management operation to the file manager application to be presented to the user.