Direct access to backup copy

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a backup server, a request to provide access to backup data that is stored on a target device;

in response to receiving the request to provide access to the backup data, spawning a logical volume corresponding to the backup data stored on the target device, wherein the logical volume is spawned on the target device;

providing, by the backup server, to a production host access to the logical volume that is spawned on the target device, the production host being provided access in a manner that logical volume is usable directly from the target device; and

in response to a determination that the backup data has been restored to a production system or that access to the logical volume is no longer needed, removing the logical volume that is spawned on the target device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising,

backing up, by the backup server, the backup data stored on a production computing system to the target device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the logical volume is provided to the production host directly from the target device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing access to the logical volume to the production host comprises the production host directly accessing the logical volume stored on the target device from the target device as a mount point.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the logical volume stored on the target device corresponds to the backup data that was backed up to the target device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the backup data comprises a save set associated with the production host.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request is received by a backup application via a backup application user interface.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the backup data is stored on the target device as one or more static images.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a service of the target device is invoked to spawn the logical volume.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the backup data corresponds to a production LUN.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the logical volume spawned on the target device comprises a virtual disk LUN.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing access to the production host includes providing to the production a mount point or other data usable to access the logical volume directly from the target device.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving an indication to complete a full restoration of the backed up data.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising moving the logical volume from the target device to a production storage system from which the backed up data was backed up.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing the production host access to the logical volume provides the production host with access to files or objects comprised in the backup data in a state at which the files or objects existed at a time the backup was performed.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the production host accesses the logical volume that is spawned on the target device without the logical volume that is spawned on the target device first being transferred to the production host.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the backup data is restored to the production system.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the logical volume is spawned on the target device without the backup data being transferred from the target device in connection with a restoration process associated with the request to provide access to the backup data.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the backup data is stored on the target device as part of a backup process before a restoration process is initiated.

20. A system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory or other storage device coupled to the processor and configured to store computer instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform the steps of:

receiving a request to provide access to backup data that is stored on a target device;

in response to receiving the request to provide access to the backup data, spawning a logical volume corresponding to the backup data stored on the target device, wherein the logical volume is spawned on the target device;

providing to a production host access to the logical volume that is spawned on the target device, the production host being provided access in a manner that logical volume is usable directly from the target device; and

in response to a determination that the backup data has been restored to a production system or that access to the logical volume is no longer needed, removing the logical volume that is spawned on the target device.

21. A computer program product to provide access to backed up data, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium associated with a backup server, and comprising computer instructions for:

causing a backup server to receive a request to provide access to backup data that is stored on a target device;

in response to receiving the request to provide access to the backup data, causing the backup server to spawn a logical volume corresponding to the backup data stored on the target device, wherein the logical volume is spawned on the target device; and

causing the backup server to provide to a production host access to the logical volume that is spawned on the target device, the production host being provided access in a manner that logical volume is usable directly from the target device; and

causing the logical volume that is spawned on the target device to be removed in response to a determination that the backup data has been restored to a production system or that access to the logical volume is no longer needed.