US Patent 11436108 File system agnostic content retrieval from backups using disk extents

Techniques for generating an enhanced backup catalog that preserves file extents for a file that is being backed up are disclosed. A file is identified. A directory structure is consulted to identify a mapping of extents that exist for the file. A backup process is triggered to backup the file. A backup catalog, which is generated as a part of the backup process, is modified to include a list of the extents for the file. This modified backlog catalog is referred to as an enhanced backup catalog. The enhanced backup catalog is then stored in remote backup storage.