An information handling system may include a processor and a program of executable instructions embodied in non-transitory computer-readable media accessible to the processor, configured to, when read and executed by the processor: (i) communicate to a volume owner of a logical storage unit storing a snapshot to be backed up, an instruction other than an input/output read instruction for backing up the snapshot, wherein the volume owner is one of a plurality of storage nodes in a scale-out storage area network architecture communicatively coupled to the information handling system; (ii) responsive to the instruction, receive from the volume owner pages of data associated with the snapshot and metadata associated with the pages; (iii) from the metadata, form back up metadata for each page; (iv) write the pages to a back up device communicatively coupled to the information handling system; and (v) upload the back up metadata to a metadata server.
