VMware Plugin - Restoring a VM using Instant Restore (4381277)

If a VMware Virtual Machine (VM) was backed up using Continuous Data Protection (CDP) job, the system can be recovered using the Instant Restore feature. QoreStor leverages the Remote Database Access (RDA) and Linux Network File Sharing (NFS) protocols to act as a temporary datastore where NetVault mounts the backed-up image, making the system available in a matter of seconds. The instant restored VM should be bootable and fully functional; virtual disks can be browsed to confirm the presence of desired data or to copy files that need to be restored. For the VM to become permanent, the system needs to be migrated to an existing datastore.

System Requirements

• Both NetVault and VMware Plugin versions on the proxy require to be 13.1.x or higher
• CDP backup must be stored on a QoreStor version 7.1.2 or higher container
• The temporary datastore can only be attached to a vSphere environment running vSphere 7.x or higher

Pre-Requisites

Instant Restore is available for VMs backed through CDP. However, the job must be configured with the following options:

• When creating the backup job Selection set, select all the virtual disks associated to a VM.
• In the Plugin Options set, verify that Backup all disks is selected.

To recover a virtual machine using Instant Restore, follow these steps:

1. From the left navigation pane, select Create Restore Job.
2. On the Create Restore Job - Choose Saveset screen, from the saveset table select the CDP backup with the VM to be restored.
3. Press the [🔄️Restore] button.
4. On the Create Selection Set page, expand the nodes and click the checkbox next to the VM that will be instantly restored. If multiple VMs required to be restored, select only one VM and create other jobs to recover the other systems. For a successful restore, do not omit individual disks from the VM.
5. At the bottom of the Create Selection Set screen, press the [📝Edit Plugin Options] button.
6. Depending on the VMware environment where the VM will be restored, configure the following options on the Plug-in for VMware Restore Options dialog box (for additional information, check NetVault Plug-in for VMware User’s Guide):
   • Use Instant Restore checkbox: selecting this option is mandatory to run a VM instant restore job.
   • Migrate Instant Restore VM checkbox: when selected the VM will be moved from the temporary datastore to the one specified on the Target Datastore field.
   • Remove devices (Network, CD-Rom) of VM checkbox: optionally, remove devices such as NICs and optical drives attached to the VM that was backed up.
   • Alternate Resource Pool Path textbox: used to specify a resource pool at any arbitrary depth within the hierarchy; to allocate the virtual machine at the root resource pool, type the “/” character.
   • Alternate Datastore textbox: Although Instant Restore creates its own NFS datastore on QoreStor, a value is required; type the “/” character.
   • Alternate ESXi Host Address textbox: By default, the plug-in uses the address of the original ESXi host. If the virtual machine needs to be restored to a different ESXi host, update the IP address. To Instant Restore to an alternate vCenter, an alternate ESXi host address is required.
   • Alternate vCenter Details: Fill the fields if the VM will be restored to a vCenter different to the one where the original system was backed up.
7. Once the VM is instant restored, the job will keep running until the machine is powered down or migration to a permanent Datastore is completed:
   • If Migrate Instant Restore VM checkbox was not selected, the VM will be available until powered down; the restore job will be marked as completed. Another way to stop the job is to abort it. In both cases, NetVault automatically removes the temporary datastore. The system could be migrated to a permanent datastore while the VM is powered on, the job isn't aborted, and NetVault & QoreStor services remain running.
   • If Migrate Instant Restore VM checkbox was selected, the restored VM will be accessible within seconds, and the the migration of the system will start shortly after. When the migration completes, NetVault automatically removes the temporary datastore and the restore completes.

Note: If the job is aborted when the VM migration is in progress or the VM is deleted from the vCenter, the temporary datastore and its associated IP addresses remain on the QoreStor server and will need to be manually removed.

8. Press the [✔️OK] button to save the options.
9. Press the [>Next] button to advance to the next screen.
10. Input the Job Name.

11. On the Create Restore Job, the Target Client drop down list can be used to specify an alternate VMWare Proxy to run the restore job.
12. Press the [Save and Submit] button to run the Instant Restore job.