NetVault Bare Metal Recovery 10.5 - User Guide for Plug-ins

Disk Raw Mode: Select this option if you want all partition information for a selected hard drive ignored and a “bit-by-bit” backup of the entire disk image performed. This bit-by-bit form of data transfer occurs during the restore of this backup as well, thus eliminating the need to format the target drive or remove the partition.

Cases in which Disk Raw Mode is desired include:

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The selected hard drive does not have a partition table.

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NetVault Bare Metal Recovery cannot recognize the partition table.

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You are backing up data outside the MBR and partitions (for example, dynamic disks).

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Compression: Select this option to compress data on the NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client before transfer during backup. This option reduces overall network traffic during data transfer and also requires less media space to accommodate the NetVault Bare Metal Recovery backup. This option is useful for partitions that contain a large amount of unused space. Selecting this option usually provides better compression than using a network-based or tape-library-based compression feature.

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Back up used blocks only for NTFS partitions: If you are using the Windows PE-based Plug-in Offline Client and the backup includes Windows®-based partitions, select this option if you only want to back up the used blocks. If you clear this option, a discrepancy (4K) between the backup data and the size of the NTFS volume might be reported in the binary log; this option is working as intended, and does not affect a restore. (If you are using the Linux-based Plug-in Offline Client, this option is visible but not functional.)

Click Save.

In the Create New Set dialog box, specify a name for the set, and click Save.

The name can contain alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters, but it cannot include non-English characters. On Linux®, the names can have a maximum of 200 characters. On Windows®, there is no length restriction. However, a maximum of 40 characters is recommended on all platforms.

Finalizing and submitting the job

The final steps include setting additional options on the Schedule, Target Storage, and Advanced Options pages, submitting the job, and monitoring the progress through the Job Status and View Logs pages. These pages and options are common to all NetVault Backup Plug-ins. For more information, see the Dell NetVault Backup Administrator’s Guide.

To finalize and submit a backup job:

Use the Schedule, Target Storage, and Advanced Options lists to configure any additional required options.

Click Save or Save & Submit, whichever is applicable.


	TIP: To run a job that you have already created and saved, select Manage Job Definitions in the Navigation pane, select the applicable job, and click Run Now.

You can monitor progress on the Job Status page and view the logs on the View Logs page. For more information, see the Dell NetVault Backup Administrator’s Guide.

Restoring data

The following sections describe how to restore backups to various configurations, such as a physical machine or a Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK) image.

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Restoring to a physical machine

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Restoring as a VMDK Image

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Recovery to a standby NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client


	WARNING:Before attempting to recover to the same disk that you backed up, verify that all existing partitions have been removed; otherwise, recovery to the same disk might fail (unless the data was backed up using Disk Raw Mode). Verify that the Disk Geometry of the OS targeted by the restore matches the geometry of the source OS that was backed up. If they do not match (for example, the source used 32 sectors per track, and the target uses 63 sectors), an error occurs when the system attempts to start.

Restoring to a physical machine

This option lets you recover backups of the client to a physical machine that has the same hardware specification as the machine that was used for backup. It includes the following:

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Prerequisites

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Restore procedure

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Post-restore


	WARNING:Even if there is no difference between the system devices in a backup and a restore, the order of the disks might be different. If the restored data is started without performing a rename, any data that exists on the disks is lost. To compare the information of physical disk at backup and restore, note the Disk Geometry and Device Size at backup. For more information, see Performing a restore in which Disk Numbers are different from the backup. For version 1.1.6 and later, also compare the Disk ID of the targeted disk on the Create Selection Set page to the Disk ID of the same disk on the NetVault Backup Selections page. Dell strongly recommends that you disconnect all disks that contain critical data from the server before you boot the Plug-in Offline Client.

Prerequisites

A DR restore procedure is a delicate operation. Before setting up and running a DR restore, the prerequisites covered in the following sections must be met.

Ensure that device filenames match

The target device name on the NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client (for example, Disk 0 (IDE)) must be the same as it was at the time of backup.


	IMPORTANT: When relocating a DR backup, ensure that the hard disk installed on the new relocation target has the same name as the hard disk that existed in the original target machine.

Boot the NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client with Plug-in Offline Client

You must first boot the target NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client with the Plug-in Offline Client to prepare it for the restore of a DR image. To complete the boot process, perform the steps covered in Booting a NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client with Plug-in Offline Client.

Gather noted Device Size and Disk Geometry information

This information should have been noted before the backup (see Verifying Disk Geometry and Device Size). Have this information handy to complete the restore correctly.

Obtain new license key if reactivation is required (Windows® only)

In some cases, the restored Windows system might require reactivation. Verify that you have the necessary license key for reactivation.

Verify access to the target NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client

The NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client machine that is to serve as a target for the restore must be accessible to the Plug-in Server.

To check access:

With the NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client booted with Plug-in Offline Client, access the NetVault Backup Server, and start the NetVault Backup WebUI.

Access the NetVault Backup Selections page to verify that the applicable client machine has been added as a NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client.

Open the Plug-in Server to reveal existing clients.

Open the applicable NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client, and select Edit from the Actions list.

When the Edit Bare Metal Recovery Client dialog box appears, verify that the data is correct or change it as required.

If the NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client is added correctly, skip to the Restore procedure section; otherwise, proceed to the next step.

Add the applicable NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client.

For detailed instructions, see Adding a NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client to the Plug-in Server.

Continue to the Restore procedure section.

Restore procedure

The following sections describe how to restore backups to various configurations, such as a physical machine or a Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK) image.

•

Restoring to a physical machine

•

Restoring as a VMDK Image

•

Recovery to a standby NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client


	WARNING:Before attempting to recover to the same disk that you backed up, verify that all existing partitions have been removed; otherwise, recovery to the same disk might fail (unless the data was backed up using Disk Raw Mode). Verify that the Disk Geometry of the OS targeted by the restore matches the geometry of the source OS that was backed up. If they do not match (for example, the source used 32 sectors per track, and the target uses 63 sectors), an error occurs when the system attempts to start.

Restoring to a physical machine

This option lets you recover backups of the client to a physical machine that has the same hardware specification as the machine that was used for backup. It includes the following:

•

Prerequisites

•

Restore procedure

•

Post-restore


	WARNING:Even if there is no difference between the system devices in a backup and a restore, the order of the disks might be different. If the restored data is started without performing a rename, any data that exists on the disks is lost. To compare the information of physical disk at backup and restore, note the Disk Geometry and Device Size at backup. For more information, see Performing a restore in which Disk Numbers are different from the backup. For version 1.1.6 and later, also compare the Disk ID of the targeted disk on the Create Selection Set page to the Disk ID of the same disk on the NetVault Backup Selections page. Dell strongly recommends that you disconnect all disks that contain critical data from the server before you boot the Plug-in Offline Client.

Prerequisites

A DR restore procedure is a delicate operation. Before setting up and running a DR restore, the prerequisites covered in the following sections must be met.

Ensure that device filenames match

The target device name on the NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client (for example, Disk 0 (IDE)) must be the same as it was at the time of backup.


	IMPORTANT: When relocating a DR backup, ensure that the hard disk installed on the new relocation target has the same name as the hard disk that existed in the original target machine.

Boot the NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client with Plug-in Offline Client

Gather noted Device Size and Disk Geometry information

This information should have been noted before the backup (see Verifying Disk Geometry and Device Size). Have this information handy to complete the restore correctly.

Obtain new license key if reactivation is required (Windows® only)

In some cases, the restored Windows system might require reactivation. Verify that you have the necessary license key for reactivation.

Verify access to the target NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client

The NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client machine that is to serve as a target for the restore must be accessible to the Plug-in Server.

To check access:

With the NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client booted with Plug-in Offline Client, access the NetVault Backup Server, and start the NetVault Backup WebUI.

Access the NetVault Backup Selections page to verify that the applicable client machine has been added as a NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client.

Open the Plug-in Server to reveal existing clients.

Open the applicable NetVault Bare Metal Recovery Client, and select Edit from the Actions list.