5 1 0:Nutanix AHV Restore

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Welcome to the latest SEP sesam documentation version 5.1.0 Apollon. For previous documentation version(s), check documentation archive.


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Overview


As of SEP sesam v. 5.0.0 Jaglion, SEP sesam provides efficient data protection for Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV). The Nutanix AHV module is supported on SEP sesam Linux Server and on SEP sesam Windows Server, using a Linux Client as a data mover.

The restore of Nutanix virtual machines (VMs) is quite similar to a regular file system restore. There are two ways to restore your Nutanix virtual machines (VMs): using the GUI restore wizard or via the web interface Restore Assistant. Although most options are the same in both restore interfaces, the web Restore Assistant is more intuitive and offers additional advanced options. Note that scheduling restore is only supported in GUI mode.

You can also perform single file restore (SFR) via the SEP sesam GUI or the web Restore Assistant. SFR is supported only in advanced UI mode. For details on switching the UI mode, see Setting the UI mode in the GUI and Setting the UI mode in the Restore Assistant.

The operations and options available after logging in may differ depending on the user type. Other GUI and Web UI display restrictions may depend on the custom roles with specific permissions and the UI mode.
For details, see About Authentication and Authorization and User Roles and Permissions.

Prerequisites

To ensure error-free operation of SEP sesam and improve performance, make sure that the following conditions are met:

  • Check the Nutanix AHV support matrix for supported Nutanix AHV versions.
  • Ensure that your Nutanix AHV environment is properly configured as described in Nutanix AHV Backup.
  • SFR of backups from virtualization platforms requires the guestfs-tools package to be installed on Linux in order to access and mount the VM disk image on Linux. If the package is not installed on your SEP sesam Server or Linux RDS, it is not possible to mount VMDK and perform SFR. Refer to Installing guestfs-tools on Linux.
  • Make sure that there is enough free space on the target system to which you are restoring your data.

Restoring a Nutanix AHV virtual machine

Depending on the interface you are using, follow the appropriate procedure to restore a Nutanix VM:

Typically, you would restore a VM to its original location (Restore to original VM) if the original VM is unusable. By restoring a full VM backup, you create a new VM with the identical content and configuration as when the backup was made. You can also restore your VM under a new name or to a different location.

VM restore via the GUI

Create a new restore task for the VM you want to restore.

  1. From the SEP sesam GUI menu bar, select Activities -> Restore. The New Restore Task window opens.
  2. Select what you want to restore. You can search savesets by task name or filename or path.
    • When searching by task name, use the drop-down list of available tasks and select the one you want to restore. This option is enabled by default.
    • If you are searching by filename/path, select the option Filename or path in a saveset and enter your search expression in the search pattern field.
  3. Under Saved in period, select the time frame for which you want to perform the search from the drop-down lists. Click Next.
  4. The search results are displayed. From the list of savesets that match your search query, select the task you want to restore. The restore types Complete restore of selected task and Generation restore are selected by default and cannot be deselected. Click Next.
  5. In the Target Settings dialog box, check the configuration of your restore task and set additional options as needed.
  6. The name of the restore task is automatically generated in the Restore task name field. You can edit the name and add a comment below it.
    Target data
    You can restore the Nutanix AHV VM to the original VM (if the Target node is the same server from which the data was backed up, i.e., the source and target server are the same) or under a new VM name.
    If you want to restore the VM under a different name, select the option Restore with new VM name and enter a new VM name or use the Browser button to select a new target location; then select Create new version under the VM restore options.
    Target node
    It shows the target server where the data will be restored. By clicking Change VM target selection, you can restore a task to a different target (location) by selecting the appropriate target node and data store from the drop-down lists. In the case of Nutanix, the data store is a Nutanix storage container. If no target path is defined, the VM is restored to the default (original) location.
    VM restore options
    Select one of the following from the drop-down list:
    • Do not overwrite existing items (default): The VM will not be restored if a VM with the same name already exists on the target server. In this case, the following error is displayed: Error: Restore failed. A virtual machine with the same name already exists.
    • Overwrite existing items: If a VM with the same name exists on the target server, it will be replaced with the restored version. Note that if two VMs with the same name exist on the target server, the restore fails with: Error: Restore failed. A virtual machine with the same name already exists.
    • Create a new version: Restore the VM under a new name.
    • You can also select whether the VM should be started automatically after the restore by selecting Start virtual machine after restore/Do not start (selected by default).
    Optional data source selection
    • Preferred media pool: If the data was migrated or replicated and different media pools were used for the process, the source media pool to restore from can be selected from the drop-down list of available media pools.
    • Used media | barcode: If the data was migrated, the migrated copy is stored on a different media; the source media to restore from can be selected from the drop-down list of available media.
    • The Drive field shows the drive with the backed up data.
    • The Interface field displays the server with the attached data storage that contains the selected saveset.
    Expert options
    Clicking the Expert Options button (available only in advanced UI mode (formerly expert mode in the GUI)) allows you to specify additional options for the restore, such as changing the log level settings, define the pre/post script for the restore, etc. For details, see Restore Overview.
  7. In the last step of the restore wizard, you can check all the settings for your restore task. You can also edit the settings by using the Change Selection button. If you want to start the restore immediately, click Start. If you want to save the restore task, click Save.
Note
A restore task can be scheduled like any other task. If you want to add a restore task to the schedule, see Scheduling Restore.

VM restore via the Restore Assistant

You can access the Restore Assistant in one of the following ways:

  • via the GUI: by clicking the Restore Assistant icon in the toolbar or from Activities -> Restore Assistant
  • from SEP sesam Web UI: left menu -> Restore Assistant
  • or by entering the following address in the browser bar: http://[sesamserver]:11401/sep/ui/restore/.
Note
  • If you cannot access the web Restore Assistant, check if you have received the appropriate permissions for online restore.
  • The operations and options available after logging in may differ depending on the user type. Other Web UI display restrictions may depend on the custom roles with specific permissions and the UI mode.
    For details, see About Authentication and Authorization and User Roles and Permissions.
Steps

The following steps are performed in simple UI mode. They cover the most common restore cases and are the recommended method for performing a restore. For more experienced users, some additional restore options are available in advanced restore mode. For details, see Standard Restore Procedure.

  1. Open the Restore Assistant in the browser.
  2. In the start window, select Nutanix-AHV and click Next.
  3. In the Virtual Machine window, under Selection of the server, select your target Nutanix server to which the data will be restored.
    Then, under Selection of the virtual machine select the VM you want to restore and click Next.
  4. In the Task window, under Task selection, select your source backup task.
    Under Backup selection, select the exact backup version you want to restore. Note that Generation restore is selected by default. You can use the calendar function in the upper right corner to set a date range for the displayed backups.
    Click Next.
  5. In the Target window, under the Target selection select your target environment for restore. You can use the drop-down list to select or filter VMs by name.
    Then set additional restore options under the Execution options:
    • Do not overwrite an existing virtual machine: The VM is restored only if it does not already exist on the target system.
    • Restore an existing virtual machine with a new name: The VM is restored with a new name.
    • Overwrite an existing virtual machine: If the VM exists on the target server, it will be replaced with the restored version.
    Click Next.
  6. Modify or set additional restore options under the Virtualization restore options:
    • Data mover: Select the data mover.
    • Recovery options: Specify whether or not to start the VM after restore.
    • Under Target options of the virtual machine select Storage Container (Nutanix) from the drop-down list.
    Click Next.
  7. In the last step, check the summary of your restore task (restore type (based on task type, selected backup, its date and details, restore options, etc.) and click Start restore.

Restoring single files (SFR)

Depending on the interface you are using, follow the appropriate procedure to restore individual Nutanix VM files:

Restoring a single file (SFR) is supported only in advanced UI mode. For details on switching the UI mode, see Setting the UI mode in the GUI and Setting the UI mode in the Restore Assistant.

SFR of backups from virtualization platforms requires the guestfs-tools package to be installed on Linux in order to access and mount the VM disk image on Linux. If the package is not installed on your SEP sesam Server or Linux RDS, it is not possible to mount VMDK and perform SFR. Refer to Installing guestfs-tools on Linux.

GUI single file restore

Make sure your UI mode is set to advanced and create a new restore task for the individual item(s) you want to restore.

  1. From the SEP sesam GUI menu bar, select Activities -> Restore. The New Restore Task window opens.
  2. Select what you want to restore. You can search savesets by task name or by filename or path.
    • When searching by task name, use the drop-down list of available tasks and select the one you want to restore from. This option is selected by default.
    • If you are searching by filename/path, select the option Filename or path in a saveset and enter your search expression in the search pattern field.
  3. In the Saved in period drop-down lists, specify the time frame for which you want to conduct the search. Click Next.
  4. The search results are displayed. From the list of savesets matching your query, select the version from which you want to restore an individual file. Then select the Mount virtual disk(s) check box.
    Note
    • To be able to access and mount VM disk image on Linux, the guestfs-tools package must be installed on your SEP sesam Server or Linux RDS. If the guestfs-tools package is not installed on your SEP sesam Server or Linux RDS, it is not possible to mount VMDK and perform SFR. Refer to Installing guestfs-tools on Linux.
    • Mounting is not possible if the savesets are stored on tapes or if the data is compressed or encrypted. Some other XPRFS restrictions also apply to mounting.
    You can also select RDS to mount from the drop-down list and specify advanced mount options.

  5. The mount is triggered and all virtual disks of the selected VM are mounted to the device server. This may take a few seconds. Click OK.
  6. In the Select Files dialog, select the data you want to restore and click Next.
  7. In the fourth step of the restore wizard (Target Settings), select a new restore target to which you want to restore your files.
    Then select whether you want to overwrite existing items or not.
  8. In the last step of the restore wizard, you can check all settings of your restore task. You can start your SFR immediately by clicking Start. If you want to save the restore task, click Save.
  9. Click OK to unmount the saveset and close your restore session.

Single file restore (SFR) restore via the Restore Assistant

You can access the Restore Assistant in one of the following ways:

  • via the GUI: by clicking the Restore Assistant icon in the toolbar or from Activities -> Restore Assistant
  • from SEP sesam Web UI: left menu -> Restore Assistant
  • or by entering the following address in the browser bar: http://[sesamserver]:11401/sep/ui/restore/.
Note
  • If you cannot access the web Restore Assistant, check if you have received the appropriate permissions for online restore.
  • The operations and options available after logging in may differ depending on the user type. Other Web UI display restrictions may depend on the custom roles with specific permissions and the UI mode.
    For details, see About Authentication and Authorization and User Roles and Permissions.

You can restore individual files of a Nutanix VM in the web interface in the advanced UI mode if you have the appropriate permissions. For more details on the UI mode, see Setting UI mode in the Restore Assistant.

  1. Open the Restore Assistant in the browser.
  2. In the Start window, select Nutanix-AHV. Then select the option Advanced View. The VM or single file restore option is selected by default. Click Next.

  3. In the Virtual Machine window, under Selection of the server, select your target Nutanix server to which the data will be restored.
    Then, under Selection of the virtual machine, select the VM you want to restore and click Next.
  4. In the Task window, under Task selection, select your source task. A backup task defines the source data that was backed up by the client.
    Then, under Backup selection, select the exact backup version you want to restore. You can use the calendar function in the upper right corner to set a date range for the displayed backups. Select the Single file restore option (in the lower right corner) and click Next.

  5. In the Files window, select the SEP sesam Server or RDS to which you want to mount the backup. You can also specify an alternate mount path and/or advanced mount options. Then click the button Mount this backup in filesystem. A new window will appear showing the progress of the mount process.
  6. Note
    • To be able to access and mount VM disk image on Linux, the guestfs-tools package must be installed on your SEP sesam Server or Linux RDS. If the guestfs-tools package is not installed on your SEP sesam Server or Linux RDS, it is not possible to mount VMDK and perform SFR. Refer to Installing guestfs-tools on Linux.
    • Mounting is not possible if the savesets are stored on tapes or if the data is compressed or encrypted. Some other XPRFS restrictions also apply to mounting.
  7. Once a virtual disk is mounted on the device server, select the files you want to restore and click Next.
  8. In the Target window, under Target selection, select your target environment for the restore. You can use the drop-down list to select or filter VMs by name. You can also select a custom target path by browsing.
  9. Under the Execution options, set additional restore options:
    • Do not overwrite existing items: Files are only restored if they do not already exist on the target system.
    • Create new version: Restore files under a new name.
    • Overwrite existing items: If the data exists on the target server, it is replaced with the restored version.
    Then decide how you want to restore your data (keep the original tree structure or flat):
    • Keep original tree structure: When restoring to the original location, the Keep original tree structure option is selected by default. The directory structure of the restored files is the same as the original directory structure of the backed up data.
    • Restore all items flat in the selected target directory: The backup is simply restored to a file without recreating the directory structure.
    • You can also select to skip ACL settings during restore.
    Click Next.
  10. In the Options window, you can specify additional advanced options, such as selecting a data source (media pool, drive, etc.), set include/exclude filters, etc. For details on the available options, see Standard Restore Procedure.
    Click Next.
  11. In the last step, check the summary of your restore task (restore type (based on task type), selected backup, its date and details, restore options, etc.) and click Start restore.

Monitoring restore

You can monitor the restore progress using the Web UI (Monitoring -> Restores) or view the status in the GUI (Main Selection -> Job State -> Restores). The restore overview provides detailed information on the last run of restore jobs, including task name, status (successful, error, in queue...), start and stop time of the last backup, data size, throughput, etc. For details, see SEP sesam Web UI or Restores by State in the GUI.


See also

Installing guestfs-tools on LinuxRestore AssistantStandard Restore ProcedureNutanix AHV Backup

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