5 1 0:Web Single File Restore for Virtual Machines

Overview

Single File Restore (SFR) enables users to recover individual files or directories from a VM backup without the need to restore the entire virtual machine. This not only minimizes downtime but also conserves valuable storage space.

SEP sesam offers different methods to perform Single File Restore for virtual machines:

• Mounting a backup in filesystem: This method involves mounting the backup as a virtual filesystem, providing direct access to the contents of the backup. Once the backup is mounted, you can navigate the file structure, select specific files or directories, and start their restore. This is a convenient method to explore and retrieve individual items from the backup.
• Attaching a VMDK via NFS Server (available on VMware only): In VMware environment, you can attach a Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK) through a NFS server. This approach provides a different way to access the backup data. A virtual machine serves as the proxy between the source (the NFS server and VMDK) and the destination (the target virtual machine). When you attach a VMDK, it connects the backup as a virtual disk to the VM.

SEP sesam supports various virtualization platforms and offers SFR feature for most VM types. Single File Restore is not supported only on Proxmox VE platform.

Prerequisites

To ensure efficient operation of SEP sesam and enhance performance, verify that the following conditions are met:

• SEP sesam Server version: Ensure that your SEP sesam Server is running version ≥ 5.0.0 Jaglion. Refer to the Support Matrix for a list of supported systems.
• guestfs-tools package on Linux: The guestfs-tools package is required on Linux systems for Single File Restore (SFR). It should be installed on your Linux SEP sesam Server or Linux RDS to enable accessing and mounting of VM disk images. For installation instructions, refer to Installing guestfs-tools on Linux.
• Data store: A SEP sesam data store (for example, Path or Si3 deduplication store) is recommended.
• Backup requirements: Individual files and directories can be restored only from backups that are not encrypted, compressed, or stored on tape.
• Sufficient free space: Confirm that the target system has enough free space available to accommodate the restored data.
• XPRFS requirements: For mounting virtual disks and cross-platform recovery some restrictions may apply, see XPRFS restrictions .
• Permissions for Restore Assistant: To perform single file restores in Restore Assistant, ensure that you have the necessary permissions. For details, see About Authentication and Authorization and User Roles and Permissions.

Restoring single files

The web-based Restore Assistant supports different restore features and options. Single File Restore is available in the Restore Assistant in simple view. It is not necessary to switch to advanced view of the Restore Assistant.

Note

On Windows, SEP sesam enables you to perform a virus scan on selected files before initiating a Single File Restore. By conducting a virus scan with the latest Virus Database (VDB) before starting the restore, SEP sesam effectively prevents the restoration of any known infections that might have gone undetected during the backup process. For more information see Performing a Virus Scan Before Single File Restore.

Restore Assistant is guides you through a series of steps to configure the SFR task. The restore procedure is similar for all VM types and follows these general steps:

1. In the Start window, select the restore task type. The VM or single file restore option is selected by default.
2. In the Virtual Machine window, first select the virtualization server that hosts the VM you want to restore, and then select the specific virtual machine.
3. In the Task window, select the source backup task that holds the data you want to restore. Select the Single file restore option (in the lower right corner).
4. In the Files window, select the method to access and browse the contents of the selected saveset. You have the following options:
   • Mount a backup in filesystem: Define the SEP sesam Server or RDS where the backup should be mounted. You can also change the default mount path on the server or RDS, and set additional parameters for mounting the backup. Note that in advanced view for VMware vSphere this option is called Mount virtual disks in filesystem of an RDS.
   • Attach virtual disks to a Proxy-VM via NFS server (available on VMware only): Select the virtual machine that will serve as the proxy between the source (the NFS server and VMDK) and the destination (the target virtual machine). Only clients configured as virtual machines with SMSSH or SSH access mode and the correct VM host name can be selected. You can also specify the network interface that will be used to communicate with the NFS server during the attachment process, and configure additional parameters for attaching the VMDK via the NFS server.
5. Once a virtual disk is connected to the device server, select the files you want to restore.
6. In the Target window, select the specific client to which you want to restore the selected files. You can also select execution options as required.
7. In the Options window, you can specify additional advanced restore options.
8. In the Finish window, you can review the summary of the configured restore task and start the restore. You can also save the task for later execution.

For more detailed descriptions of the steps, available restore features and options, see Standard Restore Procedure in Restore Assistant.

Monitoring restore

You can view the status of your restore jobs in the Restore Assistant by clicking the monitoring icon (second icon in the upper right corner), via SEP sesam 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 more details, see About Monitoring.

See also

Installing guestfs-tools on Linux – Standard Restore Procedure – Performing a Virus Scan Before Single File Restore

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