How to restore VMs from a block snapshot or replication

Ops Center Protector VMware Application Guide
Version
7.6.x
Audience
anonymous
Part Number
MK-99PRT004-07

It is assumed that a VMware policy that creates hardware snapshots or replications has been implemented and that at least one snapshot or replication has been created. See How to create VM restore points with block snapshots or How to create a disaster recovery clone using remote replication for examples of how to do this.

This task describes the steps to follow when using a block snapshot or replication backup to:
  • restore entire VMs
  • clone entire VMs for repurposing
All the above scenarios follow the same basic workflow:
  1. Identify the destination where the VMs are to be restored, then ensure that it is prepared to receive them by locating the vCenter node in the Nodes Inventory and checking it is authorized and online.
    CAUTION:
    If applications are accessing or running on the restore target VMs, then additional work may be required to suspend activity on those VMs prior to restoring.
  2. Locate the snapshot or replication to be restored by navigating to the Restore Dashboard, then click the Hitachi Block button to open the Block Restore Inventory.
    You must click the Search button to view the list of available snapshots and replications in the inventory.
  3. Click on the snapshot or replication that you want to restore to open the Block Snapshot/Replication Details.
    The snapshot or replication details are displayed, with the VMs in this backup listed in the VMware Details panel.
    Note: Only VMs that have not been restored previously from the original snapshot (or replication) are available for restore again. See the caution in the mount step below.
  4. Click Restore to open the Hitachi Block VMware Snapshot Restore Wizard to restore the original VMs or create clones.
  5. Select the VMs required. Click Next.
  6. Choose whether to restore to the Original location or create a Clone. Click Next.
  7. If creating a Clone:
    1. Specify a Cloned Virtual Machine Name Prefix (this will be prepended to the existing name of each VM being restored along with a '-' between the prefix and name) and a VMware server Destination Node. Click Next
    2. Select a Datacenter and folder. Click Next.
    3. Select a Compute Resource (host, cluster, resource pool or vApp). Click Next.
    4. Select a Datastore. Click Next.
  8. Select the Virtual Machine Options required following restoration: Power State After Creation / Network Card Connection. Click Next.
  9. Select the Host Group method to use to for performing the restore. The Automatic discoverymay incorrectly select Host Groups in certain Cluster setups, if this is the case the required Host Groups for exposing the restore point to VMware can be specified here.
  10. Select the mount mode and specify the Mount Pool if necessary, then click Finish. The mount mode determines how the temporary datastore, from which the backed up VM(s) are to be taken, will be created during the restore process. For replications, the mount mode is always set to Mount original.
    CAUTION:
    Select the mount mode depending on the behaviour required:
    • Mount original - VMs selected for restoration will be removed from the snapshot/replication. VMs restored from a snapshot/replication using this option can only be restored once, and will be marked as restored in the corresponding Block Snapshot Details.
    • Mount duplicate - Protector will create a cascaded duplicate of the original snapshot and perform the restore from the duplicate. The original snapshot is preserved and VMs within it can be restored again at a later date. Use Cascade mode (the default setting) in the Block Snapshot Configuration Wizard when assigning the snapshot operation on the data flow to enable Mount duplicate when restoring.
    A Processing message will appear briefly, then the wizard will close and the Jobs Inventory will be displayed. A new Restore Job will appear at the top of the Jobs list, with the Progress entry initially indicating processing and finally indicating successful completion.
  11. Once the restore process is complete, further steps may be needed to fix-up the VM(s).
    The amount of fix-up work required depends on the applications accessing or running on the restored VM(s).
  12. Restart any applications that access or run on the restored VM(s).
  13. Resume any backup policies for the restored VM(s). If you have restored data to a new location for repurposing (test and development work for example), you should consider if it is necessary to implement a new backup policy to protect this new instance(s).