Image backup---- File level restore.

hopefully those mount points are not NFS, because by default NFS is ignored.

Do you mean you don't see files and folder structure when you try to browse?  We've encountered issues like after changing the root password on the proxies.  Additional steps were needed to get the passwords updated before we could browse the images.

Not all file systems types allow a FLR of a LINUX VM.  (look it up on the EMC website for or manuals for the FS types supported for  FLR)

most of mine did not allow a FLR until I got to Avamar version 7.2

and still some of mine do not.

I have to backup my Linux VM's as a vm once a week (just so we can recreate the VM)

and Daily as a physical server (meaning I install Avamar on the client and register it as a physical)  this then allows me to do a single file restore.

yes, I am not able to see the folder structure. But in my case passwords are default.

I agree. NFS mounts are ignore in the guest backup. Here it is VM image backup and i am able to see the same folder when i restored the entire VM with different name and NIC's powered down.

So are you saying you cannot browse and see anything?

Or you can browse but cannot see what you are looking for?

Judy Hinchcliffe

Sent from my Phone

I am able to browse all the other folders and files Except the mount point . However I was able to see the same when I restored the entire VM.

If you have Data Domain on the back-end, you could try Instant Access. This would save you writing all the data out to a production datastore just to pick up a few files.

Lets get a clarification of what you mean by mount point.

So you have a dir, and is something mounted on that dir from outside the system or inside the system

Or is it a link pointing to some other place in the server?

we might be able to figure this out of you can give more info on what you know that "mount point" to be.

Hello J.H.,

Its folder frm NFS mount. As like we add "--forcefs=nfs" to see the mount points in the file system(from avamar admin GUI) , is there any to see the same from VM image backup. (folders while restore.)

No you will never be able to see it in an VM backup.

Let me try to explain.

When you have a NFS you are mounting a FS from another server – but the files are NOT on this system.

So you have MyVm

On it you have /mnt On that you have mounted  SourceDir from SourceServer

A df gives you this

SourceServer:/SourceDir 1509949440 1486490344    2%      135    1% /mymount

All this gives you is a wormhole over the network to SourceServer to see and work on the files in SourceDir

On MyVm you cd to /mymount and do a ls –l

The ls –l goes through the wormhole over to SourceServer and gets the info for SourceDir and brings it back to you on MyVm and displays it.  The Files are NOT on disk on MyVm.

When you backup a server like a client (physical server) it’s like doing an ls –l and backup everything in the list.  By default we do not backup NFS/CIFS mounts because they really are not on this system.

So when you Backup  SourceServer you are backing up SourceDir.  If you backup MyVm like a client and say follow NFS, the backup is going to go through the wormhole to SourceSever and get a data stream of everything in SourceDir, bring back to MyVm via the wormhole and send it to Avamar.

You are now backing up SourceDir twice, once on SourceServer and once on MyVm.  This is extra overhead, time, and metadata.

A VM resides in Vcenter (or Hyper-V or whatever you are using)  as a VMDK  this is like a box with all the data and OS in it.  When you pick up a box you get the contents without ever looking in it.  So when you Backup a VMDK(VM) you get the whole thing without ever looking in it.  So the backup does not know you have a NFS mount, it does not know to go through the wormhole and get a copy of that other data.  It just picks up the box and everything in it. (remember that data is not here it is on SourceServer)

When you did the restore of the VM to a new vm and booted it up, the OS said Hey I am supposed to have a NFS mount I am going to make that mount.  This is  why when you went to the NewVm you could see /mymount and all the info in it from SourceServer:/SourceDir.

Backing up a VM will never backup data from a NFS/CIFS mount.  Only backing up as a client will.

But you don’t have to do that.

Remember I said you get the data when you backup SourceServer.

So in Avamar go to the backup for SourceServer and find SourceDir.

Do a restore of a file and give it a new name.  When the restore is done, go to MyVm and cd to /mymount you will see your restored file – thorough the worm hole – on SourceDir.

So for this restore you are trying to do, just go the backup of SourceServer and find SourceDir and do your restore you will then see it on MyVm.

Any questions?  (Ian can correct me if I got anything wrong)