NetWorker: How to Perform Azure VM Snapshot Restore from Command-Line

The NetWorker Azure VM Snapshot Integration Guide provides information about the nsrazure_recover command. NetWorker documentation is available at the Dell Support NetWorker Product Page.

The purpose of this article is to help mitigate the need for an Azure VM restore when the NetWorker Web User Interface (NWUI) is inaccessible or not presenting valid VM backups. To perform Azure VM restores from NWUI, see: NetWorker: How to perform Azure VM snapshot restore from NWUI

Prerequisites:

1. A valid VM backup must be available on the NetWorker server. This can be obtained with the NetWorker mminfo -avot command. Example:

azure-nve:~ # mminfo -avot
volume        type   client           date     time         size ssid      fl   lvl name
….
azure_nve.local.dddefault.003 Data Domain azure-nve.local 08/13/25 15:47:03 31 GB 4171033528 cb full DD-PERF:azure-ubuntu:azure-ubuntu_OsDisk_1_cf93159d6205414baa8593901a918d3a
azure_nve.local.dddefault.003 Data Domain azure-nve.local 08/13/25 15:47:04 33 GB 4154256312 cb full DD-PERF:azure-ubuntu:azure-ubuntu_DataDisk_0

• VM Restore: In order to perform a VM (Image Restore), you must specify the SSID of the VM's OsDisk save set. This option allows you to recover the SSID as a new VM.
• Disk Restore: If the SSID shows the disk as "DataDisk," you must specify an existing VM in the recover command syntax.

2. Identify the Azure storage account required for the restore. 
3. Identify the target Azure vNet and subnet required for the restore.

Performing the Restore:

Open an elevated prompt on the NetWorker server.

The general syntax for the VM restore:

nsrazure_recover [-D OPTIONAL_DEBUG_LEVEL_1-9] -S SSID -N 'SUBSCRIPTION_NAME' -R 'RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME' -A 'STORAGE_ACCOUNT_NAME' -V 'RECOVER_VM_NAME' -E 'RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME:VNET_NAME' -T 'SUBNET_NAME'

The recovery session can be monitored from command-line using nsrwatch.

While the job is running, the log can be found under:

• Linux: /nsr/logs/adhoc/adhoc-job-JOBID
• Windows (Default): C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\logs\adhoc\adhoc-job-JOBID

Completed or failed to recover logs are moved to:

• Linux: /nsr/logs/adhoc/nsrazure_recover/
• Windows (Default): C:\Program Files\EMC NetWorker\nsr\logs\adhoc\nsrazure_recover

Alternate Method:

The jobs database contains a record of recover commands initiated from the NWUI. If the restore can be started from NWUI but fails due to some other issue, you can use NWUI to construct the recover command to be used from command-line.

1. Perform NWUI-based VM recovery. NetWorker: How to perform Azure VM snapshot restore from NWUI
2. The recovery job is started with a jobid. The jobid is seen in the recovery log folder:

   [root@azure-nsr ~]# ls -l /nsr/logs/adhoc/nsrazure_recover/226845.log
   -rw-r--r-T. 1 root root 243 Apr 20 13:28 /nsr/logs/adhoc/nsrazure_recover/226845.log

3. From an elevated prompt on the NetWorker server, enter the jobquery prompt:
4. From the jobquery prompt, enter: show command
5. From the jobquery prompt, enter: print type: recover job; job id: LOG_JOBID

Example: 

[root@azure-nsr ~]# jobquery
NetWorker jobs query utility.
Use the "help" command for help.
jobquery> show command
jobquery> print type: recover job; job id: 226845
                     command: \
"nsrazure_recover -N 'Azure' -R 'dd-perf' -A 'dd-perf:networkerstorageaccount'\
 -n 'DD-PERF:azure-win2k22' -V 'azure-win2k22-RESTORE' -E 'dd-perf:DPADDFS-sto\
rage-pe-vnet' -T 'DPADDFS-storage-pe-subnet-1' -t \"4/19/2026 5:50:30 PM\" -D0\
";
jobquery>

6. Copy the recover command to a text file and use the quit command to exit jobquery.

nsrazure_recover -N 'Azure' -R 'dd-perf' -A 'dd-perf:networkerstorageaccount' -n 'DD-PERF:azure-win2k22' -V 'azure-win2k22-RESTORE' -E 'dd-perf:DPADDFS-storage-pe-vnet' -T 'DPADDFS-storage-pe-subnet-1' -t \"4/19/2026 5:50:30 PM\" -D0

7. You can modify the command options (if needed) and run from command-line:

[root@azure-nsr ~]# nsrazure_recover -S 619004503 -N 'Azure' -R 'dd-perf' -A 'dd-perf:networkerstorageaccount' -V 'azure-win2k22-RESTORE' -E 'dd-perf:DPADDFS-storage-pe-vnet' -T 'DPADDFS-storage-pe-subnet-1'
Using 'DPADDFS-storage-pe-vnet' vnet from resource group 'dd-perf'.
Target VM 'dd-perf:azure-win2k22-RESTORE' does not exist and will be recreated.
Restoring OS disk 'azure-win2k22_OsDisk_1_423227d3ef284695803c23cd47e8b839'.
Using 'networkerstorageaccount' storage account from resource group 'dd-perf'.
Container nw-azure-win2k22-recovery-container does not exist, creating.
...

• NetWorker: How To Perform Azure VM FLR using nsrazure_flr_recover Command

Potential errors if wrong SSID, storage account, vNet, or Subnet are used:

• NetWorker: nsrazure_recover fails "Target VM must already exist for a single disk recovery."
• NetWorker: Azure VM Snapshot restore fails "the source blob does not belong to the same region as the disk"
• NetWorker: Azure VM Restore Fails "Response Code: 403. This request is not authorized to perform this operation"
• NetWorker: Azure VM Snapshot Restore "azureCreateVM: Error while creating NIC"