Avamar: How to restore file and folder ACLs when redirected Linux Restore to a new server

Summary: Access Control Lists (ACL) are not restored when a Linux backup is redirected to a new server. Verify User ID (UID)/Group ID (GID), restore /etc/passwd using Avamar Command-Line Interface (CLI) to /tmp, adjust UID/GID, then redo restore so ACLs apply. ...

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Instructions

Restore Linux File/Folder ACLs After Redirected Restore.

Prerequisite

Perform all actions as the root user on the target Linux server.

Step‑by‑Step Procedure

  1. Check if the original Linux server is still available. 
    • If available, obtain the UID and GID of the user whose ACLs must be restored.
    # grep  /etc/passwd
admin:x:500:500:Administrator:/home/admin:/bin/bash
  2. If the original server is unavailable, restore the /etc/passwd file from the Avamar backup.
    • List the backup to confirm the file exists.
    avtar --list -v --acnt=// --id=MCUser --ap= --labelnum= | grep passwd
     
    • Extract the file to /tmp on the target server.
    avtar --x -v --server= --id=MCUser --ap= --labelnum= --acnt=// --target=/tmp/ "/etc/passwd"
     
    • Verify that the file was restored.
    ls -ltrh /tmp
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 2.3K Mar 16 22:19 passwd
grep admin /tmp/passwd
admin:x:500:500:admin:/home/admin:/bin/bash
  3. Compare UID/GID on the target server with the source values. 
    # Source (from restored /etc/passwd)
grep admin /etc/passwd
admin:x:500:500:Administrator:/home/admin:/bin/bash

# Target (current)
grep admin /etc/passwd
admin:x:1000:1000:Administrator:/home/admin:/bin/bash
  4. If UID or GID differs, modify them to match the source. 
    usermod -u 500 -g 500 admin
grep admin /etc/passwd
admin:x:500:500:admin:/home/admin:/bin/bash
  5. Run the file system data restore.

    After correcting UID/GID, run the normal Avamar restore of the required files or directories. The ACLs are now applied correctly.

Restoring /etc/passwd to /tmp is safe only for extracting UID/GID information. Do not replace the target system's existing /etc/passwd with this file.
Mismatched UID/GID values cause restored files to lose their original ACLs. Always verify and correct them before the final data restore.
 

Affected Products

Avamar
Article Properties
Article Number: 000187925
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 09 Dec 2025
Version:  5
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