NetWorker: How to perform VMware Application Consistent SQL Restore

The NetWorker VMware Protection (NVP) allows for Application Consistent backups of Microsoft SQL servers using the MSVMAPPAGENT. See the Enable the Microsoft VM App Agent for SQL Server application-consistent protection section of the NetWorker VMware Integration Guide: Support for NetWorker | Manuals & Documents 

The Data Protection Restore Client user interface supports SQL databases to an alternate location. Access the Data Protection Restore Client from a web browser using: https://NetWorker_ServerName:9090/flr

1. Select the Admin option.
2. Select the App option.
3. Specify the credentials for a NetWorker account with administrative rights:

Figure 1: Log in screen for the Data Protection Restore Client.
 

4. Click Login.
5. Select the source VM, database, and backup date needed for restore:

Figure 2: Data Protection Restore Client source VM backup selection options

6. Click Next.
7. Select the target VM and specify the SQL Administrator's login credentials.

Figure 3: Target VM selection and mount options.
 

8. Click Login.
9. Click the mountpoint:

Figure 4: Mount point selection.
 

10. Click Next.
11. Select the restore location options:

 
Figure 5: Data Protection Restore Client SQL Restore options
 

12. Click Restore.
13. If you receive a warning that data are overwritten, click Yes if you intend to overwrite existing data. Click No if you do not want to overwrite existing data and chose a different location.
14. To monitor the restore, ensure that Polling is enabled by clicking the hourglass icon in the upper right corner.

Figure 6: Option for enabling polling. 
 

15. Monitor the restore process by clicking the bell icon in the upper right corner.

 
Figure 7: Data Protection Restore Client monitoring window

• Choosing file system location- The user has three options to choose where files are placed during the restore.
  • Original location- This restores the database files to their original or current location. This option is only available if the original virtual machine and SQL instance are selected. By default, the files are restored to their location as the database existed at the backup time. However, if the database file locations were changed after the backup, the restore puts the files in their new location.
  • SQL default data path- This restores the database files to the default data path for the target SQL Server instance. Each Microsoft SQL Server instance has a configuration variable for the default database data and log file path. When this option is selected, the restore command detects the default data path for the target SQL instance and restores all SQL datafile to the default data path, and all log files to the default log path.
  • Folder- This restores the data and log files to folder locations specified by the user. When this option is selected, the user is allowed to select two folder locations on the target virtual machine; one folder location where all the datafiles for the database are restored, and a second folder location where all the log files for the database are restored. By default, these fields are populated with the SQL default data paths for the target SQL Server instance. The user is allowed to browse the file system on the target virtual machine to select these folders. Only existing folders may be selected, and the user is not allowed to create a new folder in the Data Protection Restore Client. When this option is selected, the restore command restores all datafile to the Data Files folder and all log files to the Log Files folder.