Linux File Level Recovery from VMware Image Level Backups [Basics with nsrvbaflr tool]

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Instructions

NetWorker 9.X introduced a new, pure HTML5 web interface for the File Level Recovery interface for VBA, which works much the same way as the NetWorker v8.x FLR, just without Flash.

However, it also introduced nsrvbaflr, a command line utility that comes with the base NetWorker client install, which can be used on Linux or Windows virtual machines to execute file level recovery from VMware image level backups.

Q: VMware image level backups are meant to be clientless, so does that mean I have to start installing the client software just for FLR?
A: NO.

A NetWorker Linux client install will include the nsrvbaflr utility in /usr/sbin, and this is a standalone binary. It doesn t rely on any other binaries or libraries, so in order to use it on a Linux VMware instance, all you have to do is copy the binary across from a compatible client install.

The nsrvbaflr utility can be run in interactive or non-interactive mode. 
$ /root/nsrvbaflr
VBA hostname|IP: hostname.domainname.lan
 Successfully connected to VBA: (hostname.domainname.lan)
vmware-flr> locallogin
 Username: root
 Password: <<password>>


Here is an example procedure how to recover particular file  from VMware Image Level Backups.


$ /root/nsrvbaflr
VBA hostname|IP: hostname.domain.lan
 Successfully connected to VBA: (hostname.domain.lan)
vmware-flr> locallogin
 Username: root
 Password: <<password>>
 Successfully logged into client: (/hostname.domain.lan/VirtualMachines/xxxxx)
vmware-flr> backups
 Backups for client: /client01.domain.laon/VirtualMachines/xxxxx
 Backup number: 54 Date: 2016/06/27 01:56 PM
 Backup number: 53 Date: 2016/06/27 02:00 AM
 Backup number: 52 Date: 2016/06/26 02:00 AM
 Backup number: 51 Date: 2016/06/25 02:01 AM
 Backup number: 50 Date: 2016/06/24 02:00 AM
 Backup number: 49 Date: 2016/06/23 02:01 AM
 Backup number: 48 Date: 2016/06/22 02:00 AM
 Backup number: 47 Date: 2016/06/21 02:01 AM
 Backup number: 46 Date: 2016/06/20 02:01 AM
 Backup number: 45 Date: 2016/06/19 02:01 AM
 Backup number: 44 Date: 2016/06/18 02:01 AM
 Backup number: 43 Date: 2016/06/17 02:01 AM
 Backup number: 42 Date: 2016/06/16 02:01 AM
 Backup number: 41 Date: 2016/06/15 02:01 AM
vmware-flr> backup 50
 Backup: (50) selected.
vmware-flr> cd root
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
vmware-flr> ls
 Folder: root
 Folder: .ssh 4 KB 2016/06/02 09:08 PM
 Folder: bin 4 KB 2016/06/07 11:09 PM
 File: .bash_history 4.9 KB 2016/07/20 07:58 AM
 File: .bash_logout 18 B 2009/06/20 10:45 AM
 File: .bash_profile 176 B 2009/06/20 10:45 AM
 File: .bashrc 176 B 2004/10/23 03:59 AM
 File: .cshrc 100 B 2004/10/23 03:59 AM
 File: .tcshrc 129 B 2005/01/03 09:42 PM
 File: anaconda-ks.cfg 1.5 KB 2016/06/02 08:25 PM
 File: install.log 26.7 KB 2016/06/02 08:25 PM
 File: install.log.syslog 7.4 KB 2016/06/02 08:24 PM

2 Folder(s)
 9 File(s)
vmware-flr> add install.log
 Path: (root/install.log) successfully added to the recover queue.
vmware-flr> targetpath
 Enter "." to set working folder: () as the target path or enter an absoulte path.
 path: tmp
 Target path successfully set to: (/tmp)
vmware-flr> queue
 Recover queue: root/install.log
vmware-flr> status
 VBA host:               vbahost.domain.lan
 VBA version:            1.5.0.159_7.2.60.20_2.5.0.719
 Local user:             root
 Source client FQN:      /client.domain.lan/VirtualMachines/xxxxx
 Selected backup:        Backup #: 5 Date: 2017/10/05 02:00 AM
 Backup working folder:  /root
 Recover queue:          root/install.log
 Target client FQN:      /client.domain.lan/VirtualMachines/xxxxx
 Target working folder:  Client root
 Target path:            /tmp
vmware-flr> recover
. 
 The restore request has been successfully issued to the VBA.
vmware-flr> quit

$ ls /tmp/install.log
/tmp/install.log

That s how simple FLR is from VMware image level backups under NetWorker 9.

Additional Information

More information in: NetWorker VMware Integration Guide.

Affected Products

NetWorker

Products

NetWorker, VMware
Article Properties
Article Number: 000019575
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 11 Jun 2025
Version:  3
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