PowerProtect Data Manager 19.16 Virtual Machine User Guide

File-level restore to alternate virtual machine

A file-level restore to alternate virtual machine enables you to recover individual files from backups of virtual machines or VMDKs performed in PowerProtect Data Manager to a new location on a new virtual machine. This restore can be performed to a primary or secondary vCenter server. Only the Administrator and the Restore Administrator roles can restore data.

1. From the PowerProtect Data Manager UI, select Restore > Assets, and then select the Virtual Machine tab.
   The Restore window displays all the virtual machines available for restore.
2. Select the checkbox next to the virtual machine that you want to recover from, and then click View Copies.
   You can also use the filter in the Name column to search for a specific virtual machine name.

   NOTE:If the Search cluster is enabled, you can click the File Search button to search on specific criteria. The File Search button is used for virtual machine file-level restore when restoring files from multiple copies across one or more virtual machines. See File-level restore to alternate virtual machine using File Search for more information.
   The Restore > Assets window provides a map view in the left pane and copy details in the right pane.

   When a virtual machine is selected in the map view, the virtual machine name displays in the right pane with the copy locations underneath. When you select a location in the left pane, for example, a DD system, the copies on that system display in the right pane.

3. On the Restore > Asset window:
   1. In the left pane, click to the right of the icon for the asset. The table in the right pane lists the backup copies.
   2. Select one of the available copies that display in the table.
   3. Click File Level Restore.
   The File Level Restore wizard appears.
4. On the Restore Type page, select Restore to Alternate Virtual Machine, and then click Next.
5. On the Select Target VM page:
   1. Search for a target virtual machine by typing the name, or browse from the available vCenter servers to locate and select the destination virtual machine.
   2. Click Next.
6. On the Mount Copy page:
   1. To initiate the disk mount, type the guest operating system user credentials:
      • If there are administrator-level credentials associated with the virtual assets or protection policy being restored, specify end-user credentials.
      • If there are no administrator-level credentials associated with the virtual assets or protection policy being restored, specify administrator credentials. These credentials will be handled as end-user credentials.

      NOTE:If performing the restore as a Windows domain user, the username specified when mounting must be in the format User@AD_FQDN.
   2. (Optional) Leave Keep FLR Agent Installed selected to keep the VM Direct agent on the destination virtual machine after the restore completes.
   3. (Optional) If you are logged in as a user without administrator rights or root permissions to the destination virtual machine, select Run with Elevated Privileges to override any authentication or elevation prompts that appear when restoring to folders. This option must also be selected to allow a designated domain user to restore files and folders belonging to any domain user to the target virtual machine. To enable this option, the VM Direct agent must already be installed.
   4. Click Start Mount to initiate the disk mount. A progress bar indicates when the mount completes.
      NOTE:You cannot browse the contents of the virtual machine backup until the disk mount completes successfully.
      When validated, the VM Direct agent is installed automatically on the restore destination, if it is not already installed.
   5. After a successful disk mount, click Next.
7. On the Select Files to Recover page:
   1. Expand individual folders to browse the original virtual machine backup, and select the objects that you want to restore to the destination virtual machine.
   2. Click Next.
   NOTE:When you browse for objects to recover on this page, each directory or hard drive appears twice. As a result, when you select an object from one location, the object is selected in the duplicate location as well.
8. On the Options page:
   1. You can select Troubleshooting mode to enable debug logging, and then select the level of logging to use:
      • Info—Includes information such as status changes. This is the default log level for scheduled backups and restores.
      • Debug—Additional information that helps with problem diagnosis.
      • Trace—The most detailed amount of information for complex problem diagnosis.
   2. Click Next.
9. On the Restore Location page, perform one of the following actions to choose where to restore the files, and then click Next.
   • Browse the folder structure of the destination virtual machine to select a folder. When you select an existing folder, a time-stamped folder will be created below this folder during the restore to avoid the accidental deletion of files in the existing folder that have the same name as files being restored.
   • Add a folder.
   NOTE:If you are performing the restore to a Linux virtual machine when logged in as a user in the local sudousers list and Run with Elevated Privileges is selected, the new folder is owned by the root user. Ensure the user you are logged in as has permissions to the directory. Otherwise, the restored files cannot be viewed.

   NOTE:When restoring as a domain user for Linux virtual machines, if you add a folder, this new folder will only have permissions to the sudoer users group mentioned in the /etc/sudoers.d/sudoers file. It is therefore recommended that you select an existing folder that belongs to you. If you need to restore files for another user, for example, when another user needs to be able to read the restored files, then select an existing folder for which this user has Read permissions.
10. On the Summary page:
    1. Review the information to ensure that the restore details are correct. You can click Edit next to any row to change the information. If you are not restoring to the original virtual machine, an additional field appears for the Target VM.
    2. Click Restore.
11. Go to the Jobs window to monitor the restore.
    A restore job appears with a start time and progress bar.