Restoring Guest Files and Folders from Azure VMs

You can restore files and folders from a backup of an Azure VM.

The Virtual Server Agent uses block-level live browse to enumerate files and folders in a backup, eliminating the need to capture metadata during backups. When browsing a virtual machine, files and folders are displayed after a short delay.

Considerations

• Virtual machines (VMs) with encrypted blobs can be protected and fully recovered. However, guest file recovery of these VMs is not currently supported.

• You cannot browse and restore files for both UNIX and Windows operating systems in the same job. Submit a different job for each operating system.

• For live browse and restore operations, use a Linux proxy and MediaAgent to browse Linux guests, and a Windows proxy and MediaAgent to browse Windows guests.

• The MediaAgent that you use for live browse operations of an ReFS volume must support the version of the ReFS volume on the guest VM. For example, to live browse and restore files from an ReFS volume from a backup of a Windows Server 2016 VM, you must use a MediaAgent running on Windows Server 2016 or later. To browse and restore files from an ReFS volume from a backup of a Windows Server 2019 VM, use a MediaAgent running on Windows Server 2019 or later.

• For files stored on Windows Storage Spaces, you can perform a live browse to view and restore guest files and folders, with the following considerations:

  • The VSA proxy or MediaAgent that is used for the live browse must be running on Windows Server 2012 or later.

  • The MediaAgent that is used for the live browse cannot be part of a clustered environment.

  • You cannot simultaneously browse two cloned VMs that use the same storage space information.

Before You Begin

UNIX Operating System and File System Support

To provide UNIX file system support for ext2, ext3, ext4, XFS, JFS, HFS, HFS Plus, and Btrfs file systems:

• Convert a Linux MediaAgent to a Linux Access Node. If you convert a Linux MediaAgent to a Linux access node, you can browse and restore files from VMs that use the operating systems and file systems listed here.

• Specifying the Preferred Node for Guest File Restores for a Virtual Server Instance.

• MediaAgents that are able to act as Linux access nodes are automatically configured.

• When you perform a live browse operation on Linux files and folders, the Client tab shows logical volumes as volume groups rather than mount paths.

Supported UNIX Operating Systems

• RHEL 6.7, 7.2

• OpenSuse13

• Debian

• Oracle-linux

Procedure

1. From the CommCell Browser, expand Client Computers > virtualization_client > Virtual Server > instance > backup_set.

2. Initiate the restore from a subclient or backup set:

   • From a subclient: Right-click the subclient and select Browse and Restore.

   • From a backup set: Right-click the backup set, point to All Tasks, and click Browse and Restore.

3. In the Browse and Restore Options dialog box, select Guest Files and Folders and click View Content.

4. From the list of backed up virtual machines in the Client tab, expand a virtual machine, select files or folders to be restored, and click Recover All Selected.

   The Restore Options for All Selected Items dialog box appears.

5. To specify the type of information that should be restored, select one of the following options:

   • Restore ACLs Only

   • Restore Data Only

   • Restore Both Data and ACLs

6. To replace files or folders with the same names at the specified destination, select the Unconditional Overwrite check box.

7. From the Destination Client list, select a client that resides in the same CommCell as the source client.

   Note

   Only machines that have a file system agent installed are available to select.

8. For the Specify destination path value, click Browse to select a folder on the destination client.

   Alternatively, enter the UNC path or the location of the NFS mounted file system. For example, enter \\servername\sharename. Do not specify a drive letter associated with a mapped drive.

   The restored data inherits the rights (or permissions) of the parent folder.

9. Optional: For Preserve Source Paths, select one of the following options:

   • Preserve n level from end of source path: Specifies whether the restore operation must keep the specified number of levels at the end of source path of the selected data.

     For example, if the selected data is Documents\Memos\Sales, this option is set to 1, and the destination path is temp, the data will be restored as \temp\Sales.

   • Remove n level from beginning of source path: Specifies whether the restore operation must remove the specified number of levels from the beginning of source path of the selected data.

     For example, if the selected data is Documents\Memos\Sales, this option is set to 1, and the destination path is \temp, the data will be restored as \temp\Sales.

10. To specify user credentials on the destination client, select Impersonate User.

    In the User Name, Password, and Confirm Password boxes, enter the credentials for a user account that has all permissions for the destination path to which data will be restored. This user must have permissions to create files in the destination folder. Without these permissions, the recovery operation will not complete successfully.

11. Click OK to submit the restore job.