# NTFS Live Browse for Restores Using a Linux MediaAgent

A live browse operation gets information about guest files and folders during a restore operation. To browse and recover files, you must have information about the files and folders included in a backup. This data is discovered during the browse operation as you select content for a restore. You use live browse during restores for both Windows and Linux VMs.

To read data for advanced Linux file systems, you can use a Linux access node to browse and restore data from backups of Linux guest VMs.

When performing an NTFS Browse using a mount on a Unix MediaAgent, Windows Alternate Data Stream (ADS) file restores are supported for the following cases:

- Agentless restore: With a Windows proxy used as a destination client and files restored to the same or a different Windows VM

- Agent-based restore: With a Windows proxy used as a destination client and files restored to the same Windows proxy

To avoid overloading the CommServe computer or provisioning additional access nodes during a browse operation, you can browse and restore NTFS files from a Linux MediaAgent.

## Live Browse Process

The software executes a live browse request during a restore operation using a specific entity, based on the CommCell environment:

- If the MediaAgent is installed with Windows, the software uses the MediaAgent to live browse.

- If the MediaAgent is installed with Linux and there is a Windows access node, the software uses the Windows access node to live browse.

  - If the Windows access node is configured in the subclient properties, the software uses the Windows access node to live browse.

  - If the Windows access node is configured in the instance properties and no access node is configured in the subclient properties, the software uses the Windows access node to live browse.

- If the MediaAgent is installed with Linux and there is no Windows access node, the software uses the Linux MediaAgent to live browse.

## Software Requirements

The following software is required to live browse using a Linux MediaAgent:

- NTFS-3G package installed on the Linux MediaAgent (NTFS-3G is installed automatically when you install or upgrade to Commvault 11.23)

- Commvault Feature Release 11.23 or later installed on the MediaAgent

- One of the following operating systems must be installed on the MediaAgent:

  - RHEL 7.x, 8.x, or 9.x

  - Oracle Linux 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, or 8.7, or 9.x

Note

To use a RHEL 8 or 9 VM or Oracle Linux VM that is configured to use the UEFI Secure Boot method as a Linux access node, you must enroll Commvault keys with the UEFI MOK (Machine Owned Key) list on the VM. For more information, see Use Commvault Driver Modules on a Linux Computer with UEFI Secure Boot Option Enabled.

## Limitations

Live browse operations using Linux MediaAgents are supported only for the NTFS file system. The operations are not supported for IntelliSnap.

For VMware, a proxyless live browse for IntelliSnap will automatically switch to a traditional proxy-based live browse.

- You cannot restore files with advanced encryption attributes using a Linux MediaAgent. For live browse of IntelliSnap backups, you must use a Windows MediaAgent to browse. The ACL of NTFS files is preserved during cross-platform restore operations only if the destination client is installed with Windows.

- Alternate Data Streams (ADS) are not retained for the following cases:

  - Agentless restore - with a Unix proxy used as a destination client. In this case, only the file is restored, but none of the other/Alternate Data Streams (ADS) are retained.

  - Agent-based restore - with a Unix proxy used as a destination client In this case, only the file is restored but none of the other/Alternate Data Streams (ADS) are retained.

## Related Pages

Access Nodes for Hypervisors and VM Groups

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