Skip to main content
SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere 4.5
A newer release of this product is available.

Restore deleted VMs from backups

Contributors
PDFs

You can restore a deleted VM from a datastore primary or secondary backup to an ESXi host that you select.

In SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere 4.4 and earlier, you can restore VMs only to the original host and datastore.

Beginning in SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere 4.5, you can restore VMs to the following locations:

  • Restore to original location

    • To the original datastore mounted on the original ESXi host (this makes a copy of the VM)

  • Restore to alternate location

    • To a different datastore mounted on the original ESXi host

    • To the original datastore mounted on a different ESXi host that is managed by the same vCenter

    • To a different datastore mounted on a different ESXi host that is managed by the same vCenter

    • To a different datastore mounted on a different ESXi host that is managed by a different vCenter in linked mode

Note When restoring to a different location, SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere must be running in the linked vCenter that is the destination for the restore operation. The destination datastore must have sufficient space.
Before you begin

  • The user account for the storage system, on the Storage Systems page in the VMware vSphere web client, must have the Minimum ONTAP privileges required for ONTAP.

  • A backup must exist.

    You must have created a backup of the VM using the SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere before you can restore the VMDKs on that VM.

Tip For improved performance of restore operations in NFS environments, enable the VMware application vStorage API for Array Integration (VAAI).
About this task

You cannot restore a datastore, but you can restore any VM in the datastore.

A restore operation might fail if the storage tier of the FabricPool where the VM is located is unavailable.

Steps

  1. Click Menu and select the Storage menu option, then select a datastore, then select the Configure tab, and then click Backups in the SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere section.

  2. Double-click on a backup to see a list of all VMs that are included in the backup.

  3. Select the deleted VM from the backup list and click Restore.

  4. In the Restore wizard, on the Select Backup page, select the backup copy that you want to restore from.

    You can search for a specific backup name or a partial backup name, or you can filter the backup list by clicking the filter icon and selecting a date and time range, selecting whether you want backups that contain VMware Snapshots, whether you want mounted backups, and the location. Click OK to return to the wizard.

  5. On the Select Scope page, select Entire virtual machine in the Restore scope field, then select the restore location, and then enter the Destination ESXi information where the backup should be mounted.

    The restore destination can be any ESXi host that has been added to SnapCenter. This option restores the contents of the selected backup in which the VM resided from a Snapshot copy with the specified time and date. The Restart VM check box is checked if you select this option and the VM will be powered on.

    If you are restoring a VM in an NFS datastore onto an alternate ESXi host that is in an ESXi cluster, then after the VM is restored, it is registered on the alternate host.

  6. On the Select Location page, select the location of the backup that you want to restore from (primary or secondary).

  7. Review the Summary page and then click Finish.