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SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere 6.0

Restore VMDKs from backups

Contributors netapp-jani netapp-madhulik
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You can restore existing VMDKs, or deleted or detached VMDKs, from either a primary or secondary backup of traditional VMs or vVol VMs.

You can restore one or more virtual machine disks (VMDKs) on a VM to the same datastore.

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

  • A backup must exist.

    You must have created a backup of the VM using the SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere.

  • The VM must not be in transit.

    The VM that you want to restore must not be in a state of vMotion or Storage vMotion.

About this task

  • If the VMDK is deleted or detached from the VM, then the restore operation attaches the VMDK to the VM.

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

  • Attach and restore operations connect VMDKs using the default SCSi controller.
    However, when VMDKs that are attached to a VM with a NVMe disk are backed up, the attach and restore operations use NVMe controller if available.

Steps

  1. In the VMware vSphere client GUI, click Menu in the toolbar, and then select VMs and Templates from the drop-down list.

  2. In the left navigator pane, right-click a VM, then select SnapCenter Plug-in for VMware vSphere in the drop-down list, and then select Restore in the secondary drop-down list.

  3. 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 primary or secondary location. Click OK to return to the wizard.

  4. On the Select Scope page, select the restore destination.

    To restore to… Specify the restore destination…

    The original datastore

    Select Particular disk from the drop-down list and then click Next.
    In the Datastore selection table, you can select or unselect any VMDKs.

    An alternate datastore in an alternate location

    Click the destination datastore and select a different datastore from the list.

  5. On the Select Location page, select the Snapshot that you want to restore (primary or secondary).

  6. Review the Summary page and then click Finish.

  7. Optional: Monitor the operation progress by clicking Recent Tasks at the bottom of the screen.

  8. Refresh the screen to display updated information.