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NetBackup™ for VMware Administrator's Guide

Last Published: 2022-03-28

Product(s): NetBackup (10.0)

VMware virtual machine disk restore file

This topic describes the parameters that NetBackup uses to restore a virtual machine disk or disks. NetBackup requires that the parameters be described in a text file that uses the JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format. The NetBackup nbrestorevm command reads the file to obtain the necessary information about the virtual machine disks. NetBackup has no requirements for the file name other than those imposed by the operating system.

You can use the nbrestorevm command to generate the file from an existing backup. How to do so is described in a different topic.

See Creating the VMware virtual machine disk restore file.

The following is an example template of the required file:

{
  "ClientType": "VMware",
  "ClientName": "VM-client-name",
  "RestoreType": "SelectiveDiskRestore",
  "BackupImageSelection": {
    "PrimaryServer": "Primary-server-name",
    "StartDate": "mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss",
    "EndDate": "mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss",
    "BackupId": "clientname_timestamp"
  },
  "VMwareRestoreParameters": {
    "vCenterServer": "vCenter-name-for-restore",
    "VMwareRecoveryHost": "Recovery-host-name",
    "DefaultDiskProvisioning": "thin",
    "TransportMode": "san:hotadd:nbd",
    "vmdk_compression": "none",
    "VMwareVirtualMachineDestination": {
      "VMName": "Restore-vm-name",
      "AttachDisksToExistingVM": "No",
      "PowerOn": "No",
      "Datacenter": "Path-of-Datacenter-for-destination-vm",
      "ESX": "Hostname-of-the-ESX-host",
      "Folder": "Path-to-destination-VM-folder",
      "ResourcePool/Vapp": "Path-of-vApp-or-resource-pool-destination",
      "VmxDatastore": ""
    },
    "VMwareVirtualDiskDestination": [
      {
         "VirtualDisk" : "/DS1/BackedupVM/BackedupVM.vmdk",
         "OverwriteExistingDisk": "No",
         "Datastore": "[Datastore-name]",
         "Path": "",
         "Provisioning": "thin"
         "Controller": "scsi0-0"     
      },
      {
         "VirtualDisk": "/DS2/BackedupVM/BackedupVM_1.vmdk",
         "OverwriteExistingDisk": "No",
         "Datastore": "",
         "Path": "[datastore_name] MyVm/MyVM_1.vmdk",
         "Provisioning": "eagerzeroed"
         "Controller": "scsi0-1"
      }
    ]
    "VMwareAdvancedRestoreOptions": {
      "DeleteRestoredVMOnError": "No",
      "VMShutdownWaitSeconds": 900
    }
  }
}

The following is an example of the required file for In-place disk restore:

{
  "BackupImageSelection": {
    "StartDate": "mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss",
    "BackupId": "clientname_timestamp"
    "EndDate": "mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss",
    "PrimaryServer": "Primary-server-name",
  },
  "ClientName": "VM-client-name",
  "VMwareRestoreParameters": {
    "vmdk_compression": "none",
    "VMwareAdvancedRestoreOptions": {
      "VMShutdownWaitSeconds": 900,
      "DeleteRestoredVMOnError": "No"
    },
    "VMwareRecoveryHost": "VM-recovery-host-name",
    "VMwareVirtualMachineDestination": {
      "ResourcePool/Vapp": "Path-of-vApp-or-resource-pool-destination",
      "VmxDatastore": "Vmx-datastore-name",
      "Datacenter": "Path-of-Datacenter-for-destination-vm",
      "AttachDisksToExistingVM": "DeleteAllDisksAndReplace",
      "ESX": "Hostname-of-the-ESX-host",
      "VMName": "Restore-vm-name",
      "Folder": "Path-to-destination-VM-folder",
      "PowerOn": "Yes"
    },
    "DefaultDiskProvisioning": "unknown",
    "TransportMode": "nbdssl",
    "VMwareVirtualDiskDestination": [],
    "vCenterServer": "vCenter-name-for-restore"
  },
  "ClientType": "VMware",
  "RestoreType": "SelectiveDiskRestore"
}

The following subsections describe the parameters in the file. The optional sections or optional fields that you do not want to use must be omitted from the file.

See About VMware virtual machine disk restore.

Global fields

The first section of the file specifies the required information about the client that contains the disks that you want to restore. The following table describes the fields in the first, global section:

Table: Global fields (required)

Field name	Description	Required?
ClientType	The client type as configured in the backup policy. For Vmware virtual machine disk restore, use VMware.	Required.
ClientName	The client name as configured in the backup policy.	Required.
RestoreType	The type of restore. For Vmware virtual machine disk restore, use SelectiveDiskRestore.	Required.

BackupImageSelection

The BackupImageSelection section of the file specifies the information that NetBackup requires to identify the backup image to restore. If this section is not specified, NetBackup restores the most recent backup. The following table describes the fields in the BackupImageSelection section:

Table: The BackupImageSelection section (optional)

Field name	Description	Required?
PrimaryServer	The fully-qualified domain name of the NetBackup primary server to use to query the VM details. If not specified, NetBackup uses the primary server that backs up the VM.	Optional.
StartDate	The start date to look for backup images, in mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss format. If more than one backup image exits in the date range, NetBackup selects the most recent backup. If not specified, the start date is 6 months earlier than the current date.	Optional.
EndDate	The end date to look for backup images, in mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss format. If more than one backup image exits in the date range, NetBackup selects the most recent backup. If not specified, NetBackup uses the current date.	Optional.
BackupId	The ID of the backup image to use for the restore, in clientname_backuptime format. The *backuptime* is the decimal number of seconds since January 1, 1970. If not specified, NetBackup uses the most recent backup image. If you specify a StartDate, EndDate, and a valid BackupId, NetBackup restores from the BackupId image.	Optional.

VMwareRestoreParameters

The VMwareRestoreParameters section of the file contains the following:

The restore parameters of the VM. All of the fields in this section are optional; however, the section is required because it also contains two required subsections. See Table: The VMwareRestoreParameters section (required).
A VMwareVirtualMachineDestination subsection, which specifies the destination parameters for the restore.
See VMwareVirtualMachineDestination.
A VMwareVirtualDiskDestination subsection, which specifies the disks to restore and the restore parameters for those disks.
See VMwareVirtualDiskDestination.
A VMwareAdvancedRestoreOptions subsection, which specifies parameters to restore to an existing VM.
See VMwareAdvancedRestoreOptions.

Table: The VMwareRestoreParameters section (required)

Field name	Description	Required?
vCenterServer	The host name of the destination vCenter for the restore, in the same format as specified in the NetBackup Virtual Server credentials. To restore to a standalone ESXi hypervisor when the backup was through a vCenter, the value of this field must be None.	Optional.
VMwareRecoveryHost	The host that performs the restore. If not specified, NetBackup uses the backup host value from the backup image.	Optional.
DefaultDiskProvisioning	The default disk provisioning for all of the disks to be restored: thin, thick, eagerzeroed, or unknown. For each disk, you can override this default by specifying a different Provisioning value in the VMwareVirtualDiskDestination section of the file. If neither DefaultDiskProvisioning or Provisioning are specified, NetBackup uses the provisioning specified in the backup.	Optional.
TransportMode	The transport mode combination to use for the restore as specified in lowercase, colon separated values: hotadd:nbd:nbdssl:san. The order of the specification is significant; NetBackup attempts each method in turn until the restore succeeds. If all methods fail, the restore fails. If not specified, NetBackup uses the transport mode combination that was used for the backup.	Optional.
vmdk_compression	The vmdk compression type to use for full and selective vmdk restores. Vmdk compression types are: zlib, skipz, and fastlz. If not specified, NetBackup uses none as the value.	Optional.

VMwareVirtualMachineDestination

The VMwareVirtualMachineDestination section of the file specifies the destination parameters for the restore. The following table describes the fields in the VMwareVirtualMachineDestination section. This section is subordinate to the VMwareRestoreParameters section.

Table: The VMwareVirtualMachineDestination section (required)

Field name	Description	Required?
VMName	The unique display name of the new virtual machine for the restored disk or disks. The nbrestorevm command adds a timestamp to the name of the original VM client when it populates this field. The timestamp is the decimal number of seconds since January 1, 1970. NetBackup restores the virtual machine disks to a new VM. Therefore, if this name conflicts with an existing display name, the restore fails.	Required.
AttachDisksToExistingVM	Whether to restore the selected VMDKs to an existing VM or to a new VM, as follows: If the value is Yes, the VM specified in the VMName field must exist in the target vCenter or ESX server. If it does not exist, the restore fails with status code 2820. If the value is No, the VM specified in the VMName field must not exit in the target vCenter or ESX server. If it exists, the restore fails with status code 2820. If the value is DeleteAllDisksAndReplace, the VM specified in the VMName field must exist in the target vCenter or ESX server. If it does not exist, the restore fails with status code 2820. The default value is No.	Required.
PowerOn	Whether to turn on the target VM after the restore, as follows: If the value is Yes, the target VM is powered ON at the end of a successful restore. If the value is No, the target VM is not turned on after the restore. If the restore is to an existing VM, the VM is turned off before the virtual disks are attached to it during the restore. The default value is No.	Required.
Datacenter	The name of the VMware Datacenter for the virtual disk, in pathname format. To restore to a standalone ESXi hypervisor when the backup was through a vCenter, the value of this field must be None. If not specified, NetBackup uses the value from the backup.	Optional.
ESX	The name of the ESX host to which NetBackup should restore the virtual machine disks. If not specified, NetBackup uses the value from the backup.	Optional.
Folder	The pathname of the VM folder to which NetBackup should restore the virtual machine disks. To restore to a standalone ESXi hypervisor when the backup was through a vCenter, the value of this field must be None. If not specified, NetBackup uses the value from the backup.	Optional.
ResourcePool/Vapp	The pathname of the resource pool to which NetBackup should restore the virtual machine disks. If the restore is to a vApp, specify the path of the vApp. If not specified, NetBackup uses the value from the backup.	Optional.
VmxDatastore	The name of the Datastore to which NetBackup should restore the .vmx configuration file and other VM configuration files. You may enclose the name in square brackets but do not have to. If not specified, NetBackup uses the value from the backup.	Optional.
DefaultDiskDatastore	The name of the Datastore to which NetBackup should restore all the virtual disks for in-place disk restore. If not specified, NetBackup uses the value from the backup. This option is only used for In-place disk restore and is ignored otherwise.	Optional.

VMwareVirtualDiskDestination

The VMwareVirtualDiskDestination section of the file is a JSON array that specifies the disks to restore and the restore parameters for those disks. It can contain one or more sets of the fields that are described in the following table, one set per virtual machine disk. A comma must separate fields in a set, and a comma must separate sets. This section is subordinate to the VMwareRestoreParameters section.

Note:

This section is not applicable for in-place disk restores.

Table: The VMwareVirtualDiskDestination section (required)

Field name	Description	Required?
VirtualDisk	The full pathname of the virtual disk to restore. This path must match exactly the path of the .vmdk file when it was backed up.	Required.
OverwriteExistingDisk	Whether to overwrite the existing virtual disk or disks on the target VM, as follows: If the value is Yes, overwrite the original virtual disk and retain the disk UUID. If the value is No, restore the virtual disk to the target VM as a new disk. VMware assigns a new UUID to the disk. The default value is No.	Required.
Datastore	The name of the Datastore that is the destination for the restore. You may enclose the name in square brackets but do not have to. (VMware generates the Datastore pathname using the naming conventions for the VM.) For a restore of virtual disks to a datastore cluster, specify the name of the datastore cluster in this field. If not specified, NetBackup uses the value that is specified in the Path field. If neither Datastore or Path are specified, NetBackup uses the Datastore from the backup image.	Optional.
Path	The full pathname to the restore destination for the virtual disk, in the following format: *[datastore_name] MyVM/MyVM.vmdk* The nbrestorevm -restorespecout option does not populate the Path field. If you specify a Path and it is not available or a disk already exists at that path, the restore fails. If neither Datastore or Path are specified, NetBackup uses the Datastore from the backup image. If a specific vmdk name is not required, Veritas recommends that you leave this field empty.	Optional.
Provisioning	The disk provisioning for this specific disk: thin, thick, eagerzeroed, or unknown. If not specified, the NetBackup uses the DefaultDiskProvisioning value.	Optional.
Controller	The virtual disk controller to which the disk is attached in the original VM. This field is informational only to help you determine which virtual disk or disks to restore. The value is not used during a restore.	Optional

VMwareAdvancedRestoreOptions

The VMwareAdvancedRestoreOptions section of the file specifies parameters to restore to an existing VM. This section is subordinate to the VMwareRestoreParameters section.

Table: The VMwareAdvancedRestoreOptions section (optional)

Field name	Description	Required?
DeleteRestoredVMOnError	NetBackup creates a temporary VM during the restore process and then attaches the virtual disks to the target VM. The value of this parameter determines whether NetBackup deletes the temporary VM if the disk attach operation fails, as follows: If the value is Yes, delete the temporary VM. If the value is No, do not delete the temporary VM. If the disks are not successfully attached to the target VM, you can access the data on the temporary VM. The default value is No.	Optional.
VMShutdownWaitSeconds	For restores to an existing VM, the restore process shuts down the target virtual machine before it attaches the disk or disks. The duration of the shutdown operation depends on the VMware workload. Use this parameter to specify how long the restore process should wait for shutdown before giving up on restore. The default value is 900 seconds (15 minutes).	Optional.

Field name

Description

Required?

DeleteRestoredVMOnError

NetBackup creates a temporary VM during the restore process and then attaches the virtual disks to the target VM. The value of this parameter determines whether NetBackup deletes the temporary VM if the disk attach operation fails, as follows:

If the value is Yes, delete the temporary VM.
If the value is No, do not delete the temporary VM. If the disks are not successfully attached to the target VM, you can access the data on the temporary VM.

The default value is No.

Optional.

VMShutdownWaitSeconds

For restores to an existing VM, the restore process shuts down the target virtual machine before it attaches the disk or disks. The duration of the shutdown operation depends on the VMware workload. Use this parameter to specify how long the restore process should wait for shutdown before giving up on restore.

The default value is 900 seconds (15 minutes).

Optional.