Recovery from Tape

Recovery from Tape

BDRSuite Tape Backup provides a restore option to download the backup jobs that are transferred to the tape servers. Select the Restore icon from the List of Tape Archive Jobs to begin your restore process.
  1. Select Download as the restore type as it allows you to download the backup data as an offsite copy in your preferred file format. Click Next to proceed with the restore process.
  2. The first step in the restore process is selecting the time-stamp version that you need to restore. Select the required time-stamp version and click Next to proceed with the restore process.
  3. The next step is to select the restored data. Expand the VM further by selecting the + option and select the required disk to be restored. Click Next to proceed to select the restore location.
Notes
Note: If the backup job is configured with the encryption settings, during the restore or deletion of the backup job, you must provide the encryption password.
  1. For image-based backup jobs, you can perform a disk-level restore, by selecting a specific set of disks from different VMs to download.
  2. Restoring location can either be a local drive on the backup server or if you have managed to add a network shared drive, the restore can be directed to the network shared location.
Notes
Note: Tape Backup restore will fail if the target location is a Network Drive configured with BDRSuite Backup Server or Offsite DR Server console.
  1. You can download the backup data in multiple file formats such as – VHD, VMDK, VHDX, VMDK-Flat and RAW. Once done configuring the restore options, proceed to review configuration by selecting Next.
  2. Review your configurations for a final time before you begin the restore. Check the following:
    1. Selected restore type
    2. Selected restore version
    3. Selected VM Machine(s)
    4. Target Location
    5. Restore Format
  3. Once done reviewing, click Restore Now option and confirm the restore process by selecting OK from the pop-up window to download the backup data.
  4. Taking offsite copies in various formats allows you to boot your backup data across various virtual and physical environments such as Oracle Box, KVM, Hyper-V, VMware vSphere, VMware player, etc.
  5. Reconstruction of physical servers is also possible with these offline backup copies.

Tape Catalog

Tape catalog can be used to perform tape inventory to find the information about the backup contents that are stored in the Media. With the metadata we have added during backup, we will need to populate DB entries with details of newly detected backups in the server as well as in the Tape Agent. We can use the Tape Catalog option in order to restore data from Older tape media.

Possible scenarios to use the Tape catalog option

  1. BDRSuite Backup Server uninstalled.
  2. Tape Agent Uninstalled (Tape server connected machine).
  3. Tape Backup deleted from BDRSuite Backup Server.
  4. Try to attach the tape media to a different BDRSuite Backup server.

BDRSuite Backup Server uninstalled

Case-1: BDRSuite Backup Server uninstalled, but Tape Server having the agent connected with Tape library containing media with data.
Install the BDRSuite Backup Server and  push the agent to Tape Server. It will not be allowed and will throw an error like (Error 117030: Vembu Integration Service is already installed in the target host by a different backup server.)
In this case , the old tape agent should be removed from the Tape Server machine and have to be added again in BDRSuite Backup Server.
Once done, perform rescan and inventory to detect the media. Run Catalog for the media present in  the Tape Library.
Case-2: BDRSuite Backup Server uninstalled by removing Tape agent from Tape Server. Only Tape Media  present with data.
Install BDRSuite Backup Server and add the Tape Server. Agent will be pushed and installed in Tape Server. Perform rescan and  inventory to detect the media. Run Catalog for the media present in Tape Library.

Tape Agent Uninstalled (tape server connected machine)

Case-1: BDRSuite Backup Server present with Data, but in Tape Server, agent was uninstalled manually and Tape library having media with data.
  1. Since Tape agent is not present in the Tape Server, it has to be removed from BDRSuite Backup Server UI. Then, have to re-add it so that a new tape agent can be installed in Tape Server.
  2. Perform rescan and  inventory to detect the available media. Run Catalog for the media present in Tape Library.
Case-2: BDRSuite Backup Server present with Data, but in Tape Server, agent was uninstalled from BDRSuite Backup Server UI and Tape library having media with data.
  1. Add the Tape Server again in BDRSuite Backup Server to push the agent. Once agent is pushed, perform rescan and inventory to detect the available media. Run Catalog for the media present in the Tape Library.
  2. Tape Backup deleted from BDRSuite Backup Server
  3.  If Tape backup is deleted from BDRSuite Backup Server, then the backup entries will be removed only from BDRSuite Backup Server DB and Tape agent DB. Backed-up data will not be removed from the Tape media.
  4. If we want to recover that deleted backup’s data, and if we know the media, we can directly run catalog for that media and get the backend entries backup to DB and make it available for restores.
  5.  Try to attach the tape media to a different BDRSuite Backup Server
  6. We can place the media used in the different BDRSuite Backup Server to the current BDRSuite Backup Server’s Tape Library.
  7. We can perform rescan and inventory to get the media properties and then can run catalog to get the metadata of backups present in it.
Notes
Notes: After performing the catalog process, the recovered tape jobs will be listed in the Tape Job listing page in suspended state and we can restore data. Currently we are providing media level catalog, but if the backup inside it points to a next new media, then we will catalog this new media too.

How to run the Util

  1. Install BDRSuite Backup Server (if not already installed)
  1. Add Tape Server to the BDRSuite Backup Server (if not already done)
  1. Perform Rescan & Tape Inventory process to detect the available media.
  2. Run the following Util,
bin\VembuBDR.exe TapeOperation catalog  media_barcode
e.g: bin\VembuBDR.exe TapeOperation catalog  G0PK0FJLZPD_1000000000Q
It will create a catalog for the attached media. Once the catalog operation is completed, we can see the corresponding tape backup in the ‘Tape Archive -> List Tape Archive Jobs’ page.
Notes
Note : The cataloged backups will be in suspended state by default and from that we can perform recovery operations.

How To Run Tape Catalog

  1. Tape Media which needs to perform catalog should be placed in the Tape Library connected to BDRSuite Backup Server.
  2. Need to perform rescan and inventory from UI, to detect the media details and update it in the database in both the Tape Agent and BDRSuite Backup Server .
  3. Need to initiate Catalog Util in BDRSuite Backup Server with required details (as mentioned separately above – How to run the Util).
  4. Based on the barcode information we got, we load the corresponding media to Tape drive and start reading.
  5. If the data is written to more than one media, we will get the next media information in Tape Backup config XML. (Like wise, we can loop all media in the set and perform catalog.)
  6. After reading all the backup configuration details, it will be fetched by the BDRSuite Backup Server and it will update the DB. All the Tape backup jobs will be listed again ‘List Tape Archive Jobs’ in the BDRSuite Backup Server.

If backup data present in multiple media

Example Scenario;
  1. Say, one VM having 3 disk, 2 disk data present in 1st media, 3rd disk data partial in 1st media, continued in 2nd media and completed. If we run catalog for 1st media, we will get the VM start offset and 2 disk’s start and end offset, then 3rd disk start offset. These details will be updated in database periodically when we receive filemarks.
  2. Once after reaching the end of media, it will try to load 2nd media, if it is not present, we will come out of Catalog operation and DB will have details till we read the 1st media. The end offset for that 3rd disk will be -1. It means incomplete data.
  3. During restore, we will get VM list from Tape agent based on the number of success disks present. So, we will restore 2 disks of that backup.
To Know;
  1. Util will work for successfully completed Tape jobs only.
  2. If we give first media barcode from the old media pool.
  3. We will fetch the backup details from the media, and if the last backup points to the next media, then we will load that media and get backup details. Like this we will traverse all the media and get details.
  1. If we give a random media from the media pool.
  2. If the media does not have any backup start details for any backup, no data will be rebuilt in the database.
  3. If the media has only one backup data and was completed in the current media itself, it will not proceed with the next media in the media set, since the backup does not point to any other media.
  4. If backups from this media point to the next media, we will load that media and get details. If the media contains any other backup data, it will fetch that backup details too.
  1. Util may not work for the Media which has failed or interrupted job data.

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