Step 5: Run a Restore

In this video, we'll go through the process of restoring data using Zmanda, an enterprise backup and recovery solution. If you've been following this series, you'll know that we've covered everything from installing the backup server to configuring storage and performing backups. Now, it's time for our first restore. We'll do a granular restore of a deleted file.

Oh no! Your data is being held hostage in a ransomware attack... Or you just want to test to make sure you can restore your data in the case that such an event did occur. In this article, we will go through the simple workflow for restoring your data.

Note: The screens and options may change depending on the type of source that you are restoring. In this example, we are performing an Agent restore of a filesystem.

Steps

1. In the left navigation bar of the ZMC, click Backup Sets (yes, Backup Sets, not Restore)

2. Click on the icon next to the Backup Set that you wish to restore the data for.

3. On the top navigation bar, click step 7, Backup Media

4. You will now see a page containing a table of all of the backup media entries for this particular backup set. This allows you to choose your Return Point (think Return Point Objective). Here are some key columns to note in this table:

• Hostname - The IP address of a given source

• Media Label- A sequential list of backup media, with larger numbers representing more resent backups

• Level - The backup level. A full blue bar represents a full backup, and a half blue bar represents incremental.

• Backup Time - The time and date that the backup media was created

• Type - The source type, which may be any of the source types that you can configure in the Sources page

5. Given this information, click on the icon next to the source for which you want to restore its data. This will take you to the Restore workflow.

6. Let's go through each page:

Restore What - This page allows you to choose what you would like to restore. This step includes the following:

• Host Name - If you click on theicon next to this box, you will be presented with a list of host names associated with the sources linked to this backup set. You must select from this list.

• Alias/Directory/Path - The directory that you wish to restore. This must match the directories you specified when configuring the source that is being restored.

• Restore Preferences - There are three options. Restore All will restore everything from the directory specified in the Alias/Directory/Path section. Explore & Select will allow you to... explore and select (shocker) the directories and files that you wish to restore, beginning with the directory specified in the Alias/Directory/Path section. Finally, the Seach Specific Files section allows you to search for files based on patterns. You can search by file extensions such as .txt or .log, or simply search for entire file names.

Once you have selected what you wish to restore, click NEXT

Restore Where - The location where your data will be restored to. First, you must select the Destination Type. The information you enter in the rest of the fields will depend on this choice:

• Original Location - Selecting the Original Location option will restore the data to the same directory on the same machine that it came from. The Destination Host Name field will be auto-filled with the IP of the source, and you can proceed to click NEXT.

• Destination Directory - This option allows you to restore the data to a Unix system. You may input the IP address of your desired target system (including the system that the data came from, the backup server, or another system) in the Destination Host Name field as long as the system has a Zmanda Agent installed and configured. You can then input a Unix-formatted directory path in the Destination Host Location field.

• Windows Folder - This option is similar to the Destination Directory option, with a Windows Folder being used instead of a Unix directory. Make sure an agent is installed and configured on your target system, and then input the IP address and path in the corresponding fields.

Restore How - This page is all about how to deal with conflicting files and folders on your restore target. For example, you may choose to merge the conflicting directories or create a new directory by appending a digit. You can also choose to overwrite files, create new files, or choose not to restore them at all if there are conflicts. Click NEXT once you have finished configuring this page.

Restore Now - All of the configurations have been completed in the previous steps. The advanced options allow you to configure timeout settings or perform checksums. You may configure these as desired. Simply click the green play button to start restoring your data.

Conclusion

You have now successfully gone through the Restore process. If you run into any issues, please contact our support team at [email protected]