BEX 2012 : VMDK content is not showing

[Anthony_D]

Hello Guys,

I hope you can help me.

I installed BEX 2012, willing to discover the new "V-Ray" features & functionalities.

So here is my setup at present:

- A Media Server (Win2012) called "Latitude" : there's BEX 2012 on it + Vmware/Hyper-V Agent installed
- An ESX called "esx" : I installed no agent at all on it, as per the Symantec recommendations
- A VM called "win2003" : Windows 2003 + SP2 installed + Standard Windows Agent running on it.

My problem is : Although the Media Server is perfectly able to "see" and backup the overall ESX content (ex : "win2003.vmdk"),
it is NOT able to browse what's inside the VMDK : files & directories, which was the initial plan to be honnest.

If I try a restore job, The Media server will only show the win2003.vmdk file, but what if I just want to restore a single file for instance ?

Did I miss anything at some point ?
Please have a look at the attachment if you want a clear example.


Any feedback welcome, Thanks in advance !


A

[merlin66]

Hi, your Server should Show up with 2 entries: 1. At the ESX-Node - for restoring the entry VM 2. As the Server himself to restore Files Have you checked the GRT-Option?

[Anthony_D]

Hello Merlin,

Thanks for your interest.

>> your Server should Show up with 2 entries:

Yes indeed, please take a look at the attachment : it shows 1. the ESX ("esx") and 2. the VM ("2003")

>> Have you checked the GRT-Option?

Yes I have. All of the GRT options are actually ticked in the "Virtual Machines" window. They are all ticked. And I let the vSphere to default port 902.

I still need assistance.

Thanks a lot!

A

[jason_qian]

About restore of individual files You can use either of the following procedures to restore files individually. Restore individual files to the virtual machine by restoring to the recovery host. The virtual machine drives that are the destination for the restore must be configured in one of the following ways: ■ Windows only: The virtual machine drives must be shared through the guest operating system on the virtual machine. See “Setting up NetBackup Client Service for restore to a Windows shared virtual machine drive” on page 146. ■ NetBackup client software must be installed on the VMware virtual machine. One-stage process Restore individual files from the VMware recovery host to a NetBackup client (not to the virtual machine). See the NetBackup Backup, Archive,andRestore Getting Started Guide on how to restore to different locations. Then manually copy the restored files to the virtual machine. (NetBackup does not perform this step.) Two-stage process Note: Individual file recovery is supported from full backups and from incremental backups, as long as the Enable file recovery fromVMbackup policy option is enabled. Restore virtual machines About restore of individual files 144

[Anthony_D]

Hello Jason,

I appreciate your help, but this is about Backup Exec 2012 ... not Netbackup

Thanks !

A

[CraigV]

...you might want to ask a TA or Admin to delete this comment...

[CraigV]

Hi Anthony,

Do you have a Virtual Center server in the mix? Point BE to this and your VMs should show up!

Thanks!

[jason_qian]

Sorry Anthony, Frist: Check Backup Exec Granular Recovery Technology (GRT) to enable the restore of individual files and folders from virtual machines Enables individual files and folders to be restored from the backup. This option is for virtual machines that use a Windows operating system only. The vmdk file is not backed up if the virtual hard disk is configured as an Independent disk. Note: GRT is not meant for system recovery but only for the restore of individual files and folders on Windows computers. Second: pls click HOST "win2003" on Backup interface,then, Click restore.

[Anthony_D]

Hello CraigV

>> Do you have a Virtual Center server in the mix? Point BE to this and your VMs should show up!
Nope, there is no vCenter stuff in the mix, just one ESx and that's all. My VM is showing up, but I expected V-Ray to display all of the folders within ( C:\ ... D:\...)
Is that the point Craig ? Do I actually need to point BE to a vCenter rather than an ESX ???


@ Jason : ok, I'll double check that. I am now back home and Monday is Bank Holiday so we'll resume on Tuesday.

Have a good weekend folks:)
Thanks

A

[pkh]

To see and restore individual files from your VM backup, see my article below

https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/articles/restoring-individual-filesfolders-vm-backup

[Anthony_D]

Hello there

Thanks for all of your replies.
I checked your the document carefully ("Restoring individual files/folders from a VM backup").
Effectively I can confirm that :

1. The individual VM ("win2003") is added to the server list as soon as I launch a backup to the ESX
2. The authentication details are correct at all levels.
3. When I click "Restore" from the ESX, I just can see the VMDK file, which is normal.
4. BUT if I click "Restore" from the individual VM, the "Restore" tab is GREYED-OUT, whereas the Backup log indicates 100% successful.

Thats really strange ... and disturbing too.

I still need assistance unfortunately.
If no solution can be found, I will have to create 2 backup routines eventually, one for the VMDK files and one for each individual VM, which would be a shame ...

Please feel free to take a look at the 2 screenshots.

Thanks for your support.

AD

[Jaydeep_S]

Hey Anthony,

Is there a remote agent installed on the Virtual Machine. Also, try to right click the Server and see if there is a restore option.

Also, not sure if it is related but here is something that you can look into

[Anthony_D]

Hey Jaydeep,

Thanks for your post.

Eventhough Backup Exec managed to "discover" my VM on its own via the ESX, the restore option remains greyed-out for some obscure reason.

But : if I manually add the same VM into the server list from the Add button | Add a new Windows machine, this particular one will then enable the Restore button !

And from there, I can see my individual files & folders eventually.

So it actually works ... but in a rather tricky way. Therefore I dont fully trust GRT and wonder what backup policy I will enforce for my end Client next week... I really need to figure this out now.

Any feedback welcome, otherwise I may mark this issue as resolved some time this week.

Thanks very much for your interest everybody !!

A

[Anthony_D · Accepted solution]

Workaround :

Remove the server that has been added automatically added in the server list by the system, then re-add manually from the "Add" Button.

This operation will enable the "Restore" option.

Full & Incremental backup jobs OK.