Restore to different server doubles path

[Artegic]

I wanted to restored a directory from tape with Backup Exec 2012 SP4 on Windows Server 2008 R2 to a different server with identical directory structure. The end result was that the entire path in front of the restored folder was doubled. Specifically:

• backed up server ERDE.ARTEGIC.LOCAL directory E:\SILO\Staff\svl\#private\BACKUP
• tried to restore to server ZAGDC01.ARTEGIC.LOCAL directory E:\SILO\Staff\svl\#private\BACKUP
• selected \\ZAGDC01.ARTEGIC.LOCAL\E:\ as destination
• job log says:

Restoring data to \\ZAGDC01.ARTEGIC.LOCAL\E:\SILO\Staff\svl\#private
Detailed information
(Directory \\ZAGDC01.ARTEGIC.LOCAL\E:\)
Directory \\ZAGDC01.ARTEGIC.LOCAL\E:\SILO
Directory \\ZAGDC01.ARTEGIC.LOCAL\E:\SILO\Staff
Directory \\ZAGDC01.ARTEGIC.LOCAL\E:\SILO\Staff\svl
Directory \\ZAGDC01.ARTEGIC.LOCAL\E:\SILO\Staff\svl\#private
Directory \\ZAGDC01.ARTEGIC.LOCAL\E:\SILO\Staff\svl\#private\BACKUP

followed by the subdirectories within the BACKUP directory, all with their correct original paths. (Note however the parentheses around the first line.)

• however, looking on server ZAGDC01.ARTEGIC.LOCAL after the restore completed, I find the restored data is instead at

E:\SILO\Staff\svl\#private\SILO\Staff\svl\#private\BACKUP

Ie. Backup Exec has created four extra directory levels wrt its own log.

Simple question: Why???

[lmosla]

Hello,

What happens when you restore to the drive letter instead of the UNC path?  

[pkh]

This is because you specify that the directory structure be preserved.. If you unchecked that option then the original directory structure will not be created

[Artegic]

Sorry, I don't quite understand.

The "Restore Job Assistant", on its 3rd pane titled "Where shall the data be restored?", asks me for a drive and path. For the Drive field, the explanation says "Example: \\Server\Drive:", for the Path field, it says: "Example: \Path". So I set Drive to "\\ZAGDC01.ARTEGIC.LOCAL\E:" and Path to "\". (More precisely, I used the "Browse" button to do it for me, but that was the result.)

What do you propose that I enter instead?

Thanks,
Tilman

[Artegic]

But I want the original directory structure to be created, just not twice. That BACKUP folder I restored contains a deep hierachy of subfolders that needs to be restored.

For example, the original server had a folder

E:\SILO\Staff\svl\#private\BACKUP\2012\05 Mai 2012\ABLAGE

When I tell Backup Exec to preserve the directory structure, I expect this exact path to appear on the new server.

Regrettably, the "recreate directory structure" option (or "preserve tree" as it seems to be sometimes called) isn't documented neither in the Adminitrator Manual nor in the online help. In fact, I searched the entire document BeAdmin_de.pdf for the central term of the option text ("Verzeichnisstruktur") and only found hits unter "delete after backup", "restore Lotus Domino server", "restore NDMP data" and "Keyboard Shortcuts", all of them obviously not relevant to this topic. But I found a forum post https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/restore-directory-path which, although referring to an older Backup Exec version, says that without that option checked, the directory structure will be collapsed all restored files will end up in the same directory.

[Colin_Weaver]

Leave the option to preserve tree enabled and specify the root of the volume as the path then

[Artegic]

As I already wrote, that's exactly what I did.

[pkh]

Have you tried

1) restoring to the root but without creating the directory structure first

2) specifying only the topmost level during the restore.

[Artegic]

Not sure what exactly you are asking me to do in both cases.

ad 1) I did not create the directory structure first. The directory E:\SILO\Staff\svl\#private\BACKUP did not exist before I started the restore job. Only the containing directory E:\SILO\Staff\svl\#private did. The latter contains valid user data, so deleting it first is not an option.

ad 2) I did only specify the topmost level during the restore, both for the the selection list to restore which read

SILO\Staff\svl\#private\BACKUP\*.* [Subdir]

as well as the destination path which I specified as topmost as possible, ie. \.

Before we delve deeper into the "Experimental Data Processing" realm, what I would like to know is:

• Am I the first one to try this?
• Am I the only one having this problem and it works as expected for everyone else?
• Is everyone having the same problem, ie. is it a "known bug"?
• Or are my expectations wrong and this behaviour is "by design"?

[Colin_Weaver]

I think you are just misunderstanding how it works as it i working as designed and not a bug

The default setting is to restore to original locations (which recreates any part of the tree that might have  been deleted)

If redirecting the default is to preseve the tree within the target path you specify as such it will take the tree from the root of the drive that the data was backed up from and recreate it whereever you specify - if you specify a subfolder it will create that tree starting in the subfolder.

Unchecking preserve tree just restores the files directly into where you specify without any extra folder structure

In you scenario you need to restore to root of volume with preseve tree enabled and then use the if file exists conflict rules to decide what to do with any data that has already been created in the restore location. (I'd recommend backing up thet area before you do a restore if you do not understand this.)

[Artegic · Accepted solution]

Ok, I cannot reproduce the problem. I ran the same restore job again and this time it restored to the original path, without doubling any part. The job logs are identical too AFAICS, except for the dates of course. Let's just file this under "unexplained glitches".