Instant Access is a feature that allows quick, temporary access to block data backups without the need for data transfer. It leverages iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface) technology to mount backup snapshots as local drives, providing near-instant access to backed-up data. This feature is particularly useful in recovery scenarios such as:
Verifying backup integrity quickly from a standby node
Using applications while simultaneously restoring data
Recovering from ransomware attacks or accidental deletions by instantly reverting to a backup state
By bypassing time-consuming data transfers, Instant Access can restore data and application access in minutes rather than hours.
Before using Instant Access, ensure the following prerequisites are met:
iSCSI connectivity between the DPX server and the client system is established.
The iSCSI initiator is installed on the client if connecting to a hardware snapshot.
Attention! During a block restore process, VMware host nodes may unexpectedly appear in the block restore SOURCES section. These nodes should be ignored. Continue with your restore process as normal, ensuring to select the correct nodes for the operation.
Select the Restore tab and click Block under Restore Modes.
This action will take you to the view for defining a new restore job. Select the backup instance to map with Instant Access.
Right-click the backup instance and select Map.
Choose the node and mount point to which you want to map the backup instance and click OK.
After confirming the operation, DPX will begin mounting your backup instance. This process may take a few minutes. Once the mapping is complete, a message box will appear indicating successful mapping.
The mapped drive will now appear as a local drive on your Windows or Linux system, labeled as DPXIA-{volume_name}. You can interact with the mapped backup instance as you would with any other volume.
A mount point is a path to a volume that may or may not have a drive letter. On the Backup window, mount point volumes appear in the following format, where <volume_name> represents the operating system assigned name:
The following is an example mount point display:
To restore the contents of the mount point to the mount point volume, you must specify the mount point as a restore destination. You can also restore the contents of the mount point volume to a directory on another volume. The backup of the drive on which the volume is mounted will indicate the mount point, but will not contain the mounted volume’s data.
Restrictions. Restore of reparse points is not supported.
Block Restore is a method of data recovery that is particularly useful when dealing with backups made in a Block backup. This mode is supported by DPX and allows for the restoration of data to primary NetApp Storage systems or Open Systems from a secondary storage system. It is a crucial tool for data recovery, especially in environments where large amounts of data are stored and regularly backed up.
See also. In addition to the Catalogic DPX Block Data Protection, you can use the Catalogic DPX Agentless Backup for a virtual environment: VMware or Microsoft Hyper-V. For more information about how to protect virtual machines (VMs) in a virtual environment, see Agentless Backup.
In the management console, the destination pane in the Block restore windows displays both the Catalogic DPX client nodes and the NetApp SnapVault Management source nodes. The source pane displays backup instances for both Block restore and the NetApp SnapVault Management.
To run Block restore, you need to create and define a Block restore job first. You also need to have at least one Block backup to restore from.
Attention! During a block restore process, VMware host nodes may unexpectedly appear in the block restore SOURCES section. These nodes should be ignored. Continue with your restore process as normal, ensuring to select the correct nodes for the operation.
Select the Restore tab and click Block under Restore Modes.
This action will take you to the view for defining a new restore job. If you were editing a different restore job and wish to start a new one, click Define New Restore Job.
Select the source (a previously created Block backup) and the destination for your restore job. Then, click Save Restore Job.
Now you can create a Job Name, select a Folder, and add a Comment to your restore job. When you click OK, your Block Restore Job will be saved.
Virtualization is the process of restoring Block backups by creating a separate virtual machine with the restored data. Such restore process requires BMR backups. The virtualization itself may be instant or full. Full Virtualization creates a production VM. Instant Virtualization creates a temporary VM, which is typically used for setup or testing purposes. In addition, you can convert the temporary VM that were created with Instant Virtualization into a production VM by using the Rapid Return to Production (RRP) feature.
Select the Restore tab and click Block under Restore Modes.
In the Sources pane, drill down to find the BMR backup within the node you want to restore.
Right-click the recovery point you want to restore from (you may also right-click the LATEST item) and select Virtualize.
The Virtual Machine Wizard will open in a new window.
Specify the following:
Virtual Machine Name
Host Name (or use original host name)
Virtual Machine Memory [MB]
Virtualization Type (Full or Instant)
VMDK Provisioning (for Full Virtualization only)
One of the virtual machine manager nodes, e.g. a vCenter
Choose whether the VM will be powered on upon creation
Click Next.
In the Select Resources step, specify the Host, Datastore, Resource Pool/VApp, Network, iSCSI Adapter and the VM Folder where the new VM will be logically located. Click Next.
Select dynamic or static addressing. If you select Static, you need to specify further network details. Click Next.
Select the virtualization proxy server. For more information, see DPX Proxy Server.
Indicate the Virtual ISO Location. You will need a virtualization ISO of the operating system required for your machine (Linux or Windows). Normally, you will obtain it from the appropriate MySupport DPX Virtualization Support section. If in doubt, contact our Technical Support team. If you want to select a datastore where the ISO is located, you need to wait a moment until DPX retrieves files. If you want to manually specify the ISO location, click Cancel Retrieve and then select the Specify Location radio button.
Select the ISO file and click Review.
If all the information in the summary is correct, click Finish. The Save Job window will be shown.
Specify the Job Name. The name may be up to 64 characters long and may only contain letters, digits and - _ characters. Click OK.
Restrictions. The Job Name must be unique within your Enterprise.
A Saved Successfully prompt will be shown.
Click OK.
Important. The job is saved but will not be run automatically upon saving.
To run the job, go to Run Tasks in the Task Panel (scroll down if necessary) and click Run Restore Job.
Note. Before running the job, double-check the job name in the window’s title bar.
To see the job progress and status, go to the Monitor Jobs tab. For more information, see Monitor Jobs Tab.
