Introduction and Restore Modes

The primary purpose of the Restore functions in DPX is to restore backed-up data from media to your Enterprise. All backup metadata are recorded in the Catalog, enabling easy restores if and when they become necessary.

There are several options to restore backed-up data with DPX: Instant Access, virtualization, Bare Metal Recovery and application recovery.

The restore function is a very powerful tool. When you select what is to be restored, DPX automatically defines default source and destination resources. Yet, you can redefine these and other parameters.

Restore Modes

Restore modes are ways for you to restore your data. It is important to remember that there is no direct 1:1 correspondence between backup types and restore modes. For example, you can restore individual files both from file and block backup.

Web interface vs. desktop interface accessibility

While most features are shared between the classic desktop interface and the new web interface, there are some differences in how certain features are accessible.

Web interface

This table presents an overview of restore modes available through the web interface, and their counterparts in the desktop interface. For convenience, the restore modes have been split into Agentless Restore and Agent-based Restore.

Agentless Restore

Mode	Description	Desktop UI Equivalent
Full VM Restore	Restores a server to the original or alternate host. This method physically transfers the data to the restore target.	Agentless VMware Note. Desktop interface does not support Hyper-V.
Instant VM Restore	Restores a server to the original or alternate host. This method uses LUN mapping of backup instance to host storage. No data is transferred.	Agentless VMware
Multi-VM Restore	Recovers multiple VMware virtual machines in a single job.	N/A
Agentless File Restore	Restores single or multiple files or directories protected by Hyper-V or VMware agentless workloads.	N/A

Agent-based Restore

Mode	Description	Desktop UI Equivalent
File Restore from Block Backup	Restores single or multiple files or directories protected by DPX agent workloads.	Block Restore
Instant Access	IA Map a selected backup instance. If there is no file history for this backup instance, use IA Map to browse the data from a data snapshot.	Agentless VMware
Virtualization	Restores block backups and creates a separate (temporary or production) VM with the restored data.	Block Restore
Application Restore	Restores major applications, including Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database.	File Restore / Block Restore
File Restore from File Backup	Restores single, multiple files or directories protected by DPX agent workloads and stored on tape or disk.	File Restore
Catalog Restore	Recovers all DPX metadata, such as nodes, tapes, schedules, retentions and user accounts, as well as job definitions.	Catalog Restore Note. Accessible through the Catalog tab.

Desktop interface

This table presents an overview of restore modes available through the desktop interface, and their counterparts in the web interface.

Mode	Description	Web UI Equivalent
File Restore	Restores data selected at the node group, node, drive, directory, or file level.	File Restore from Block Backup, Application Restore, File Restore from File Backup
Image Restore	Restores data that was backed up in an Image backup. Supports restoration at the file level.	Not yet supported
NDMP Restore	Restores data backed up in an NDMP backup to Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliances using Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP).	Not yet supported
Block Restore	Restores data backed up in a Block backup. Supports restoring to primary NetApp Storage systems or Open Systems from a secondary storage system.	Virtualization, Application Restore, File Restore from Block Backup
Agentless VMware Restore	Restores Agentless VMware Backups.	Full VM Restore, Instant Access
Tape Restore	Restores data from one or more media volumes. This option is useful for restoring uncataloged data.	Not yet supported

Quick Overview of Restore Steps

The restore process is more complex than the backup process and requires more attention. Below is an overview of basic steps leading to a successful restore.

1. Determine what data needs to be restored and from when.

2. Determine which restore mode to use (see Restore Modes above).
3. Go to the appropriate section of the interface (note that some restore modes may be available in one of the interfaces only – see notes above).

4. Start defining a Restore job, changing the default point-in-time settings as necessary.

5. Select the resources you want to restore from the list of resources that were backed up and correspond to the restore more you have selected.

6. Specify the restore destination.

7. Define any additional job options.

8. Save the job.

9. Run the job.