Restoring Files From an Acronis VMware Backup

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There are many advantages to our Managed Private Cloud powered by VMware setups, and one of them is the Acronis backup service. If you don’t have Acronis Cyber Backups, they are currently available for both our managed and unmanaged Dedicated Servers, Cloud Servers, and VMware deployments. We will review how to complete file restorations when using the Acronis appliance on a VMware deployment in this how to.

Acronis VMware Backups

Liquid Web partnered with Acronis to provide you the highest performing VMware backups on the market. Your data is the most valuable asset to protect, making backups an essential part of our VMware managed clouds. On VMware Private Clouds, we utilize an appliance that runs Acronis to backup all the virtual machines on your private cloud. The Acronis appliance is very efficient at taking full virtual machine backups while utilizing the Acronis fast incremental backup system. 

By default, the Acronis appliance backs up all virtual machines on your VMware private cloud once per day, but additional Acronis backups can be created. We can do entire virtual machine (VM) restores from the backup files but can't directly restore individual files easily. To provide file-level restoration on VMware products, we will be utilizing the Acronis agent that runs on individual servers. The Acronis Agent is a program that runs on individual servers and allows for file-level restorations. Below you will find the steps to perform file/folder level restorations for VMware Acronis backups. 

Begin the Restore Process

Log into the Acronis UI with the credentials we provided you. If you don't have a login for your VMware Acronis account, please open a support ticket with our team to get one created.

From the below screenshot, we can see our devices in different menus. On VMware deployments, we use a VMware appliance that takes backups of all the VMs in your cluster. VMware Acronis accounts are created for each server. If you click VMware in the left menu, you will see all the VMs that are being backed up.

By default, we do not install the Acronis agent on every VMware virtual machine, but the agent can be installed as needed by opening a support request with our VMware experts. Once installed, VM Acronis agents are under the Machines with agents navigation link on the left. An agent will have to be installed to restore individual files to your VMs, so we will assume the installation already occurred.

Click Devices on the left navigation menu.

1-all-devices

To restore files, click on VMware under Devices, which will pull up all the appliance backups per virtual machine. Click on the server name where the restored files should go. In this example, the VM is rredlawsk.testvm.4acronisstuff.com.

2-devices-vmware

Click Recovery in the new right-hand menu. This will take a moment to load but will show all your available restoration points.

3-recovery

Click Recover > Files/folders in the new menu on the right.

Select centos-root: in the file navigator, which is where the operating system directory is located. The location may be different depending on your operating system.

5-centos-root

After selecting the operating system directory, you will be in the Acronis VMware backup's root directory. You can select multiple recovery files or folders to restore at one time.

Locate the particular file or folder you want to restore to your server. Upon selection, you will see a new menu at the far right with Recover and Download options.

I selected to restore test101. After you select your file, click Recover.

6-testdata

Select the Agent

Select where to recover your backups in the RECOVER TO box and click the link labeled 310407appliance. Be aware that every VMware setup will have a different name link at this location.

7-recover-to-appliance

Here you will select the virtual machine name you want to restore to. It is possible to send a backup to another VM deployed in the same VMware virtual cloud, but in general, this is not what you want to do. In this example, I select rredlawsk.testvm.4acronisstuff.com (your option will be different but should be the name of the VM you are restoring to). After making the Acronis VM agent selection, press OK.

8-select-machine

Select the Restore Location

Now we need to select where to restore the file. Since the VM agent didn't create the backup, you always have to choose its restore location.

Note:
I recommend putting the backup in a new location (rather than directly overwriting what is already on disk) and then moving it into place once it is on the server. The /home/temp directory is a good location, but you can select any location you like.

To select a restore location, click Browse under Custom Location.

9-path-browse

This will bring up a file system navigator, allowing you to choose where to restore the file. In our example, I will restore to /home/temp. After selecting the restore location, click DONE.

10-specify-folder

Restore the Backup

You will be brought back to the previous menu with the START RECOVERY button no longer grayed out. Click on that.

11-recover-to-custom-location

Uncheck the Automatically restart machine, if required check box. A server has never been automatically restarted during testing, but it is better to be safe. Then select the radio button that best suits your situation for the restoration. Once you’re ready, click PROCEED to begin the file recovery process.

12-recover-files

After a few moments, Acronis will get to the below screen showing the backup is starting. You do not need to keep the browser open while the restoration is running.

13-activity-details

Once the restoration completes, you will get a green check in the progress circle, and your file will be restored to the chosen location on your VMware private cloud.

14-activity-details-complete

Conclusion

You can now restore files and folders to VMware VMs when the Acronis backup appliance is in use. Liquid Web's Private Cloud powered by VMware is a powerful tool for enterprises, and Acronis backups are an important part of this total VMware managed solution. Speak with one of our Helpful Humans about whether Acronis backups are right for you!

Avatar for Dayne Larsen

About the Author: Dayne Larsen

Dayne was born into IT and remembers taking notes as a kid on old mainframe punch cards his mom brought home. With a degree in Technology Education from Montana State University, he enjoys being a helpful human to clients and loves to empower people to tackle challenges. He has worn many hats in his day, from a stay-at-home Dad, to a freelance web designer, LEGO company Merchandiser and even an antique store owner. In his free time you will find him fly fishing, snowboarding, working on his 66' Mustang, home improving, or enjoying his family.

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