Instant File Recovery from Azure VM backups

Hi Friends Backup Vmware VMs was to be the next post but with some issue with Infra till i fix it will do the Instant File Recovery from Azure VM backups. THis feature was GA on 20th July 2017

refer: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/instant-file-recovery-from-azure-vm-backups-is-now-generally-available/

This Feature enables you to Instant recovery of files and folders from Azure VM backups by

Backup. In this post we will see how to Configure and Backup Azure Windows VM backups and Linux VM backups.

OK lets get started.

I have the vault created already link in the old posts in southasia region and i have two VMs One running Windows server and One Linux. we will 1st see the windows File recovery.

Before your start do a proper planning refer the below link that will help you

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/backup-azure-vms-introduction

Letz stat protacting the VMs running on Azure

Navigate to the Reovery Vault and on the Overview Page Select backup.

On the Backup goal select Azure on the drop down in where your workload is running and hit OK

Then the Backup Policy Create New One and give a name i am gonna go with the default. but you can modifiy thebackup frequency and Retentions as per your requirment here.

And as a last step select the VMs you want to back up .

And Click Enable Backup and this will start the Backup.

Navigate to Protected Iteams in the vault and select backup iteams.

OK now that we have backup the server we will see how to restore a folder .

I have Deleted the Glabstuff folder.

To start the restore Go the recovery vault click backup iteams and select Azure VMs

On the Backup iteam Page click on File Recovery.

Next will be promoted to select the Recovery point and Click Download Executable.

When the Download in Completed Run the Exe, this will bring up the PowerShell window and prompted for a password copy or type the characters in the Password to run Executable.

This will mount a drive as shown on the above image F drive. We will restore the File and folder.

My C drive without the Glab folder. now i am goanna restore it.

On the Mounted drive select the folder you want to restore copy and past on the original Location .

After restore I can see all my stuff .

After restoring click Unmount Disk.

Back up and Restore bare metal

letz talk a bit about whatz provided in bare-metal recovery (BMR) protection.

System state backup includes:

Domain member: Boot files, COM+ class registration database, registry
Domain controller: Windows Server Active Directory (NTDS), boot files, COM+ class registration database, registry, system volume (SYSVOL)
Computer that runs cluster services: Cluster server metadata
Computer that runs certificate services: Certificate data

Bare-metal backup includes: Backs up operating system files and all data on critical volumes (except user data). By definition, a BMR backup includes a system state backup. It provides protection when a computer won't start and you have to recover everything.

Prerequisites and limitations

Windows Server 2003 or for computers that run a client operating system.are not supported in BMR

You can't protect BMR and system state for the same computer in different protection groups.

A Backup Server computer can't protect itself for BMR.

Short-term protection to tape (disk-to-tape, or D2T) isn't supported for BMR.

Long-term storage to tape (disk-to-disk-to-tape, or D2D2T) is supported.

Windows Server Backup must be installed on the protected computer.

BMR protection, unlike for system state protection, Backup Server doesn't have any space requirements on the protected computer. Windows Server Backup directly transfers backups to the Backup Server computer. The backup transfer job doesn't appear in the Backup Server Jobs view.

for more about prerequisites and Lilitation refer this link: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/backup-mabs-system-state-and-bmr#prerequisites-and-limitations

Three things to check before begining

Backup server we have already done it

Adding Storage is also done

Installing the Protection agent - we have not insatall agent letz do it now

Installing the Protection agent

Open Backupserver navigate to Managment select Protection servers and click add

Select Windows server As we are gonning to test BMR a Windows Server and hit next.

Select Install agent if your have agaent already install server you a attach them aswell hit next .

Here all you windows server will be listed is not key in the FQDN of you server and scearch and hit add and next. for the demo i am adding my ADC.

Give Agent push account that has Admin rights to install the Agent i am using the root admin account since its a demo.

Select the restart method hit next

Check the Summary and start the Installtion.

Now that i have install agents to Both my AD and IIS Server lets protect them.

For more detail about Protection Groups refer : https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/system-center/dpm/create-dpm-protection-groups

To start creating the Protection group navigate Protection select Actions and Create Protection Group.

Welcome screen will be promted click next

Select Server On the Group type.

On the Select Group Members page, expand the computer, and then select either BMR or system state.

keep in mind you can't protect both BMR and system state for the same system in different groups. Also, when you select BMR, system state is enabled automatically

On Data Protection Method, select how short-term and long-term backup is going to be handled. Short-term backup is always to disk first, with the option of backing up from the disk to the Azure cloud by using Azure Backup (short-term or long-term). An alternative to long-term backup to the cloud is to set up long-term backup to a standalone tape device or tape library that's connected to the Server.

since this is a test setup i will have just two retenion day 1 express full 5days a week at 10.00AM.

Review the storage pool disk space that's allocated for the protection group.

we can select how we want to handle the initial full data replication.we can choose to replicate over the network, or manually it is recommend to do it in an off-peak time. my setup ill do a now.

Here we select how you want to automate consistency checks. You can choose to run a check only when replica data becomes inconsistent, or on a schedule. If you don't want to configure automatic consistency checking, you can run a manual check at any time.

To run a manual check, in the Protection area of the Backup Server Administrator Console, right-click the protection group, and then select Perform Consistency Check.

Since we have selected to back up to the cloud, on the page, make sure you select the workloads you want to back up to Azure.

On the backup schedule to cloud i have selected week and gonne with the default. ill not use this for this demo

On this page, select how the recovery points are created from the daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly backups are retained in Azure. i going with default on this.

Select how the initial full replication of data occurs to Cloud. and You can replicate over the network or do an offline backup (offline seeding). Offline backup using the Azure Import feature.

Then the summary page review the Summary and clcik creat group.

Now we have Created the protection Group successfuly hit close

Restoring

Now we will see how BMR is gonna happen

I am gonne Spin up a Vm form my Hyper-v Infra.

Navigate to the Recovery and select the server your want and click on BMR

Select the recovery Point on the calander View and click Recover

This will start a new Recovery Wizared click next

Select Copy to a network folder and Click Next

Specify a location to copy the DB file.

On the Recovery Options page, we can select the security settings SAN-based hardware snapshots,throttling and Notification. click Next

In the Summary page Review the setting and Start the Recovery .

Now we have Recoverd the Successesfull.

Navigate to restore location, go to the folder that has the backup. Share the folder that is one level above WindowsImageBackup so that the root of the shared folder is the WindowsImageBackup folder.