Introduction
On previous topic of “How to Plan 3-2-1 Backup Scheme”, the last part of “3-2-1 Backup Scheme” is to have 1 data on off-site backup (pictured below).
Introduction
On previous topic of “How to Plan 3-2-1 Backup Scheme”, the last part of “3-2-1 Backup Scheme” is to have 1 data on off-site backup (pictured below).
On this topic, I want describe the disaster-scenario where restore is needed, and all we have left is only External Media (Backup-Disk) stored safely in the Remote-Site.
Assumptions or parameters made on this DR (Disaster Recovery) topic are:
1. Server (or Virtual Server) Hypervisor is based on VMware ESXi.
2. VMware ESXi is managed via VMware vCenter.
3. Backup on Primary Site is done by Veeam Backup and Replication.
Purpose of this writing:
1. Overall I would like to describe DR that performed on-premise and off-premise.
2. On-premise DR is described in “not-too-detailed” process in below writing (Option-1 Restore to DR Site), to serve the reader on overview on how those are being done – in general. I believe the documentation that coming from VMware and Veeam itself already have a step-by-step detail to serve as a guideline (I refer to it by link it to their document on the relevant step below).
3. As for Off-premise DR will be discussed in the next blog.
Option-1 Restore to DR Site
Parameters for this option
1. There is physical server available for restore at Remote-Site, that will host ESXi and holds all VM(s) as target restore (call it DRC-Host)
2. Server on Remote-Site should having enough computing capacities (i.e. CPU, memory, disk space) to perform restore for all VM(s) protected by previous backup.
3. Backup VM-Server (which contains Veeam) is having its backup on Backup-Disk, which during DR will be restored first into DRC-Host.
4. There is a machine (on Data-Restore-Site) that can be used to:
a. Read Backup-Disk, recognize Veeam backup format in order to restore Backup VM-Server. Minimal it should have “Veeam Extract Utility”
b. Connect to DRC-Host (which installed with VMware ESXi) using VMware vSphere Client.
Preparation
1. Retrieve Backup-Disk to Data-Restore Site.
2. VM-Host Preparation
· Install VM-Host with VMware ESXi .
· Attach Backup-Disk to Standby Machine.
3. Restore any Backup VM from Backup-Disk into ESXi-Host.
· Veeam Extract Utility will always restore from FULL backup file (VBK), it cannot restore from incremental backup file (VIB).
· It can be copied from you VM Backup Server – located in >> “%PROGRAMFILES%\Veeam\Backup and Replication\Backup”, for my own DR practice, I always have a copy of that folder in “Backup-Disk”.
· For detail of using that utility, please refer to this link.
4. Restored Backup-VM is running on ESXi-Host
5. This preparation steps normally done in the DR exercise, so in the next DR (or in actual disaster) VM-Host and Backup-VM is already running in the Data-Restore Site.
If VM-Host already had ESXi with Backup-VM (with vCenter and Veeam inside), then skip step 1 to 4, and go straight to “Restore Steps” below.