Use the procedure described here to recover a failed virtual machine from a local or replicated backup. Before performing the recovery, it is recommended that you read Steps for implementing Hyper-V instant recovery.
If you have recently upgraded the Hyper-V Server to Unitrends agent version 8.0, reload your VM list before performing instant recovery. To reload your VM list, select the Hyper-V server > Backup and click the reload icon in the lower right corner of the VMs to Protect list.
Instant recovery is supported for clustered and non-clustered virtual machines. For details, see Prerequisites and considerations for Hyper-V instant recovery.
1 Log in to the Unitrends appliance storing the backup that you will use for instant recovery. If you want to use a replicated backup for the recovery process, you must first enable replication view. For details, see Viewing replicated backups.
2 In the Navigation pane, select the original virtual machine.
Note: To display virtual machines, select the gear icon at the bottom of the Navigation pane and select the option to display virtual machines in the Navigation tree.
3 Select the Restore button from the Main menu.
4 Select the highlighted day in the calendar and then select a recovery point. The recovery point can be associated with a full or incremental backup.
5 Click the Next (Select Options) button at the bottom of the screen.
6 Select Instant Recovery from the Restore Type list.
7 Select a Hyper-V server from the Available Hyper-V Servers window. You can select the original Hyper-V server, an alternate Hyper-V server, or a cluster. Select a cluster to create a clustered VM. If you select a cluster node, the virtual machine created for the instant recovery is not clustered.
Note: The Hyper-V servers that display here may change based on the virtual machine selected for instant recovery. Only servers supported for the selected VM display in the list. For details, see Prerequisites and considerations for Hyper-V instant recovery.
8 Select a volume with sufficient space for the recovery. The virtual machine and all the virtual hard drives will be recovered to the selected volume.
9 Enter a name for the restored virtual machine in the Virtual Machine Name field or accept the default name. Every restore creates a new virtual machine. If the original virtual machine still resides on the Hyper-V host you select for the restore, it is not overwritten.
10 Select the switch from the Network Switch drop-down list for a connection to the new virtual machine. This drop-down list contains all network switches on the Hyper-V server. For a clustered VM, you must select the network switch common to all nodes in the cluster.
11 In the IP Address drop-down list, select the network adapter and associated IP address that you wish to use for instant recovery.
12 Click Restore to initiate the process.
13 A new virtual machine is created on the Hyper-V server you selected in Step 7.
14 To view the status of restore jobs, select Settings > Instant Recovery > Hyper-V.
Once the Job Detail field indicates Move Disks, the virtual machine is operational. You can use the new virtual machine while data is being migrated. To avoid data loss and the need to restart the instant recovery process, do not reboot or power down the Unitrends appliance. For more information about the instant recovery process, see How Hyper-V instant recovery works.
Once the Job Detail field indicates VM is available for use, the data migration to the volume is complete.
Note about Windows server VMs: In rare instances, after a restore is performed for a Windows server VM, a disk may be inaccessible because it has been placed in an offline state. To bring your disks into an online state, login to the VM, go to Disk Management, right-click on the offline disk, and select Online from the drop-down menu.
Note about Debian VMs: In some instances, Gnome might not start after a Debian VM is recovered. You can resolve this issue by rebooting the VM or restarting Gnome from the console. To access the console, enter Clt+Alt+F1 and log in as root. Then run startx.
15 To complete the recovery process, do the following:
• Tear down the recovery image. For instructions, see To tear down the instant recovery image.
• Add the new virtual machine to a backup schedule as described in To view or modify a Hyper-V backup schedule.
• If you are using replication, you will need to configure the new virtual machine for replication. For instructions, see To replicate application backups.