Performing and troubleshooting an ESXi Upload

Topic

This article explains how to upload a restore point to a connected ESXi host with VMware.

Environment

  • Datto SIRIS

Description

  • Use this option if you want to use the ESXi host for computing power and as a datastore.
  • Depending on the size of the datastore, this may take a while to transfer.
  • Once it transfers, there is no disk I/O burden on the SIRIS or need for adequate bandwidth between the SIRIS and the ESXi host.
  • The datastore is thick provisioned on the ESXi host, which increases the speed of the virtualization.
  • This option is available for Windows and Linux protected machines.
  • ESX upload for ReFS is currently unsupported. Any ReFS volumes in the selected snapshot will be excluded from the restore. To perform a restore of an ReFS volume, use the Volume Restore feature.

NOTE  SIRIS devices offer several different methods for restoring backups to a hypervisor. Datto recommends considering all options to find the best fit for your unique environment and the circumstances surrounding the restore.

Prerequisites

  • Before proceeding, make sure you've configured a hypervisor connection.
  • If you're configuring a standalone hypervisor connection, you will be prompted in the Hypervisor Connection Wizard to select an offload method (NFS or iSCSI), as well as which of your SIRIS's network interfaces you'd like to use. Please note your selections, as these settings directly apply to ESX Upload functionality.

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If you're configuring a Cluster Hypervisor Connection, you will be prompted in the Connection Setup Wizard to select a cluster, ESX host, and offload method. You'll also need to specify which SIRIS network interfaces to use. Please note your selections, as these settings directly apply to ESX Upload functionality. For example, if you set up the hypervisor connection for a vCenter cluster, the ESX upload will be sent to the ESX host chosen during the initial hypervisor connection configuration.

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Procedure

  1. To start the ESXi Upload, connect to the Datto Device's UI.

  2. Select Restore from the main menu.

  3. Choose which agent to restore.

  4. Select ESX Upload as the recovery type.

  5. Pick which recovery point to restore, then click Start ESX upload.

  6. From the Datastore drop-down menu, select the datastore you defined when you set up the hypervisor connection, then enter the upload's destination directory. You can give the upload directory a custom name.
    If you navigate from the ESX Upload page in the Web GUI while the upload is taking place, you can go to the restore tab and click Manage Restore to return to the progress view.

  7. When the upload finishes, the restore will be removed automatically. In the hypervisor, you can now either attach the .VMDK(s) to an existing virtual machine template, or generate a new VM template and attach the new .VMDK(s)

    • VMware 6.7 defaults to EFI boot. To properly boot this version, select BIOS from the "Boot Order" drop-down menu.
    • You may need to manually recreate the disk descriptor file to edit your restored disks. See this VMware article for more information.

  8. Start the VM. Your recovery is complete.

    IMPORTANT  EFI system partitions are not included in the backup, but are recreated during the restore process. If this partition is non-standard, as in the case with the patches release by Microsoft of systems effected by the vulnerability CVE-2023-24932, the partition would be created standardly. In cases like these, please reach out to Microsoft on re-applying the patch if desired.

Additional Resources