Starting a local virtualization on a Datto appliance
Topic
This article explains how to start a local virtualization and backups of a recovery point on a SIRIS device through the Datto appliance GUI during a disaster recovery scenario.
For Cloud hosted virtualizations on ALTO or SIRIS, see Performing Cloud and Hybrid virtualizations.
NOTE Datto appliances are designed for short-term business continuity use during disaster recovery. They are not intended as a long-term hypervisor or data store solution. Minimizing downtime on the production machine will help to ensure that recovery is successful.
Environment
- Datto SIRIS
Description
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To perform a local Virtualization, connect to the Datto Device's UI.
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Select Restore from the main menu.
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Under Choose a System select the protected machine needed to be restored
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Under Choose A Recovery Type, select Local Virtualization
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Under Choose A Recovery Point, select the date to restore.
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After all settings are selected, click START RESTORE
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The local virtualization options page will open and display the following options:
- CPU Cores
- System RAM [MB]
- Controller
- Network Options
- Create Rescue Agent
For detailed information on each of these options, see our Local virtualization options article.
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Once the settings are checked, select APPLY followed by START VM.
I the amount of memory allocated exceeds the amount that is available, a warning message will be displayed. If this occurs, you will need to adjust the requested RAM to a lower amount.
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With the Rescue Agent option enabled, it will be prompt to choose whether to pause the backup schedule of your Source Agent. Once the selection has been made, click CONFIRM.
The Local Virtualization will mount an begin booting and be visible in the Screenshot window.
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On the Local Virtualization page, it can be connected to via the following methods:
- By clicking the Open in browser link to start a browser-based VNC session (recommended).
- By using any VNC viewer capable of reaching the VNC address displayed. When connecting to a virtualization via VNC, you will be prompted for the connection password shown in the VNC Password Password field.
Datto is not responsible for configuring a virtual machine's network adapter settings once the virtual machine is connected to a network during a Disaster Recovery scenario or test. Further assistance with network configurations is available from Microsoft and Ubuntu(external links).
If a rescue agent is created, it will be manageable on the Protect tab of the Datto appliance GUI, like a normal agent pairing. It will be named 'Rescue' and the protected server's IP address or FQDN. See the Rescue Agent article for additional information.
Removing the restore
When you no longer need the Local Virtualization, remove it from the Restore tab by clicking Stop and Unmount. This will completely remove the restore from the machine and any changes made to it.
IMPORTANT The stop button does a hard shutdown of the rescue agent, which is the equivalent of unplugging the power cord on a physical machine. It is not recommended for powering down a machine that needs to be used. If the virtualization is in use in the production environment, best practice would be to log into the virtual machine from its VNC session and do a soft shutdown (Start Menu > Shut Down).
