How do you restore Azure agent backup into VMware

[kevin.boddy]

Hi,

I have a new test Azure VM running Window 2022 being backed up using the Veeam Agent for Windows Server to my on-premise backup repository.
How do I restore this VM into our VMware environment?

I have tried an Instant Recovery but the server just blue screens when trying to boot.
Maybe I'm not backing it up the correct way or maybe there is another way I am supposed to be restoring it?

#06108797

Thanks
Kevin

[Mildur]

Hi Kevin

We cannot give any recommendation in the forum without knowing the exact reason for the Bluescreen. I suggest you extract the minidump file from the machine and analyze it which component has let to the bluescreen. Also please keep working with our support team, especially since the case was opened just yesterday. If necessary, our support will escalate the case to our RnD team.

Best,
Fabian

[kevin.boddy]

Hi,

I not really asking why the VM is bluescreening more for guidance on how to go about restoring a Azure VM into VMware?
Has anyone been able to get this to work?

My understanding was you could basically restore any agent based backup into any Veeam supported platform.
Is my understanding incorrect?

Thanks
Kevin

[Mildur]

Your understanding is correct.
We don't expect issues and it's fully supported. Just make sure that you have protected all disks (at least all system disks and disks with services/applications installed). I would go with Entire Computer.
Before we had Veeam Backup for Azure, that was the only way for our customers todo a restore to VMware.

Linux Agents may have issues, because they have always some special configuration which works on one Hypervisor but not on another one.

Best,
Fabian

[kevin.boddy]

Hi,

Ok thank you.

I see the Windows Server 2022 version is listed as Windows Server 2022 for Azure. I wonder if that edition is different and specifically customized to only run in Azure.
Has anyone had any experience with this Windows edition?

Thanks
Kevin

[Mildur]

Thanks Kevin.
While we wait for others to answer, I have asked our internal teams if we support "Windows Server 2022 for Azure".
If Microsoft has changed internal components compared to a supported "Windows Server 2022" by Veeam, then it may possible that the restore may fail.
We will update this topic with the support statement.

Best,
Fabian

[kevin.boddy]

Hi,

Further testing shows that doing a bare metal recovery of the Azure Windows server works fine.
Instant recovery using the same backup data and target VMware hypervisor does not.

Not sure where the difference lies but I assume the VBR server is creating a different VM configuration than what I am doing when performing a bare metal recovery, although I am just using the VMware 7 defaults.

Thanks
Kevin

[Regnor]

Which kind of bluescreen/error do you get?

[Mildur]

Hi Kevin

I apologize for the late answer. I was out of office.
Let me find out if there is a difference in how we restore an agent backup.

Best,
Fabian

[kevin.boddy]

Hi,

After a lot of testing this issue seems to only occur when doing an instant recovery to VMware.
If I manually create a VM and attached the existing hard disks from the instant recovery VM then it boots fine without blue screening.
If I perform an instant recovery to Hyper-V then it boots fine.

The blue screen is a stop error code with no mini-dump or stop error code. It is also very random.
On my newer ESXi hosts it blue screens twice and then boots in Windows. On my older ESXi hosts it keeps on boot looping with a blue screen forever.

What I have pin-pointed it to is this setting in the VM configuration.

hpet0.present = "TRUE"

If I add this to the instant recovery VMs configuration then it boots first time without a problem.
If I then remove this settings from the VM I manually created, it starts blue screening the same way the instant recovery VM was, add this setting back and it boots fine.

So the next question is how do I get instant recovery to add this settings into the VM configuration?

Thanks
Kevin

[Mildur]

Hi Kevin

Still need to check it with my colleagues.

You can add the configuration option to the VM configuration before power on the VM.
In the Instant Recovery wizard on the last step, tell Veeam to "not power on the VM".
Then after the VM is ready, go to the vCenter and add the necessary configuration.
After you have done the necessary changes, power on the VM.

Best,
Fabian

[Mildur]

Our QA team will look into this issue after the release of our next Cumulative Patch.
I'll update this topic again when we have more information.

Best,
Fabian

[Mildur]

Hello Kevin

Our QA team finished their investigation and found the cause of the issue.
If the protected windows machine had originally more than 1 processor, then instant recovery will have problems.
The issue is related to the hpnet parameter you have mentioned.

It only affects instant recovery session to ESXi version 7.x or higher.
ESXi version 6.7 + 8.0 are not affected.

Your workaround with the parameter <"hpet0.present = "TRUE"> is valid and required to boot the machine.
We will fix this issue in V12a.

Thank you for reporting the issue,
Fabian