RFE : Specify mount server to be used in powershell restore

[johannesk]

Hi,

I was excited about an article that Preben Berg wrote on his blog about doing SQL restores with PowerShell.

https://poulpreben.com/refresh-sql-data ... velopment/

However - in our setup it is not possible to use this method of restores since our repository servers are not on the same domain as the Veeam server or the SQL vm's.

It turned out that if you start a SQL restore from a VBR console on the Veeam server, the Veeam server is used as the mount server for the backup to be restored. Thus - I have no problem doing the wizard driven restore from the Veeam server.

But if I start the restore from the Veeam server with the command 'Start-VBRSQLDatabaseRestore' the mount is done on the repository server. And since that repository server is not on the same domain as the VM to be restored to, the restore wont work.

In case I start the restore with VBR console on the Veeam server I get this message in the log:
Adding iSCSI target portal [10.0.0.2:3260" (The Veeam server)

If I start the restore with the PowerShell command I get this:
Adding iSCSI target portal [10.0.0.1:3260" (the repository server)

This is by design as per article here where it says that the repository server is the mount server by default. But if you start the restore from a VBR console, the machine running the console is used as the mount server.

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/backup/vsp ... erver.html

The enhancement I'm requesting is that it makes sense to be able to specify where the mount should happen when I start the restore with powershell. I would then be able to specify that the mount should happen on the Veeam server as would be the case if I started the restore from the VBR console on the Veeam server.

I logged a support case for this and the case number is: 01725939

regards,
Johannes

[nefes]

Why don't you specify the mount server for your repository, like it is described here?

[johannesk]

hi,

It does work to change the mount server for the particular repository server as described

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/backup/vsp ... erver.html

however: by doing this all I have done is change the default mount server. And in most cases it just fine to have as it was. It's when you start scripting restores that you need flexibility and not to be limited to the default mount server.

Thus I maintain that this would be a good feature to have.

[veremin]

The mount server option is configurable via PowerShell. Feel free to leverage Set-VBRBackupRepository commandlet to mount server and revert the value back, once the restore is done. Thanks.

[johannesk]

to use the command 'Set-VBRBackupRepository' would probably work. But this method would be changing the design of the Veeam system in every run of a script. In my opinion that is not a good way to go. Since it's easy enough to change the mount server for each restore session (since ' The mount server role is also assigned to a machine on which the Veeam Backup & Replication console is installed' as it says in the article), I think it would be fair to be able to change the mount server for the particular restore session you start with the powershell script without changing the design of the whole system.

[veremin]

Mount server is a repository setting. That cannot be changed during restore procedure.

So, you have to either decide in advance what particular server should be used as a mount server (GUI) or use the proposed workaround to change it on the fly before restoring data (PowerShell).

Thanks.

[johannesk]

To me it seems that the GUI has advantages over powershell when it comes to do restore. When you start the restore with the GUI on the Veeam server, the veeam server is used as the mount server without changing the repository setting. In effect, you could have another restore going on using the repository server as the mount server. But in the proposed solution using the 'Set-VBRBackupRepository' included in the script you are changing the design.

[johannesk]

I found another recent RFE here on the forums that is about flexibility where the mount is done.

veeam-backup-replication-f2/vbr-console ... 32565.html

Today Veeam customers are using the product in enterprise environments, where there is a requirement to be constantly restoring and between sites. That leads to more flexibility and scripting.

I really hope this topic gets into a meeting with product managers - it definitely has value for customers.

[johannesk]

Mount server is a repository setting. That cannot be changed during restore procedure.

So, you have to either decide in advance what particular server should be used as a mount server (GUI) or use the proposed workaround to change it on the fly before restoring data (PowerShell).

Thanks.

Since the VBR Console can already bypass the configured mount setting on the repository, I would think that it would be possible to control it with a powershell command without altering the design setting on the repository.

Is this getting any attention with the product managers?