Backup Basics

UT-VMG Backup Schedule

UT-VMG backup runs every 8 hours or three times a day, and retains up to 30 days of change points. The increments are injected into the full backup file, so that the latest backup file is always a full backup of the most recent state.

Retention Policy

UT-VMG backup runs every 8 hours or three times a day, and retains up to 30 days of change points. If a VM is deleted or destroyed in UT-VMG, backups of that VM will be retained and available for 2 weeks after the deletion.

Opting out of UT-VMG Backups

To opt out of UT-VMG backups, choose "No" from the VM Backups when submitting the VM request. If you want to change whether a VM is backed up or not, submit a request to utvmg-support@austin.utexas.edu with the name of the VM and your backup preference.

Please note that if you opt out of UT-VMG backup, if something happens and your VM is corrupted, damaged, or somehow placed in a nonfunctional state, UT-VMG administrators will not be able to recover your VM.

Prerequisites

To use the UT-VMG backup procedure, you need the following:

• The ability to log into the UT-VMG portal
• A web browser with the ability to access "Campus-routed" network addresses. To do so from off campus, you need to connect using VPN so you can reach the campus-routed website.

Logging In

To log in, open your preferred browser and navigate to https://vmbackup.austin.utexas.edu. Your login is the same as the one you use to log into the UT-VMG portal.

Restoration Methods

Performing a Full Virtual Machine Restore

The following procedure will overwrite the existing copy of a VM with the backup you choose. If you need a backup copy restored to a new VM to preserve the original, make a request to utvmg-support@austin.utexas.edu and the UT-VMG team will assist you.

1. After a successful login you will see a list of Virtual Machines that you have permission to Restore. Select the correct Virtual Machine from the list.
   
2. In the top bar, select the Restore menu.
   
3. Navigate to the restore point you wish to go back to and select Restore.
   
4. There are two additional options to choose:
   
   • Powered on after restore
   • Quick rollback (restore Changed blocks only): Veeam Backup & Replication quick rollback is an incremental data restore. Instead of restoring an entire VM or VM disk from a backup file, Veeam Backup & Replication will recover only those data blocks that are necessary to revert the VM or VM disk to an earlier point in time.

Restoring a Virtual Disk(s) Only

The following method allows you restore a single or multiple virtual disks back to a VM, either by overwriting (replacing the original disk with the one you are restoring) or by keeping (adding the restored disk back to the VM in addition to the existing disk(s)).

DO NOT change the Datastore or Restored Disk Type. Leave them at the auto-filled/defaults in the restore wizard.

1. After selecting the VM you want to restore a disk(s) on, click on the Virtual Disk option at the top right.

2. Select the restore point from the available backup dates.

3. If you are going to overwrite a disk, skip this screen by clicking Next.

4. If you want to add the restored disk to the VM, select the disk you want to restore and highlight it.

5. After highlighting the disk, select a new SCSI Device Node that you want the restored disk attached to. (Note: You must choose an unused SCSI Device Node, otherwise the existing virtual disk on an already-used SCSI Device Node will be overwritten.)

6. Once you have selected a new SCSI Device Node, the "Disk restore result" will change from "overwritten" to "added".

7. DO NOT check the box on this page. This feature is currently not enabled, and the job will fail. Click Next to skip.
   

8. Review your choices in the summary page.

Viewing Restore Progress

To check the progress of a Restore, select the History link. You can then follow the Restore process.

Once the Restore is complete, you can log into the UT-VMG interface or vCenter to perform any tasks on the newly restored VM.