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Topics | How To | Related Topics
How to Setup and Run a Recovery Operation
Recover a File from Windows Explorer
Recovering Multiple Files from Stubs
Recovering Files with Alternate Data Streams
Recovery Considerations for these Agents
Registry Keys for Recovery Operations
The File Archiver Agents support the following types of recoveries:
Recoveries can be performed in-place or out-of-place, and in certain scenarios cross-application recoveries and recoveries to a network drive or NFS-mounted file systems are also supported. (See, Recovery Destinations for comprehensive information.)
Recoveries using file paths for the File Archiver Agents can be performed from the archive set level in the CommCell Browser. Depending on the agent, browse and recovery operations for these agents can be performed from the client, agent, and subclient levels in the CommCell Browser.
When there is a problem with the file system, and/or operating system of the client computer full system restores may be required. The File Archiver Agents rely upon the corresponding File System iDataAgent to perform a full system restore of client data. See Disaster Recovery for more information.
The following section provides the steps to set up and run a Recovery Operation:
There are several common methods for recovering an archived file. Users can provide a path to the archived files to be recovered from the CommCell Console, browse and recover archived files from the CommCell Console or, if the subclient is configured to create stubs, perform a recall operation from a Windows workstation. A recall is any action that causes an open and read to be executed for the archived file, which automatically initiates a recovery operation. For example, clicking on the stub file from Windows Explorer.
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For step-by-step instructions, see Recover a File from Windows Explorer.
There are several common methods for recovering an archived file. Users can provide a path to the archived files to be recovered from the CommCell Console, browse and recover archived files from the CommCell Console or, if the subclient is configured to create stubs, perform a recall operation from a Windows workstation. A recall is any action that causes an open and read to be executed for the archived file, which automatically initiates a recovery operation. For example, clicking on the stub file from Windows Explorer.
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For step-by-step instructions, see Recover Multiple Files from Windows Explorer.
File Archiver instances archive both the main stream and the alternate data streams. A stub recall triggers the following for the various instances:
Local File System
Network File Share
Celerra
FPolicy
When a file is archived with the create stub option enabled, offline attributes are set and the icon for the file will change to a special stub icon in Windows Explorer so that you can easily distinguish archived files. Some examples of commonly used stub icons are below:
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Adobe Acrobat Document |
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JPG File |
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Microsoft Excel Worksheet |
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Microsoft Project Document |
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Microsoft Word Document |
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MP3 File |
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Text File |
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Text File (Windows 2008 or Windows Vista) (The displayed item is a product of Microsoft and beyond the control of this agent.) |
| no image | Due to limitations inherent in certain file types, including but not limited to *.html and *.ttf files, no icons will be displayed in Windows Explorer for those files after archiving. This is normal for some files, and the stubs can still be recovered by clicking on the filename from Windows Explorer. |
After a stub has been recovered, the icon will change back to the normal icon for the respective file type. Keep in mind that the File Archiver for Unix Agent does not support stub icons.
This tool is available on the computers where File Archiver for Windows Agent is responsible for periodically retrieving unused or infrequently used Windows File System and NAS File Server data from a secondary storage.
The tool allows the user with administrative privileges to disable recalls with custom popup messages, which are displayed at the time of the recall.
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File Archiver Notification |
See How to Set File Archiver Notification for step-by-step instructions.
Once the popup message is set; it is sent at the time of the recall to the active session user. In case the file was recalled from a remote computer, the popup message is sent through either the Net Send or MSG command.
The number of stub recovery requests that can be run on an agent can be limited within a specified timeframe. Limits can be established that not only optimize performance but can also prevent the inadvertent recovery of a large number of files. Setting the recall throttling parameters involves configuring the maximum number of recalls, interval, and cool-down period for the agent. These parameters are entered on the Agent Properties dialog box.
See Set Stub Recovery Parameters for step-by-step instructions.
Examples are provided below to illustrate how this feature functions.
For the examples below, we will assume that the recovery administrator has established the following recall throttling parameters:
- Maximum Stub Recovery (i.e., limit) is set to 10
- Time Between Recall to Count as Successive in Seconds (i.e., interval) is set to 30 seconds
- Time to Wait after Maximum Successive Recalls Limit is Reached in Seconds
(i.e., cool-down) is set to 60 seconds
Action: A user submits 4 stub recovery requests at the same time on a given client, and no other stub recovery requests are submitted on that client during the 30 second interval that follows.
Result: As each stub recovery request is received, it will begin processing immediately and the 30 second interval countdown will begin where the system will wait to see if any more stub recovery requests are submitted. There is no cool-down period since the limit was not reached, and all 4 files will be recovered.
Action: A user submits 20 stub recovery requests at the same time on a given client, and no other stub recovery requests are submitted on that client during the 30 second interval that follows.
Result: The first 9 stub recoveries will begin immediately, the 30 second waiting interval does not apply here since the limit has been reached, and the 60 second cool-down period begins where no other stub recovery requests will be accepted. Note that 11 stub recovery requests (out of 20) that were over the limit will not be processed, and an event will be issued in the CommCell Console's Event Viewer and the Windows Event Viewer indicating that the limit has been reached. The first 9 files will be recovered, and depending on the agent the user will see one of the following results for the 11 stub recovery requests that were over the limit:
File Archiver for Windows: Assuming they were text files, 11 blank Notepad sessions appear on the desktop.
Action: A user submits 4 stub recovery requests at the same time on a given client, and 4 other stub recovery requests are submitted on that client by another user during the 30 second interval that follows.
Result: As each stub recovery request is received from the user, it will begin processing immediately and the 30 second interval countdown will begin where the system will wait to see if any more stub recovery requests are submitted. After 20 seconds have elapsed, the 4 additional stub recovery requests are received so the 30 second interval countdown will begin again (i.e., the count is initialized to zero) to allow one more request to be submitted. Since the limit has not been reached, the cool-down period does not apply, and all 8 files will be recovered on a first-in first-out basis.
Action: A user submits 4 stub recovery requests at the same time on a given client, and 8 additional stub recovery requests are submitted on that client by another user 35 seconds later.
Result: As each stub recovery request is received from the user, it will begin processing immediately and the 30 second interval countdown will begin where the system will wait to see if any more stub recovery requests are submitted. After 35 seconds have elapsed, 8 additional stub recovery requests are received and the 30 second interval countdown will begin again (i.e., the count is initialized to zero) to allow one more request to be submitted. Since the limit was never reached during the first or second interval, the cool-down period does not apply, and all 12 files will be recovered on a first-in first-out basis.
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The Application Filtering feature provides a means for the recovery administrator to prevent specified applications from initiating recalls of archived files. Certain applications will perform an open and read on files as part of their normal functioning, such as virus scanning software, but when a stub is opened and read the system initiates a recall (i.e., stub recovery) that in such cases would be an unintended consequence of running the application.
To prevent this from happening, a registry key can be added on the client computer that contains the name of the executable that is denied recall rights when accessing files of that application type. Once the registry key has been set up, if a user attempts stub recovery for a archived file associated with the application type specified in the registry key, the recall will be denied and an event will be issued in the CommCell Console's Event Viewer and the Windows Event Viewer indicating that the recall was denied due to application filtering. See ExcludeProcess for more information on the use of this registry key.
By default, data is recovered to the client computer from which it originated; this is referred to as an in-place recovery. You can also recover the data to another Client computer in the CommCell. Keep in mind the following considerations when performing such recoveries:
The following sections enumerate the types of recovery destinations that are supported. See Recover Options - Recover Destinations - Support for a list of Agents supporting each restore/recovery destination type.
When performing a recall of archived data from a stub, keep in mind that the data can only be recovered in-place to the same path/destination on the same client from which the data was archived.
When performing an In-Place Recovery for Recovery-by-Job the user has to provide the login credentials for FPolicy and Network File Share Instance.
Consider the following when performing out-of-place recoveries:
When performing a cross-platform recovery of archived data from a newer version of an operating system to an older version, keep in mind that some file attributes/properties native to the newer version may not be recovered to the older version.
Consider the following when performing cross-platform recoveries:
Besides recovering data to a client computer’s local drive, you can also recover data to a UNC path. See Restore to Network Drive/NFS-Mounted File System for comprehensive information.)
If a stub has been moved to a new location, recall operations will recover the data to the new location and not the originating one.
Before performing any recovery procedures for these agents, review the following information.
Do not set a quota for an object (such as a volume, directory, or user) that is lower than the amount already used. Doing so may cause improper results for data protection or recovery operations.
Sample of a DFS link:
\\DomainName\DFSPath\Share\folder.
In case of Network File Share, if the data was not migrated via the DFS link then in order to recall the data using the DFS link create a Network File Share instance on the computer where the File Archiver Agent is installed. Specify the Domain name as the filer name for the login credentials to match for stub recall.
The successful delivery of the pop-up message for stub recoveries initiated on a remote workstation that has mapped drive to the client is reliant on the Windows Messenger Service and the Net Send command to provide a broadcast message to the appropriate remote user. Therefore, certain Net Send requirements must be met in order for the pop-up message to be successfully delivered to the target user, including:
You need to specify the NAS File Server credentials for successful completion of Restore by Job on archived subclient content.
Use the following registry keys to modify the default behavior of the Migration Archiver Agent:
| Topic | Registry Key(s) | Description | ||||
| Access and Modified Times | GXHSMSERVICEKEEPTIMES | Migration archiving and stub recovery operations change the access and modified time on files. An enhancement that allows the recovery administrator to preserve the original file access time and modified time during migration archiving and stub recovery. See Registry Keys (GXHSMSERVICEKEEPTIMES and GXHSMSTUBKEEPTIMES) for more information on enabling this feature for all instance types except Celerra. | ||||
| GXHSMSERVICEKEEPTIMES | Stub pruning looks at the modified time of the file to determine eligibility for pruning stubs. If you use the GXHSMSERVICEKEEPTIMES and GXHSMSTUBKEEPTIMES registry keys, the modified time will be preserved. This means that when you run a migration with these registry keys enabled, the preserved modified time will always be older than the time that the file was stubbed. As such, if you use the Prune stub only after n days option, you should ensure that the modified time is not being preserved. Therefore, be sure to disable the GXHSMSERVICEKEEPTIMES and GXHSMSTUBKEEPTIMES registry keys (which are enabled by default) when you use this option. | |||||
| Stub Recalls | GXHSMSERVICEMINRECALLFREESPACE | If you would like to ensure that there is sufficient free space on a volume before initiating stub recalls, you can use the GXHSMSERVICEMINRECALLFREESPACE registry key to enable this feature. | ||||
| nRETRY_RECALL_TIMEOUT | Two registry keys are available for administering the timing of recalls. The nRETRY_RECALL_TIMEOUT registry key allows you to set the time of duration for a recall attempt. Once this time expires, the recall attempt will stop. The nRETRY_RECALL_DELAY key indicates the delay time for a recall attempt. Once this time expires, the recall attempt will resume. These keys work hand-in-hand with each other, and they are especially useful if the CommServe goes down. | |||||
| EVMGRC_REMOTE_PORT_OVERRIDE | For File Archiver for Windows, you can override the stub file port number by using the EVMGRC_REMOTE_PORT_OVERRIDE registry key. Use this key when the port number changes. Keep in mind that using this key defeats the benefit of being able to recall data using different port numbers for multiple Agents. When the key does not exist, the File Share Archiver client uses the stub content to determine port number. For 7.0 stubs, refer to the EVMGRC_REMOTE_PORT registry key. | |||||
| GXHSM_DISABLE_ARCHIVE_FILE_RECALL_AND_RESTORE | This registry key disables stub
recalls at the driver level and allows service to send custom popup messages.
This key should be used with a service level key
GXHSM_DISABLE_ARCHIVE_FILE_RECALL_AND_RESTORE_MESSAGE.
It is created in computers which has File Share Archiver Client installed. |
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| DMReadMaxMountRetryVal | By default no failure message is displayed when a recall job waits for the media to be imported. This key allows for setting a finite number of mount retries during restore. | |||||
| Stub Recall History | nDMRSendFileStatus |
The stub recall history is viewable at the client and agent levels in the Commcell Console and is associated with the first instance, which was created in the Migration Archiver agent. Stub recall history can be turned on by creating nDMRSendFileStatus key and setting the value to 1.
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| GXHSM_ENABLE_INPLACE_RESTORE | By default the recalls occur on a staged path, and then the recalled files are copied to the target path. This is a user defined key which allows the user to direct the recalls in place rather than the staging path. | |||||
| GXHSM_ALTERNATE_GXHSMCACHE_PATH | By default at the time of stub recall the stubs are stored in a stub cache path, which is generally in the root volume path. The Maximum supported path length for it is 1000. Any path longer than this specified length will get proportionately reduced if this key is specified.This user defined key allows the user to specify the path for all recalls. | |||||
| Persistent Pipelines | nDMRSIDLETIMEOUT |
To change the default value of how long the persistent pipeline of this Archiver Agent will stay open during idle periods of a recovery operation, you can use the nDMRSIDLETIMEOUT registry key to accomplish this task. The pipeline stays persistent for 24 hours by default.
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| nDMRMaxRestoreThreads | If you would like to spawn multiple persistent pipelines when stub recall requests are from different archive file IDs, the nDMRMaxRestoreThreads registry key can be used to accomplish this task. | |||||
| Recall Messages and Pop-Ups | GXHSM_MAGNETIC_MSG_NAME | You can use the GXHSM_MAGNETIC_MSG_NAME key to replace the default "MAGNETIC" key word for a recall message with a message of your choice. | ||||
| GXHSMNOPOPUP | To enable the display of a pop-up
message for stub recoveries indicating that the recovery operation has completed
and showing the location of the file that was recovered, change the
GXHSMNOPOPUP
registry key value to N. To disable
the pop-up, create the
GXHSMNOPOPUP
registry key and set the value to Y.
This is enabled by default on the local client for the File Archiver for Windows Agent when configured for NAS archiving.
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| GXHSM_DISABLE_ARCHIVE_FILE_RECALL_AND_RESTORE_MESSAGE | This is a service level key used
in conjunction with the driver level key
GXHSM_DISABLE_ARCHIVE_FILE_RECALL_AND_RESTORE on computers where
File Share Archiver Cleint is installed. The key allows for customizing
the popup message when
GXHSM_DISABLE_ARCHIVE_FILE_RECALL_AND_RESTORE is used to disallow
the recall. The key can be used with the following to get desirable popup messages:
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| GXHSM_MAX_DISPLAY_TIME_FOR_DISABLERECALLRESTORE_MESSAGE | The key is used in conjunction with GXHSM_DISABLE_ARCHIVE_FILE_RECALL_AND_RESTORE_MESSAGE as it allows the user to set a desired popup message display time. | |||||
| Log Files | GXHSMSTUBLOGFAILFILESTRUNCATE | For File Archiver for Windows, you can determine whether the existing log file associated with your job should be truncated or appended to. See GXHSMSTUBLOGFAILFILESTRUNCATE in Registry Keys for more information. | ||||
| Sparse Files | GXHSMSTUBCREATESPARSE | If you have enabled the archive option to create stub files that are not sparse files (using the GXHSMSTUBCREATESPARSE registry key), you must use WordPad — not Notepad — to open the resulting text files. | ||||
| GXHSM_NAS_REMOVESPARSE_ON_RECALL | In case of archiving FPolicy and Network File Share data, use GXHSM_NAS_REMOVESPARSE_ON_RECALL to remove the sparse attribute upon recall if the stub has been created as a sparse file. |