VSS restore requirements

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Unless otherwise specified, a VSS restore operation refers to all restore types that use VSS, including VSS restore, VSS fast restore, and VSS instant restore operations.

Install any Microsoft™ VSS-related urgent fixes.

As you decide your restore strategies, consider the following VSS requirements.
  • Unless you issue the /INTODB parameter on the restore command, a VSS restore operation ignores the recovery database and data is stored in the production database.
  • If you use a VSS hardware provider, the disks that contain Exchange Server data are configured as basic disks.
  • For VSS restore operations, you must dismount the restored database.
  • When a VSS restore operation from local shadow volumes is complete, zero bytes are transferred because no data (0) is restored from the IBM Storage Protect™ server.
  • When you use Data Protection for Microsoft Exchange Server, do not set the ASNODENAME option in the dsm.opt file. If you set the ASNODENAME option, VSS backups and VSS restore operations might fail.
VSS instant restore
A VSS instant restore operation overwrites the entire contents of the source volumes.
  • If you do not want to overwrite the source volumes, ensure that you set the Instant Restore option to No in Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
  • VSS instant restore processing requires that the local disk is not accessed by other applications, for example, Windows™ Explorer.
  • Before you run a VSS instant restore operation in an Exchange Server 2013 environment, stop the Exchange Search Host Controller Service on the active node.
  • When you run a VSS instant restore operation, verify that there is no other data on the volumes that are being restored.
  • If you perform a VSS restore of a database that was relocated (system file path, log file path, or database file path), you must use the Restore Into function and specify the same database name as the one you are restoring. The restore operation fails if you do not specify the same database name.
  • When you run the Restore Into function, VSS instant restore operations are automatically disabled.
  • Before you start a VSS instant restore operation, ensure that any previous background copies that contain the volumes that are being restored are completed. XIV®, SAN Volume Controller, or Storwize® family with space-efficient target volumes do not need to be completed.
VSS fast restore
In a VSS fast restore operation, if you do not want to overwrite all the files on the original volume, mount the snapshot. Copy only the files that you want to restore.
Database Availability Group (DAG) environment
You can perform data restore operations in a Database Availability Group (DAG) environment including restoring an Exchange Server 2013 or later backup from a DAG replica into the production server.
  • Before you run a VSS instant restore operation in a DAG environment, stop the Microsoft Exchange Replication Service on the active node.
  • Restore your backups to the active database copy.
  • If you back up data to a local system, you can restore the snapshot only to the same system.
  • However, backups to a local server can be restored only on the server where the backup is created.
  • To restore a backup to a server that is hosting a passive database copy, make the copy active before you restore the backup. When the backup is restored, you can move the active database copy back to the passive state.