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.

If you complete VSS snapshot backups with the backup destination parameter set to TSM, restore processing also refers to an image-level restore from the IBM Storage Protect server.

As you decide your restore strategies, be aware of VSS requirements.

VSS instant restore operations
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.
  • When you run a VSS instant restore operation, verify that there is no other data on the volumes that are being restored.
  • 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.
  • To restore VSS snapshots on non-IBM storage systems, you must create the snapshot as a transportable snapshot and import the transportable snapshot into the system.
    Tip: For instant restore operations on non-IBM storage devices, the VSS Hardware provider must enable the device to implement and support the Microsoft VSS ResyncLuns API. In addition, the VSS Hardware provider must support creating transportable snapshots during backups, and importing transportable snapshots during restores. You cannot perform instant restore operations on these devices unless the VSS ResyncLuns API is implemented.
    Tip: For instant restore operations on IBM storage devices, you can use either private interfaces or the VSS ResyncLuns API. The format that is used depends on the device. When you use private interfaces on these devices, it is not necessary to set the shadow copy as a transportable snapshot. When you use VSS ResyncLuns API on these devices, it is necessary to set the shadow copy as a transportable snapshot.
VSS fast restore operations
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.

When you restore data, only use basic disks that are initialized for basic storage. A basic disk consists of basic volumes, such as primary partitions, extended partitions, and logical drives. Do not use dynamic disks.

When you complete a VSS restore operation from local shadow volumes, the bytes that transfer are displayed as 0 because no data (0) is restored from the IBM Storage Protect server.