Ransomware attackers specifically target and attempt to destroy backup systems to increase the probability of payment. Hardening your system is critical. Please ensure you have reviewed your platform security using the Security Hardening Checklist
Cohesity

COHESITY Documentation

Explore our documentation to get started, discover products & new features, access troubleshooting guides, register sources, platforms support.

Products
Data Security Alliance
Visit Cohesity.com
Demos
Support
Blogs
Developers
Partner Portals
Cohesity Community
© 2026 Cohesity, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use|
Privacy Policy|
Legal|
  1. Home
  2. NetBackup™ for VMware Administrator's Guide
  3. Restore virtual machines
  4. Restoring VMware virtual machine disks by using NetBackup commands
  5. Restoring the virtual machine disk or disks by using the nbrestorevm command
NetBackup™ for VMware Administrator's Guide

Restoring the virtual machine disk or disks by using the nbrestorevm command

This topic describes how to use the NetBackup nbrestorevm command to restore one or more virtual machine disks to a new VMware virtual machine.

This task is part of a larger process that describes how to restore an individual VMware virtual machine disk or disks.

See Restoring VMware virtual machine disks by using NetBackup commands.

To restore a VMware virtual machine disk

  1. If the file is valid, restore the virtual machine by invoking the following NetBackup command:

    On Windows: install_path\NetBackup\bin\nbrestorevm -restorespec filename [-L progress_log] [-w [hh:mm:ss]]

    On UNIX: /usr/openv/netbackup/bin/nbrestorevm -restorespec filename [-L progress_log] [-w [hh:mm:ss]]

    • The -restorespec filename option specifies the name of the file that contains the parameters of the restore.

    • The -L progress_log option specifies the name of an existing file in which to write progress information. Only default paths are allowed for this option; the following are the default paths:

      UNIX systems: /usr/openv/netbackup/logs/user_ops/proglog

      Windows systems: install_path\NetBackup\logs\user_ops\proglog

    • The -w [hh:mm:ss] option causes NetBackup to wait for a completion status from the server before it returns you to the system prompt.

      The required date and time values format in NetBackup commands varies according to your locale. The /usr/openv/msg/.conf file (UNIX) and the install_path\VERITAS\msg\LC.CONF file (Windows) contain information such as the date-time format for each supported locale. The files contain specific instructions on how to add or modify the list of supported locales and formats.

      You can optionally specify a wait time in hours, minutes, and seconds. The maximum wait time you can specify is 23:59:59. If the wait time expires before the restore is complete, the command exits with a time-out status. The restore, however, still completes on the server.

      If you specify 0 or do not specify a time, the wait time is indefinite for the completion status.

  2. Monitor the restore in the NetBackup Administration Console Activity Monitor.

    See Troubleshooting vmdk restore to existing VM.

  3. After the restore completes, do the following as necessary:

    • For the virtual disks that are restored to a new VM, add the disks to a VM that can support them after the restore succeeds. Optionally, delete the VM that NetBackup created for the restore.

    • For the virtual disks that are restored to an existing VM, assign a drive letter (Windows) or mount the disk (Linux) so you can access the data.

    How to add disks, delete virtual machines, and mount drives is beyond the scope of the NetBackup documentation. See your VMware documentation.

Feedback

Was this page helpful?
Previous

Validating the virtual machine disk restore file

Next

VMware virtual machine disk restore file

Feedback

Was this page helpful?