Restoring a Windows client with network boot
Note:
Review the secure communication compatibility support matrix for BMR table to know more about the supported master, boot server, client, and SRT versions for Linux, Windows, Solaris, AIX, and HP-UX environments. See Secure communication compatibility matrices for BMR for NetBackup 8.1.1 and later releases.
Note:
If NetBackup access control management is used in your environment, you must provide the appropriate credentials when prompted so that NetBackup can restore the client files.
Windows systems network boot uses the PXE protocol. The BMR boot server provides and manages the PXE network services, but a DHCP service is required in the environment. A DHCP service can exist on the same Boot server or anywhere in the subnet.
To restore a Windows client with network boot
- Prepare to restore the client.
- Ensure that PXE and TFTP services configuration on BMR Boot server is done once.
If BMR PXE configuration is not done ever on the boot server then run PXE Service Configuration Wizard available in BMR Boot server assistant which can be located in the Start menu on the Windows BMR boot server.
For this, click Programs >NetBackup Administration Console > Bare Metal Restore Boot Server Assistant. This BMR PXE service configuration needs to be done only once for a Windows boot server. If the DHCP server location changes later then this wizard needs to be run again.
Note:
Any other non-BMR PXE or TFTP service running on the same BMR Boot server cannot be used for BMR recovery. Make sure to stop these services while client network boots for recovery. Otherwise the client PXE boot request goes to un-intended server and PXE network boot may fail. This is a limitation with PXE, DHCP boot protocols, Veritas recommendation is to keep only correct PXE, DHCP, TFTP servers running while booting client for network based recovery.
- Make sure BMR PXE and TFTP services are up and running.
- Boot the client to restore.
- PXE Boot the client according to the hardware vendor instructions. On some systems, the BIOS displays a message that indicates that you can press a key to force a PXE Boot . On others, you may have to modify the settings in the BIOS to add the network card to the default boot order. Consult your hardware documentation for details.
Due to the automatic recovery parameter set during prepare to restore, the restore operation attempts to retrieve the host-ID based certificate and validate the Certificate Authority (CA) certificate. This recovery is time bound. For more information about the automatic recovery during prepare to restore, See Preparing a client for restore.
Note:
If you abort the restore operation or if the restore operation fails, either run the prepare to restore operation again to restart the automatic recovery or manually set the Allow Auto Reissue Certificate option using the NetBackup Administration Console or command-line interface.
For more information about manually setting the Allow Auto Reissue Certificate option, see Allowing automatic reissue of a certificate section within the NetBackup Security and Encryption Guide
- When you are prompted, press the Function 12 key and the system boots and the restore begins.
After a successful completion of restore, the host ID-based certificate is copied on the client that is restored. The automatic recovery parameter is reset. For more information about the automatic recovery, See Preparing a client for restore.
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