How To Prepare For A Bare Metal Restore From Backup

Introduction

A bare metal restore from backup is the process of restoring a computer system to a blank state using only backup files. This allows you to completely rebuild a computer from scratch in the event of a catastrophic failure or to migrate an existing system to new hardware. Proper preparation is crucial for a successful bare metal restore. In this guide, I will walk you through the key steps I take to prepare for a bare metal restore from backup.

Prerequisites

Before beginning the bare metal restore process, I ensure the following prerequisites are in place:

• Backup software capable of full system backups – This is essential for capturing a bare metal backup of the operating system, applications, and data. Popular options include Veeam, Commvault, and Veritas NetBackup.

• Separate backup storage device or media – This provides a place to store backup files separately from the source system. Common options are external USB drives, NAS devices, tape drives, or cloud storage.

• Compatible blank hardware – The new hardware must be able to support the restored system configuration. Check compatibility for CPUs, RAM, storage, network adapters, etc.

• OS installation media – To rebuild the operating system, you’ll need original OS discs or bootable USB. This must match the OS version from the backup.

• Driver installation files – Any drivers required for the new hardware must be downloaded ahead of time. This includes storage, network, chipset drivers.

• Application installers and license keys – To reinstall apps, gather original software installers, patches, activation keys. A backup is unlikely to contain full application install files.

• Network access – The restored system will need network access to download any required files post-restore. Have a wired ethernet connection ready.

• Documentation – Compile documentation on the existing system configuration, including hardware inventory, network settings, application settings, and any customizations.

Performing Backups

I take a full bare metal backup of the source system prior to the restore. This provides the backup data to rebuild the entire system on the new hardware.

• For files and folders – I run a full backup of all data volumes/drives to capture user files, application data, system state information, etc.

• For the operating system – I perform an image-level backup to get an exact replica of the OS volume, including boot information.

• For applications – I back up application-specific data from SQL Server databases, Exchange server, etc.

• I verify backup integrity to ensure all data is captured and backup files are not corrupted.

• Backups are stored on dedicated, redundant media that will be accessible from the restored system.

Documenting the Original System

Thorough documentation is key to a smooth restore process. I document the original system configuration in detail, including:

• Hardware inventory – CPUs, RAM, storage, NICs, PCI cards, external devices.

• Installed software and versions – OS and service packs, applications, drivers, databases.

• Configuration settings – Static IP addresses, hostnames, AD domains, file shares, printer settings, mapped drives.

• Customizations – Any tweaks made to default OS, application settings, scripts, database objects.

• Network topology – Diagram of VLANs, subnets, routing, network hardware.

• License information – Product keys, activation codes for any licensed software.

• Performance data – System resource utilization, traffic flow patterns, load balancer configs.

Staging the New Environment

Prior to starting the bare metal restore, I take time to prep the new hardware environment:

• Rack and cable new servers – Ensure hardware is correctly installed and connected to networks.

• Configure base OS – Install a base operating system on the new hardware and apply latest updates.

• Install drivers – Add any storage, network, or hardware drivers required for the new hardware.

• Join domain – Join the new server to the correct Active Directory domain, if applicable.

• Create local accounts – Set up administrative accounts that will be used for the restore process.

• Allocate storage – Create necessary disk volumes with ample storage for the restoration.

• Enable connections – Confirm network, SAN, VPN access required for the restore process.

• Stage media – Connect backup storage devices and make backup data accessible to new server.

• Confirm resources – Verify server has required CPU, memory, and network capacity for the restored system.

Executing the Bare Metal Restore

With the prerequisites in place, I proceed systematically through the bare metal restore process:

1. Boot the new hardware from the OS media to begin a fresh OS installation.

2. At first boot, load storage and network drivers to establish access to the backup storage.

3. Restore the system image backup to the OS drive to recreate the original server configuration.

4. Reboot from the restored system drive and confirm OS boots successfully.

5. Restore full data backups to recreate original folder structures, data sets, and system state.

6. Reinstall applications from original media or installers where needed. Apply any saved configuration settings.

7. Restore application-specific backup sets for databases, email systems, etc.

8. Update network configurations to match original system settings, including NICs, hostname, IPs, etc.

9. Perform final testing – Confirm restored services start, applications function, data integrity checks out.

10. Cutover to production. Update DNS entries, load balancer configs to direct traffic to new system.

Post Restore Configuration

After the initial restore, there are often additional configuration steps needed to recreate the original production environment:

• Apply latest OS and application updates.

• Configure anti-virus software.

• Tune performance as needed based on utilization data.

• Establish monitoring and alerting rules to match production standards.

• Complete final integration tasks like replication, clustering, etc.

• Reprotect with updated backup policies.

• Archive restore logs and documentation.

Conclusion

With careful planning and preparation, a bare metal restore from backup can successfully resurrect a failed system or migrate an existing system to new infrastructure. The key is having complete backups along with detailed documentation to reconfigure the environment. By following this structured process, I can minimize restore time and system downtime.