Restoring the appliance

Restoring an appliance from a backup file replaces all management data and most configuration settings with the data and settings in the backup file, including user names and passwords, audit logs, and cryptography mode, but does not include the appliance network settings (appliance IP address, hostname, and DNS server).

The appliance is not operational during the restore operation and it can take several hours to perform; the larger the configuration HPE OneView is managing, the longer the restore will take. A restore operation cannot be canceled or undone after it has started. The appliance blocks login requests while a restore operation is in progress.

A restore operation must be used to recover from catastrophic failures, not to fix minor problems that can be resolved in other ways.

IMPORTANT: The backup file must have the same version of HPE OneView as the appliance you want to restore. You can restore onto the same appliance or a new installation of the appliance.

The backup file must be restored to an appliance in the same Frame Link Topology where the backup was taken. The appliance hostname is prefixed to the default backup filename to help identify the correct backup file.

NOTE: Restoring an appliance disables the maintenance mode on any servers or resources that were previously in maintenance mode.

Actions during the restore operation

Description

Validates the resource inventory

During a restore operation, the appliance firmware validates the resource inventory (enclosures, servers, interconnects, switches) and reconciles the data in the backup file with the current state of the managed environment. The state of the managed environment is likely to be different from the state of the environment at the time the backup file was created. After the restore operation, the appliance uses alerts to report any discrepancies that it cannot resolve automatically.

Rediscovers enclosures to validate contents

During the restore operation, the appliance rediscovers each enclosure or fabric to validate its contents—especially to ensure that the appliance can still claim them and that the given instance of HPE OneView is the manager of the enclosure.

Clears virtual IDs

To prevent duplicate identifiers on the network, the appliance clears server hardware configurations if an associated server profile is not in the backup. These servers most likely had a profile assigned after the last backup was made.

IMPORTANT:

During a restore operation, the appliance reconciles the data in the backup file with the current state of the managed environment. There are some discrepancies that the restore operation cannot resolve automatically. They are presented as alerts. After the restore operation, the appliance administrator must manually resolve any remaining inconsistencies.

You can use the UI to upload a backup file and restore the appliance from it. You can also use REST APIs for this purpose.

Considerations for a clustered appliance

In general, during the restore operation:

  • The active appliance is restored from the backup file.

  • The standby appliance joins the active appliance, forming the clustered appliance.

  • The standby appliance has its data synchronized with the restored active appliance.

IMPORTANT:

These network settings are not restored:

  • The host name of the clustered appliance

  • The IP address of the clustered appliance

  • The gateway IP

  • The subnet mask

  • The IP address of the DNS server

NOTE:

The HPE Synergy Composer and Frame Link Module are paired with credentials and a claimed management IP address. The HPE Synergy Composer needs the credentials to access and manage the frame link module. The synchronization happens during the initial discovery of hardware when both the HPE Synergy Composer and frame link module are in the factory fresh state. An HPE Synergy Composer can only recover the credentials by restoring a backup.

Replacing an HPE Synergy Composer when highly available does not require any remediation steps except to replace the failed clustered appliance.