Best practices for restoring an appliance

Topic

Best Practice

Before you begin

  1. Note the passwords you use.

    Maintain a list of the current user accounts on the appliance.

    The restore operation resets the user names and passwords to the ones that were in effect when the backup file was created.

  2. Review the release notes to verify that the backup is compatible with the HPE OneView version being restored.

  3. Take a support dump before the restore operation, if you are restoring onto the same appliance where you have taken the backup. Taking a support dump helps the support representative to troubleshoot problems that might have existed before the restore operation.
    NOTE:

    Ensure to download any backup taken, before creating a support dump, as the backup gets deleted during the support dump operation. The create support dump operation also deletes an uploaded backup file.

  4. Download the existing audit logs, and store them for safekeeping.

    The restore operation restores the audit logs from the backup file, overwriting the existing logs.

  5. Stop all automatically scheduled backups.

    If HPE OneView is configured for automatic backups, backups resume after the appliance is restored.

  6. Make the backup file accessible to the appliance you want to restore. If you are using an enterprise backup product to archive backup files, follow any steps required by your backup product to prepare for the restore operation.

    WARNING:

    The current backup file stored on the appliance will be deleted during the restore process. Download the backup file and store it in a safe, off-appliance location for future restorations.

  7. If you added hardware to the appliance after the backup file was created, that hardware is not in the appliance database when the restore process completes. Then, if you restore from the backup file, you must add that hardware to the appliance and then repeat any other configuration changes (such as assigning server profiles) that were made between the time the backup file was created and the restore process completed.

Inform users

  • Make sure that all users logged in to the appliance log out. Users who are logged in when the restore operation begins are automatically logged out, losing whatever work was in progress. All users are blocked from logging in during the restore operation.

Use the right backup file

  • Use the latest backup file to restore the appliance. The backup file will not include any changes made after the backup file was created.

    Upload the backup to the HPE OneView appliance. From the main menu, select Settings > Backup > Actions > Restore from backup. After you upload the backup file, the appliance displays the version of the backup.

  • Make sure that the appliance IP addresses are the ones you want the appliance to use after the restore operation. Appliance IP addresses are not restored from the backup file.

  • Ensure that the appliance being restored and the appliance on which the backup file was created have the same appliance firmware version; otherwise, the restore operation fails.

    The platform type, hardware model, and the major and minor numbers of the appliance firmware must match to restore a backup. The revision and build numbers do not need to match. The format of the appliance firmware version is:

    majornumber.minornumber.revisionnumber-buildnumber

    If the backup file is incompatible with the firmware on the appliance, the upload returns an error and the restore operation stops. Update the firmware or select a different backup file.

  • If it is necessary to restore a backup to a new appliance and the old appliance is still functioning (the hardware has not failed), remove the old appliance. Removing the appliance ensures that it no longer manages the devices it was managing when the backup file was created. Serious errors can occur if multiple appliances attempt to manage the same devices.

  • If the backup file was created on an appliance that is different from the one you are restoring, reconfigure the original appliance so that it no longer manages the devices it was managing when the backup file was created. Serious errors can occur if multiple appliances attempt to manage the same devices.

Upload firmware bundles

  • Upload the firmware bundles used by your server profiles, enclosures, and logical interconnects. These resources were not saved as part of the backup file. Refer to each profile's Firmware baseline setting to determine the file name for the required baseline.