Bare metal restore with the Recovery ISO

The full procedure, from the Initiate DR button in the Console to the physical server booting from the restored disk.

This is the procedure for bringing a physical server back. You drive the restore from the Console, and in front of the server you do two things, boot it from the USB stick and type a code. The mechanism is covered in The Sefthy Recovery ISO.

Start the restore from the Console

  1. Open the DR page and click Initiate DR.
  2. In the dialog look at Pre-flight checks. Original device must read Offline.
  3. Pick Local and click Confirm.

The page moves to the Local restore phase, shows the Steps to restore locally stepper and, below it, the Boot the server from the Recovery ISO and type the code panel.

The code

It looks like SFT-XXXX-XXXX, works once and expires after 24 hours. If you no longer have it to hand, New code gives you another one. The same panel carries the link to the ISO and the Server network, handy when there is no DHCP on site.

On the server

  1. Boot the machine from the USB stick. The image starts on both BIOS and UEFI.
  2. The ISO picks up an address over DHCP. If it finds none it shows Waiting for the network and lets you type address, netmask, gateway and DNS, then you click Apply.
  3. Type the code in the Enter the recovery code field and click Connect. Case and dashes do not matter.
  4. The screen shows Server connected to with the DR name and the detected disks. From here you can leave the server alone.

Pick the snapshot and the disks

Within a few seconds the Console panel turns into Server connected with hostname and disk count.

  1. Pick the day on the calendar, then the snapshot.
  2. The Proposed restore plan appears, one row per disk with its target next to it. The operating system row carries the System chip, and Direct fit means the target disk is large enough. Check that this row points at the disk you want to write on, usually /dev/sda.
  3. Service volumes stay out of the plan, and Show details lists them. To decide disk by disk, open Edit mapping.
  4. Click Start the restore on /dev/sda and confirm in the dialog that lists what will be overwritten.

Up to that click nothing has been written on the machine.

The restore

The panel switches to Bare-metal restore in progress with the percentage and the start time, and the stepper moves on its own. The server screen shows the same progress, but you do not have to stay there. At the end you read Restore completed and the ISO asks you to remove the USB stick. The reboot starts by itself as soon as the medium is gone.

From the code typed on the ISO to the restore followed in the Console

After the reboot

The server boots from the restored disk. The data brings back the Sefthy Agent installed on the server too. It calls the Console, gets fresh credentials and signs in again. The stepper closes by itself, the first backup starts and you get the restore completed email. The Continue manually button stays there as an alternative.

If a step stalls

  • The code is gone from the page, expired, or the ISO rejects it. Click New code and type the new one. The previous is voided.
  • The wrong server connected. Click Change server / new code and the ISO goes back to the code screen.
  • No compatible disk. The panel tells you how much room is missing. Fit a larger disk or use another machine, then generate a new code.
  • The ISO has been silent for a while. The session is given up as lost. Check network and power and start again with a new code, nothing was left half restored.
  • The restore stops with an error. The panel shows the error code, and New code lets you retry.
  • The server does not check in within fifteen minutes. The panel warns you. Check that it booted from the disk rather than the USB stick, then the cable, DHCP and the network, because on different hardware the NIC MAC address has changed.

In the press