> Expert > Backup and Restore Agents > Virtualization > Virtual Server Agent > Supported Hypervisors and Common Information for Virtual Server Agent > Restore Operations > Live Browse and Block-Level Browse

Windows File System Support

For Windows guest VMs, the Windows MediaAgent that is used for block-level browse and restore operations must have the Virtual Server Agent installed.

Windows Storage Spaces Requirements

For files stored on Windows Storage Spaces, you can perform a live browse to view and restore guest files and folders, with the following considerations:

  • The VSA proxy and MediaAgent that are used for the live browse must be running on Windows Server 2012 or later.

  • For a Windows 2016 guest VM, you must use a VSA proxy and MediaAgent that run on Windows 2016 or later.

  • The MediaAgent that is used for the live browse cannot be part of a clustered environment.

  • Dynamic disk configuration on the virtual disk for a storage pool is not supported.

  • You cannot simultaneously browse two cloned VMs that use the same storage space information.

  • Live browse of Windows storage spaces is only supported for streaming backups, auxiliary copies, and backup copies, and not directly from IntelliSnap backups.

NTFS Live Browse with a Linux MediaAgent

To avoid overloading the CommServe computer or provisioning additional access nodes during a browse operation, you can browse and restore NTFS files from a Linux MediaAgent.

Live Browse Process

The software executes a live browse request during a restore operation using a specific entity, based on the CommCell environment:

  • If the MediaAgent is installed with Windows, the software uses the MediaAgent to live browse.

  • If the MediaAgent is installed with Linux and there is a Windows access node, the software uses the Windows access node to live browse.

    • If the Windows access node is configured in the subclient properties, the software uses the Windows access node to live browse.

    • If the Windows access node is configured in the instance properties and no access node is configured in the subclient properties, the software uses the Windows access node to live browse.

  • If the MediaAgent is installed with Linux and there is no Windows access node, the software uses the Linux MediaAgent to live browse.

Software Requirements

The following software is required to live browse using a Linux MediaAgent:

  • NTFS-3G package installed on the Linux MediaAgent (NTFS-3G is installed automatically when you install or upgrade to Commvault 11.23)

  • Commvault Feature Release 11.23 or later installed on the MediaAgent

  • One of the following operating systems must be installed on the MediaAgent:

    • CentOS 7.x

    • RHEL 7.x, 8.x, or 9.x

    • Oracle Linux version 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, or 8.7, or 9.x

Note

To use a RHEL 8 or 9 VM or Oracle Linux VM that is configured to use the UEFI Secure Boot method as a File Recovery Enabler for Linux (FREL), you must enroll Commvault keys with the UEFI MOK (Machine Owned Key) list on the VM. For more information, see Use Commvault Driver Modules on a Linux Computer with UEFI Secure Boot Option Enabled.

Limitations

  • Live browse operations using Linux MediaAgents are supported only for the NTFS file system. The operations are not supported for IntelliSnap.

  • Dynamic volume types such as spanned, striped, mirrored, and RAID-5 are not supported.

  • You cannot restore files with advanced encryption attributes using a Linux MediaAgent. For live browse of IntelliSnap backups, you must use a Windows MediaAgent to browse. The ACL of NTFS files is preserved during cross-platform restore operations only if the destination client is installed with Windows.

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