Restoring Database to a Point in Time

Restoring from a backup restores the backup to a newly created database VM. You name this database, choose the datastore location, and have the option to configure its management policies.

VMware Data Services Manager supports restoring to a specific point of time in a backup file. The restored instance is owned by the user who performs the restore operation.

The backup from which you want to restore may reside on local or cloud storage.

A point in time recovery (PITR) restores a backup at a specific point in time to a new database VM.

You can restore a backup to any point in time within your backup retention period.

Prerequisites

Ensure that you can identify the date and time from which you want to restore.

Procedure

Perform the following procedure to restore to a point in time:

1. Select Databases from the left navigation pane.

   This action displays the Database view, a table that lists the provisioned databases.

2. Examine the databases listed in the table, identify the database for which you want to restore to a specific point in time, and navigate to that table row.

3. Click the three dots in the Actions colum, and select Restore from the pop-up menu.

   The Restore Database form displays.

4. Specify the Restore Point.

   Select on of the following options:

   • Latest Available Time - Restore to the most recent timestamp.
   • Custom Time - Restore to a specific timestamp.
     If you select this option, select the date and time to use.

5. Follow the prompts if you want to change any of the properties for the new database VM on which the point in time backup will be restored:

   Property Name	Value
   Database Version	Use the dropdown menu to select from the available template versions of the database. Note: You can only increase the version of the database, but you cannot decrease it.
   Instance Name	Enter a unique name for the database cluster.
   Replica Mode	Configure the number of nodes. Switch between the following: Single Server - One node with no replicas. You can use vSphere HA. Single vSphere Cluster - Multiple nodes co-located on a single vSphere cluster providing non-disruptive upgrades. You can select a three-node or five-node topology.
   Topology	Specify configuration for the database nodes depending on the replica mode you selected.
   Infrastructure Policy	Select an infrastructure policy from the list of preconfigured policies.
   Storage Policy	From the list of storage policies associated with the infrastructure policy, select a storage policy for the database VM storage placement.
   VM Class	Depending on your database resource requirements for vCPU and memory, select an appropriate VM class.
   Disk Size	Set the disk size.
   Enable Backups	Use the slider to opt-in for automated backups. If you opt-in for automated backups, you have to set Backup Retention.
   Backup Retention	Specify the number of days to retain a backup on the selected storage location.
   Daily Backup Time	Use the dropdown menus to select the time of day to backup the database.
   Backup Schedule	Specify if you want to use default or customized backup schedule: Use Default Backup Schedule - Use the schedule provided by the system and set the start time. Add Customized Backup Schedule - Specify whether you want the backup to be full or incremental. Set up the start time and the frequency of the backup.
   Enable Maintenance Window	Use the slider to opt-in for automatic upgrade to the next minor versions during the maintenance window that you configure.
   Day of the Week	Use the dropdown menu to select the maintenance window's day of the week.
   Start Time	Use the dropdown menus to select the time of day in which to start the maintenance window.
   New Duration	Use the dropdown menu to specify the duration of the maintenance window (hours).

6. On the Summary page, click RESTORE DATABASE.

   VMware Data Services Manager initiates a restore management operation, and adds an entry for the new database in the Databases view table.

   Note: Restoring to a new database VM can take some time.

7. Monitor the progress of the task in the Operations tab or in the Operations view.

8. If the operation completes successfully, the new database VM created from the PITR backup displays in the Databases view.

   Note: If the operation fails, you are responsible for deleting the database VM.

Connecting to the Restored Database VM

You may have applications or clients that now must connect to the new, restored database VM. If so, Connecting to a Database describes how to obtain the information that you need for your apps and clients to make the connection to the new database.