You can use the vCenter Server appliance GUI installer to restore a vCenter Server to an ESXi host or a vCenter Server instance. The restore procedure has two stages. The first stage deploys a new vCenter Server appliance. The second stage populates the newly deployed vCenter Server appliance with the data stored in the file-based backup.

Figure 1. vCenter Server Restore Workflow
Restore workflow

Prerequisites

  • Verify that your system meets the minimum software and hardware requirements. See System Requirements for the vCenter Server Appliance.
  • If the vCenter Server instance is part of a vCenter High Availability cluster, you must power off the active, passive, and witness nodes of the cluster before restoring the vCenter Server.