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windows server backup and restore it on virtual machine

adnan sabir 1 Reputation point
2021-02-15T12:47:54.657+00:00

hello Guys
i have a scenario her. I have two servers server A and server B and both running server 2012r2 version. i have one license for one virtual server for each server. The question is: If Server A goes down (backed up daily) then how can I use backup of this server (server A) and use it on virtual machine or virtual server at server B till my server is back again. it would be easier if i have spare physical server and restore backup there and use temporary but in my case i have only virtual server available at server B.

Windows Server
Windows Server
A family of Microsoft server operating systems that support enterprise-level management, data storage, applications, and communications.
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  1. Anonymous
    2021-02-15T13:19:55.187+00:00

    What roles are involved? The better option is to clean install the virtual machine, patch fully, migrate roles over to it. Another option may be to P2V it but not the best option.
    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/disk2vhd

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  2. AliceYang-MSFT 2,086 Reputation points
    2021-02-16T07:21:43.313+00:00

    Hi,

    P2V is viable but seems to time-consuming. Instead of backing up daily, you may need to create a VHD daily if there are changes made to Server A daily. When Server A goes down, VHD can be used on Server B's virtual machine.

    Clustered servers might solve your issue but I'm not sure about whether clustering Server A with virtual machine on Server B would be successful. If failover cluster is configured, virtual machine on Server B will automatically takes over Server A's load when Server A is down.
    Failover Clustering Overview

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  3. Alex Bykovskyi 1,846 Reputation points
    2021-02-17T19:05:38.377+00:00

    Hi,

    As mentioned, it is possible to do a P2V with tools like disk2vhd or StarWind V2V Converter.
    https://www.starwindsoftware.com/starwind-v2v-converter

    However, it is not a backup. There are different kinds of backup software, which can backup your physical server and then restore to Hyper-V VM. As an example:
    https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/agentforwindows/userguide/integration_instant_restore.html?ver=40

    Cheers,

    Alex Bykovskyi

    StarWind Software

    Note: Posts are provided “AS IS” without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose.

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