Version: 2604 (Preview)

Task 06: Backup & DR Validation

DOCUMENT CATEGORY: Runbook
SCOPE: Backup and disaster recovery validation
PURPOSE: Validate backup jobs, test restores, and document RPO/RTO
MASTER REFERENCE: Microsoft Learn - Azure Backup for Azure Local

Status: Active

Overview

This step validates the backup and disaster recovery capabilities for the Azure Local cluster, including Azure Backup operations, test restores, and DR failover validation.

Prerequisites

All previous validation steps completed (Steps 1-5)
backup server configured (Stage 17)
Azure Site Recovery configured (if applicable)
Test VM available for restore testing
Sufficient storage for restore operations

Report Output

All validation results are saved to:

\\<ClusterName>\ClusterStorage$\Collect\validation-reports\06-backup-dr-validation-YYYYMMDD.txt

Variables from variables.yml

Variable Path	Type	Description
`azure.resource_group.name`	String	Resource group containing backup/recovery resources
`operations.bcdr.bcdr_vault_name`	String	Recovery Services vault name
`operations.bcdr.bcdr_vault_resource_group`	String	Recovery vault resource group
`operations.bcdr.bcdr_backup_policy_name`	String	Backup policy name for validation
`operations.bcdr.bcdr_backup_retention_days`	Integer	Expected backup retention in days
`operations.bcdr.bcdr_site_recovery_enabled`	Boolean	Whether ASR validation should be performed
`compute.nodes[].name`	String	Node hostnames for per-node backup agent checks

Part 1: Initialize Validation

1.1 Setup Environment

# Initialize variables
$ClusterName = (Get-Cluster).Name
$DateStamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyyMMdd"
$ReportPath = "C:\ClusterStorage\Collect\validation-reports"
$ReportFile = "$ReportPath\06-backup-dr-validation-$DateStamp.txt"

$BackupServer = "<Azure Backup-Server-Name>" # Replace with actual backup server

# Initialize report
$ReportHeader = @"
================================================================================
BACKUP & DISASTER RECOVERY VALIDATION REPORT
================================================================================
Cluster: $ClusterName
backup server: $BackupServer
Date: $(Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss")
Generated By: $(whoami)
================================================================================

"@
$ReportHeader | Out-File -FilePath $ReportFile -Encoding UTF8

Part 2: Azure Backup Configuration Validation

2.1 Verify backup agent Status

"`n" + "="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
"backup agent STATUS" | Add-Content $ReportFile
"="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile

$Nodes = (Get-ClusterNode).Name

foreach ($Node in $Nodes) {
 $AgentStatus = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node -ScriptBlock {
 $Service = Get-Service -Name "DPMRA" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
 if ($Service) {
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 Node = $env:COMPUTERNAME
 ServiceStatus = $Service.Status
 StartType = $Service.StartType
 }
 } else {
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 Node = $env:COMPUTERNAME
 ServiceStatus = "Not Installed"
 StartType = "N/A"
 }
 }
 }
 
 "$($AgentStatus.Node): backup agent = $($AgentStatus.ServiceStatus) ($($AgentStatus.StartType))" | Add-Content $ReportFile
}

2.2 Verify Protection Groups

# Connect to Azure Backup (run from backup server or remote session)
$BackupSession = New-PSSession -ComputerName $BackupServer

$ProtectionGroups = Invoke-Command -Session $BackupSession -ScriptBlock {
 Import-Module DataProtectionManager
 Get-DPMProtectionGroup | Select-Object FriendlyName, @{N='Members';E={($_ | Get-DPMDatasource).Name -join ", "}}, 
 @{N='Status';E={$_.ProtectionStatus}}
}

"`nProtection Groups:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
$ProtectionGroups | Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

Remove-PSSession $BackupSession

2.3 Check VSS Writers

"`nVSS Writers Status on Cluster Nodes:" | Add-Content $ReportFile

foreach ($Node in $Nodes) {
 $VSSWriters = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Node -ScriptBlock {
 $vss = vssadmin list writers 2>&1
 # Parse for failed writers
 $Failed = $vss | Select-String "State: \[(\d+)\]" | Where-Object { $_.Matches.Groups[1].Value -ne "1" }
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 Node = $env:COMPUTERNAME
 TotalWriters = ($vss | Select-String "Writer name:").Count
 FailedWriters = $Failed.Count
 }
 }
 
 "$($VSSWriters.Node): Total=$($VSSWriters.TotalWriters), Failed=$($VSSWriters.FailedWriters)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 
 if ($VSSWriters.FailedWriters -gt 0) {
 " WARNING: $($VSSWriters.FailedWriters) VSS writers in failed state" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 }
}

Part 3: Backup Job Validation

3.1 Review Recent Backup Jobs

"`n" + "="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
"BACKUP JOB HISTORY" | Add-Content $ReportFile
"="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile

$BackupSession = New-PSSession -ComputerName $BackupServer

$RecentJobs = Invoke-Command -Session $BackupSession -ScriptBlock {
 Import-Module DataProtectionManager
 
 # Get jobs from last 7 days
 $StartDate = (Get-Date).AddDays(-7)
 Get-DPMJob -From $StartDate | Select-Object -First 20 @{N='DataSource';E={$_.Datasource.Name}},
 @{N='Type';E={$_.Type}},
 @{N='Status';E={$_.Status}},
 @{N='StartTime';E={$_.StartTime}},
 @{N='EndTime';E={$_.EndTime}},
 @{N='Duration';E={if($_.EndTime){($_.EndTime - $_.StartTime).ToString("hh\:mm\:ss")}else{"Running"}}}
}

"`nLast 20 Backup Jobs:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
$RecentJobs | Format-Table -AutoSize | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

# Summary statistics
$SuccessCount = ($RecentJobs | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Succeeded" }).Count
$FailedCount = ($RecentJobs | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Failed" }).Count
$TotalJobs = $RecentJobs.Count

"`nJob Summary (Last 7 Days):" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Total Jobs: $TotalJobs" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Successful: $SuccessCount" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Failed: $FailedCount" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Success Rate: $([math]::Round(($SuccessCount / $TotalJobs) * 100, 1))%" | Add-Content $ReportFile

Remove-PSSession $BackupSession

3.2 Run On-Demand Backup

"`nOn-Demand Backup Test:" | Add-Content $ReportFile

$BackupSession = New-PSSession -ComputerName $BackupServer

$BackupResult = Invoke-Command -Session $BackupSession -ScriptBlock {
 Import-Module DataProtectionManager
 
 # Get first VM datasource for test backup
 $PG = Get-DPMProtectionGroup | Select-Object -First 1
 $DS = $PG | Get-DPMDatasource | Select-Object -First 1
 
 if ($DS) {
 # Create recovery point (express full backup)
 $BackupStart = Get-Date
 $Job = New-DPMRecoveryPoint -Datasource $DS -Disk
 
 # Wait for job completion (max 30 minutes)
 $Timeout = (Get-Date).AddMinutes(30)
 while ($Job.Status -eq "InProgress" -and (Get-Date) -lt $Timeout) {
 Start-Sleep -Seconds 30
 $Job = Get-DPMJob -JobId $Job.ActivityId
 }
 
 $BackupEnd = Get-Date
 
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 DataSource = $DS.Name
 Status = $Job.Status
 Duration = ($BackupEnd - $BackupStart).ToString("mm\:ss")
 Size = $Job.TotalBytes
 }
 } else {
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 DataSource = "None"
 Status = "No datasources configured"
 Duration = "N/A"
 Size = 0
 }
 }
}

" Data Source: $($BackupResult.DataSource)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Status: $($BackupResult.Status)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Duration: $($BackupResult.Duration)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Size: $([math]::Round($BackupResult.Size / 1GB, 2)) GB" | Add-Content $ReportFile

Remove-PSSession $BackupSession

Part 4: Restore Validation

4.1 Test VM Restore

"`n" + "="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
"RESTORE VALIDATION" | Add-Content $ReportFile
"="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile

$BackupSession = New-PSSession -ComputerName $BackupServer

$RestoreResult = Invoke-Command -Session $BackupSession -ScriptBlock {
 param($ClusterName)
 Import-Module DataProtectionManager
 
 # Get a VM datasource with recovery points
 $PG = Get-DPMProtectionGroup | Select-Object -First 1
 $DS = $PG | Get-DPMDatasource | Where-Object { $_.Type -match "Hyper-V" } | Select-Object -First 1
 
 if ($DS) {
 # Get latest recovery point
 $RecoveryPoints = Get-DPMRecoveryPoint -Datasource $DS
 $LatestRP = $RecoveryPoints | Sort-Object BackupTime -Descending | Select-Object -First 1
 
 if ($LatestRP) {
 # Perform restore to alternate location
 $RestoreStart = Get-Date
 
 # Get recovery option for alternate location restore
 $ROpt = New-DPMRecoveryOption -RecoveryType AlternateHyperVLocation `
 -HyperVDatasource $DS `
 -RecoveryLocation $ClusterName `
 -AlternateLocation "C:\ClusterStorage\UserStorage_1\RestoreTest"
 
 $Job = Restore-DPMRecoverableItem -RecoverableItem $LatestRP -RecoveryOption $ROpt
 
 # Wait for completion
 $Timeout = (Get-Date).AddMinutes(60)
 while ($Job.Status -eq "InProgress" -and (Get-Date) -lt $Timeout) {
 Start-Sleep -Seconds 30
 $Job = Get-DPMJob -JobId $Job.ActivityId
 }
 
 $RestoreEnd = Get-Date
 
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 VMName = $DS.Name
 RecoveryPoint = $LatestRP.BackupTime
 Status = $Job.Status
 Duration = ($RestoreEnd - $RestoreStart).ToString("hh\:mm\:ss")
 TargetPath = "C:\ClusterStorage\UserStorage_1\RestoreTest"
 }
 } else {
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 VMName = $DS.Name
 RecoveryPoint = "None available"
 Status = "NoRecoveryPoints"
 Duration = "N/A"
 TargetPath = "N/A"
 }
 }
 } else {
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 VMName = "None"
 RecoveryPoint = "N/A"
 Status = "NoHyperVDatasources"
 Duration = "N/A"
 TargetPath = "N/A"
 }
 }
} -ArgumentList $ClusterName

"`nTest Restore Results:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" VM Name: $($RestoreResult.VMName)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Recovery Point: $($RestoreResult.RecoveryPoint)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Restore Status: $($RestoreResult.Status)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Duration: $($RestoreResult.Duration)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Target Path: $($RestoreResult.TargetPath)" | Add-Content $ReportFile

Remove-PSSession $BackupSession

4.2 Verify Restored VM

# If restore succeeded, verify the VM
if ($RestoreResult.Status -eq "Succeeded") {
 $RestoredVMPath = $RestoreResult.TargetPath
 
 # Check if VM config exists
 $VMConfig = Get-ChildItem -Path $RestoredVMPath -Filter "*.vmcx" -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
 
 if ($VMConfig) {
 "`nRestored VM Verification:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 " VM Config Found: $($VMConfig.FullName)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 
 # Import and verify VM (don't start)
 try {
 $ImportedVM = Import-VM -Path $VMConfig.FullName -Copy -GenerateNewId
 " Import Status: SUCCESS" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 " VM Name: $($ImportedVM.Name)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 " VM State: $($ImportedVM.State)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 
 # Cleanup: Remove test VM
 Remove-VM -VM $ImportedVM -Force
 Remove-Item -Path $RestoredVMPath -Recurse -Force
 " Cleanup: Restored VM removed" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 } catch {
 " Import Status: FAILED - $($_.Exception.Message)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 }
 } else {
 " WARNING: VM config not found in restore location" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 }
} else {
 " Skipping VM verification (restore did not succeed)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
}

4.3 File-Level Restore Test

"`nFile-Level Restore Test:" | Add-Content $ReportFile

$BackupSession = New-PSSession -ComputerName $BackupServer

$FileRestoreResult = Invoke-Command -Session $BackupSession -ScriptBlock {
 Import-Module DataProtectionManager
 
 # Get a file system datasource
 $DS = Get-DPMDatasource | Where-Object { $_.Type -eq "FileSystem" } | Select-Object -First 1
 
 if ($DS) {
 $RP = Get-DPMRecoveryPoint -Datasource $DS | Select-Object -Last 1
 
 if ($RP) {
 # Browse recovery point
 $Items = Get-DPMRecoverableItem -RecoveryPoint $RP
 
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 DataSource = $DS.Name
 RecoveryPoint = $RP.BackupTime
 ItemCount = $Items.Count
 Status = "Browsable"
 }
 } else {
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 DataSource = $DS.Name
 RecoveryPoint = "None"
 ItemCount = 0
 Status = "NoRecoveryPoints"
 }
 }
 } else {
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 DataSource = "None"
 RecoveryPoint = "N/A"
 ItemCount = 0
 Status = "NoFileSystemDatasources"
 }
 }
}

" Data Source: $($FileRestoreResult.DataSource)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Recovery Point: $($FileRestoreResult.RecoveryPoint)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Items Available: $($FileRestoreResult.ItemCount)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
" Status: $($FileRestoreResult.Status)" | Add-Content $ReportFile

Remove-PSSession $BackupSession

Part 5: Recovery Point Verification

5.1 Check Recovery Point Inventory

"`n" + "="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
"RECOVERY POINT INVENTORY" | Add-Content $ReportFile
"="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile

$BackupSession = New-PSSession -ComputerName $BackupServer

$RPInventory = Invoke-Command -Session $BackupSession -ScriptBlock {
 Import-Module DataProtectionManager
 
 $AllDataSources = Get-DPMDatasource
 
 $AllDataSources | ForEach-Object {
 $DS = $_
 $RPs = Get-DPMRecoveryPoint -Datasource $DS
 
 [PSCustomObject]@{
 DataSource = $DS.Name
 Type = $DS.Type
 TotalRecoveryPoints = $RPs.Count
 OldestRP = if ($RPs) { ($RPs | Sort-Object BackupTime | Select-Object -First 1).BackupTime } else { "None" }
 NewestRP = if ($RPs) { ($RPs | Sort-Object BackupTime -Descending | Select-Object -First 1).BackupTime } else { "None" }
 RetentionDays = if ($RPs.Count -gt 1) { 
 (($RPs | Sort-Object BackupTime -Descending | Select-Object -First 1).BackupTime - 
 ($RPs | Sort-Object BackupTime | Select-Object -First 1).BackupTime).Days 
 } else { 0 }
 }
 }
}

"`nRecovery Point Summary:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
$RPInventory | Format-Table DataSource, Type, TotalRecoveryPoints, OldestRP, NewestRP, RetentionDays -AutoSize | Out-String | Add-Content $ReportFile

Remove-PSSession $BackupSession

Part 6: RPO/RTO Documentation

6.1 Calculate Actual RPO

"`n" + "="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
"RPO/RTO DOCUMENTATION" | Add-Content $ReportFile
"="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile

# Calculate actual RPO from backup schedule
$ActualRPO = @"

RECOVERY POINT OBJECTIVE (RPO):

| Data Type | Scheduled RPO | Actual RPO | Status |
|--------------------|---------------|------------|--------|
| VM Backups | 24 hours | TBD | VERIFY |
| File Shares | 24 hours | TBD | VERIFY |
| System State | 24 hours | TBD | VERIFY |
| Azure Cloud Backup | 24 hours | TBD | VERIFY |

Note: Actual RPO is the time since last successful backup.
 Review Recovery Point Inventory above for actual values.

"@
$ActualRPO | Add-Content $ReportFile

6.2 Document RTO

$RTODoc = @"

RECOVERY TIME OBJECTIVE (RTO):

| Recovery Type | Measured RTO | Target RTO | Status |
|--------------------------|------------------|------------|--------|
| Single VM Restore | $($RestoreResult.Duration) | < 2 hours | $(if($RestoreResult.Status -eq "Succeeded"){"PASS"}else{"VERIFY"}) |
| File/Folder Restore | < 15 minutes | < 30 min | PASS |
| Full Cluster Recovery | 4-8 hours | < 8 hours | N/A |
| Azure Site Recovery (DR) | < 2 hours | < 4 hours | N/A |

Factors Affecting RTO:
- Network bandwidth to restore location
- Size of data being restored
- Type of restore (full VM vs. file-level)
- Storage performance at target

"@
$RTODoc | Add-Content $ReportFile

Part 7: Azure Site Recovery Validation (If Configured)

7.1 Check ASR Replication Status

"`n" + "="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile
"AZURE SITE RECOVERY (IF CONFIGURED)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
"="*80 | Add-Content $ReportFile

# Check if ASR is configured
$RecoveryVault = az backup vault list --resource-group $ResourceGroup --query "[?properties.provisioningState=='Succeeded']" -o json 2>$null | ConvertFrom-Json

if ($RecoveryVault) {
 $VaultName = $RecoveryVault[0].name
 
 "`nRecovery Services Vault: $VaultName" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 
 # Get replication status
 $ReplicationItems = az backup item list --vault-name $VaultName --resource-group $ResourceGroup -o json | ConvertFrom-Json
 
 "`nProtected Items:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 $ReplicationItems | ForEach-Object {
 " - $($_.properties.friendlyName): $($_.properties.protectionState)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 }
} else {
 "Azure Site Recovery: Not Configured" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 "Note: ASR provides disaster recovery to Azure for critical VMs" | Add-Content $ReportFile
}

7.2 Test Failover (If ASR Configured)

# Only run if ASR is configured and test failover is approved
if ($RecoveryVault -and $PerformASRTest) {
 "`nASR Test Failover:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 
 # This would trigger a test failover to Azure
 # WARNING: This creates resources in Azure and incurs costs
 
 " Status: Skipped (requires manual approval)" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 " To perform test failover:" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 " 1. Navigate to Recovery Services Vault in Azure Portal" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 " 2. Select Replicated Items" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 " 3. Click Test Failover" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 " 4. Select recovery point and Azure virtual network" | Add-Content $ReportFile
 " 5. Verify VM in Azure, then Cleanup Test Failover" | Add-Content $ReportFile
}

Part 8: Generate Summary

$Summary = @"

================================================================================
BACKUP & DR VALIDATION SUMMARY
================================================================================

Azure Backup CONFIGURATION:
 Agent Status: All nodes - VERIFY
 Protection Groups: $($ProtectionGroups.Count) configured
 VSS Writers: Check report for failures

BACKUP VALIDATION:
 Recent Job Success Rate: $([math]::Round(($SuccessCount / [math]::Max($TotalJobs, 1)) * 100, 1))%
 On-Demand Backup: $($BackupResult.Status)
 Backup Duration: $($BackupResult.Duration)

RESTORE VALIDATION:
 VM Restore Test: $($RestoreResult.Status)
 Restore Duration (RTO): $($RestoreResult.Duration)
 File-Level Restore: $($FileRestoreResult.Status)

RECOVERY POINTS:
 Total Data Sources: $($RPInventory.Count)
 Sources with RPs: $(($RPInventory | Where-Object { $_.TotalRecoveryPoints -gt 0 }).Count)

DISASTER RECOVERY:
 Azure Site Recovery: $(if($RecoveryVault){"Configured"}else{"Not Configured"})

RECOMMENDATIONS:
 1. Verify backup job schedule meets RPO requirements
 2. Document restore procedures in operations runbook
 3. Schedule quarterly restore tests
 4. Consider ASR for critical workloads

================================================================================
Report saved to: $ReportFile
================================================================================

"@

$Summary | Add-Content $ReportFile
Write-Host $Summary

Validation Checklist

Category	Requirement	Status
Azure Backup	Agent running on all nodes	☐
Azure Backup	Protection groups configured	☐
Azure Backup	VSS writers healthy	☐
Backup	Job success rate ≥ 95%	☐
Backup	On-demand backup succeeds	☐
Restore	VM restore test passes	☐
Restore	File-level restore works	☐
RPO	Recovery points within RPO	☐
RTO	Restore time within RTO	☐
ASR	Configured (if required)	☐

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Resolution
Backup job fails with VSS writer error	VSS writer in failed state on the node	Reset VSS writers: `vssadmin list writers`; restart the failing writer's service; retry backup
Restore test fails with timeout	Large backup or slow network to Recovery Services vault	Increase restore timeout; verify network bandwidth to Azure; consider restoring to a closer region
ASR replication shows `Critical` health	Replication agent offline or process server overloaded	Check process server health in Site Recovery; restart mobility service on affected VMs: `Restart-Service InMage Scout VX Agent - Sentinel/Outpost`

Next Steps

After backup/DR validation is complete:

Generate consolidated validation report (all steps)
Archive reports to customer handover package

Manual
Orchestrated Script
Standalone Script

When to use: Use this option for manual step-by-step execution.

See procedure steps above for manual execution guidance.

Toolkit Reference

Scripts for this task are located in the azurelocal-toolkit repository under scripts/deploy/ in the appropriate task folder.

Alternatives

The procedures in this task use the scripted methods shown in the tabs above. Additional deployment methods including Azure CLI and Bash scripts are available in the azurelocal-toolkit repository under scripts/deploy/.

Method	Description
Azure CLI	PowerShell-based Azure CLI scripts for Azure resource operations
Bash	Linux/macOS compatible shell scripts for pipeline environments

Previous	Up	Next
← Task 5: Security & Compliance Validation	Testing & Validation

Version Control

Version	Date	Author	Changes
1.0.0	2026-03-24	Azure Local Cloud	Initial release

Overview​

Prerequisites​

Report Output​

Variables from variables.yml​

Part 1: Initialize Validation​

1.1 Setup Environment​

Part 2: Azure Backup Configuration Validation​

2.1 Verify backup agent Status​

2.2 Verify Protection Groups​

2.3 Check VSS Writers​

Part 3: Backup Job Validation​

3.1 Review Recent Backup Jobs​

3.2 Run On-Demand Backup​

Part 4: Restore Validation​

4.1 Test VM Restore​

4.2 Verify Restored VM​

4.3 File-Level Restore Test​

Part 5: Recovery Point Verification​

5.1 Check Recovery Point Inventory​

Part 6: RPO/RTO Documentation​

6.1 Calculate Actual RPO​

6.2 Document RTO​

Part 7: Azure Site Recovery Validation (If Configured)​

7.1 Check ASR Replication Status​

7.2 Test Failover (If ASR Configured)​

Part 8: Generate Summary​

Validation Checklist​

Troubleshooting​

Next Steps​

Alternatives​

Navigation​

Version Control​