Performing a Restore in the LiveVault Web Portal

Overview

This article explains how to restore protected data using the LiveVault Web Portal. The portal walks you through selecting a computer, a point in time, and the specific files to recover, then either restores them over the internet or ships a restore device. Use this procedure for standard file and folder restores; application-specific restores (SQL, Exchange, DPM, NAS/CIFS) follow the same core flow with a few extra steps noted at the end.

KEY FACTS ABOUT A RESTORE JOB

A restore recovers data as of a single point in time. To move past a corruption event, restore progressively older versions until you reach a clean one.

Files return to their original location by default, unless you redirect them (see Step 7).

You will receive an email when the restore completes. There is no limit on the number of files in a single job.

Before You Begin

Portal credentials — your LiveVault Web Portal username and password.
Agent status — the source computer must have a healthy, reporting LiveVault agent.
Destination readiness — enough free disk space for the restored data, plus a second copy if you use auto-rename (recommended).
Redirected restores — if restoring to a different machine, the target must run a LiveVault agent, hold the source computer’s encryption key, and match the source operating system. See the callout in Step 7.
File system match — restore to the same file system type that was backed up (for example, ReFS → ReFS) to avoid losing security attributes and alternate data streams.

Procedure

Step 1 — Log in to the LiveVault Web Portal

In a supported browser, go to https://livevaultservice.livevault.com/Home.aspx.

Enter your username and password, then sign in.
The Home page opens, showing the Summary and Restore tabs and your list of protected computers.

Step 2 — Select the computer to restore from

In the navigation pane on the left, click the computer (agent) that holds the data you want to recover.
Confirm you have the correct machine — the restore will pull from this computer’s backup history.

Step 3 — Start a new restore

Select the Restore tab. Any previously submitted restore requests are listed here.
Click New Restore to launch the Restore Wizard.

Step 4 — Choose how the data is delivered

The wizard offers up to three delivery methods. Choose the one that fits the size of the recovery and your available bandwidth:

Restore data over the Internet — best for typical file and folder recoveries. Opens the Restore Request page directly.
Restore data through direct download — downloads selected data; the Options tab, System State, and rebuild-deduplicated-volume choices are hidden for this method.
Have a Media Restore Device shipped to you — for very large recoveries. You pick the version and shipping method, provide a shipping address, then attach the device to your network when it arrives.

Step 5 — Select the backup version (point in time)

Choose the date and time of the version you want to recover. LiveVault restores the most recent version of each selected file as of that moment.
If you are recovering from data corruption, start with the most recent clean version. You may need several restores, working backward, to land before the corruption occurred.

TIP — TIME-SLICE RESTORE

To browse historic versions, use Time-Slice Restore: specify a policy plus a date and time, and the portal shows the directory tree exactly as it existed then, so you can pick files from that snapshot.

Step 6 — Select files and folders (Selection tab)

On the Restore Request page, open the Selection tab.
Click the "+" next to the computer or folder name to expand the tree.
Select the checkbox beside each file or folder you want to restore.
For large or rule-based selections, click Advanced to filter directories and files with inclusion/exclusion rules.

NOTE — MODIFIED DATES

The Selection tab shows each file’s size and modified date. The modified date reflects when the file was last closed — for databases and always-open application files, this may not match the true currency of the backed-up data.

Step 7 — Set restore options (Options tab)

Open the Options tab to control where the data lands and how conflicts are handled:

File conflict handling — choose how existing files at the destination are treated.
Redirect the restore — restore to a different directory and/or a different computer than the data came from.
System State (Windows) — optionally restore the original Windows System State.
Schedule — run the restore now or at a scheduled time.

BEST PRACTICE — FILE CONFLICTS

Select Auto-rename the existing file for the greatest flexibility — this preserves the current file alongside the restored copy. Ensure the destination has room for both copies, or the restore will fail.

Overwrite options (for example, Always overwrite existing file with restored file) replace the current file permanently — an overwritten file can only be recovered by restoring another version.

IMPORTANT — REDIRECTED RESTORES

The target computer must be running a LiveVault agent and must hold the same encryption key as the source computer (keys are retrieved per source machine).

The target and source must run the same operating system. Redirected restore to a mounted network drive is not supported.

Caution: do not restore a System State from one computer to another computer with a different hostname — this will cause the target to fail.

Step 8 — Confirm and submit

Click Next. The Restore Wizard Confirmation page opens.
Review the selected files and options.
Click Done. LiveVault creates the restore job and begins processing it according to the schedule.

Note: a single request may pull from more than one vault, so you may see multiple jobs sharing your request name with an appended sequence number.

Step 9 — Monitor the restore

Track progress from the Home page of the portal:

Summary and Restore tabs — show pending jobs (scheduled start and destination), running jobs (progress, start time, size), and jobs completed within the last 48 hours.
Email notification — sent when the job completes.
Reports tab — logs request details, file/directory counts, processing time, and any warnings or errors for each restore job.

Application-Specific Restores

Databases and applications follow the same wizard but require extra care. When restoring these workloads, select the related policy type and review the application notes before starting:

Microsoft SQL Server — select all files comprising the database; auto-rename is recommended; restart the SQL service after the restore so it recovers from the restored data, then verify the database.
Microsoft Exchange — cannot restore to a passive node/database; use a redirected file restore for passive copies, disable then re-enable the backup policy around the restore, and complete any CCR/DAG post-restore steps.
Microsoft DPM, NAS devices, and CIFS shares — use the backup and restore policies specific to those workloads.

When in doubt, verify the recovered data (for example, confirm a database is no longer corrupted) and restore an older version if needed.

Troubleshooting & Support

Restore failed on disk space — free space at the destination (auto-rename needs room for two copies) and resubmit.
Redirected restore won’t proceed — confirm the target has the agent installed, holds the source encryption key, and matches the source OS.
Missing or unexpected file versions — remember dates reflect when a file was last closed; use Time-Slice Restore to pick a precise point in time.
Need a device or large recovery — use the Media Restore Device delivery option in Step 4.

NEED A HAND?

CyberFortress Customer Support can help you plan and validate any restore. Open a ticket or contact your Customer Success Manager, and reference this article along with the affected computer and target date/time.

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