Is it possible to recover a full backup to a computer with different hardware using the Intelligent Disaster Recovery option?

Details:

In the event of a disaster that requires the replacement of the entire computer or a specific piece of hardware, the VERITAS Backup Exec (tm) for Windows NT and Windows 2000 Intelligent Disaster Recovery (IDR) option can be used to restore a full backup to the point where Windows NT/2000 is up and running, excluding the installation of any device drivers that may need to be updated or reconfigured to support the new hardware.

There are specific limitations that should be known before an attempt to restore a full system backup to a computer with different hardware is attempted:

Restoration to a computer with more or less processors than the original computer is not supported (i.e. Dual processor to Quad processor or Dual processor to Single processor).
Restoration to a computer of a different platform (CPU) than the original computer is not supported (i.e. Intel to Alpha).
Only the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) controllers that are installed and configured before the graphical portion of the IDR process can be used to restore during the recovery process (see Related Documents for more information). To add original equipment manufacturer (OEM) third party SCSI drivers (that are not present on a standard Windows NT CD), select Custom Setup instead of Express Setup in the text portion of the IDR process and add the driver manually.
If SCSI device drivers are used that rely on later service pack revisions to function, they may not work properly when installed during the IDR process, since the IDR process is based on the Windows NT CD that was used when the IDR diskettes were created. In most cases, the Windows NT CD either had Windows NT/2000 Service Pack 1 or no service pack incorporated on it.
If the video hardware differs, IDR will not attempt to install new video drivers. Instead, the restored NT/2000 operating system will boot into Video Graphics Array (VGA) compatibility mode. Once booted, a new video driver will have to be installed manually.
Although networking support is installed for Remote IDR, network interface drivers will not be moved into the restored NT/2000 operating system. If the network interface hardware has changed, the old network interface card (NIC) drivers will have to be uninstalled via the Control Panel | Network icon, and new device drivers installed (see Related Documents for more information).
Any third party device drivers that are installed at the time of backup may fail during the IDR process if the new hardware does not support them. The offending drivers will have to be removed manually from the restored Windows NT/2000 installation, once it is operational.

This information is only to be used as a reference for Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 disaster recovery. The Backup Exec for Windows NT and Windows 2000.

Intelligent Disaster Recovery option is not supported as a PC cloning utility for the duplication of systems. In addition, the Intelligent Disaster Recovery procedure is limited by any limitations of the Windows NT/2000 operating system.

Related Documents:

http://support.veritas.com/docs/190616

http://support.veritas.com/docs/237174

http://support.veritas.com/docs/240236

http://support.veritas.com/docs/249618

Products Applied:
Backup Exec for Windows Servers 7.3, 8.0, 8.5, 8.6, 8.6 for WSA, 9.0, 9.1

Last Updated: September 28 2004 08:59 AM GMT
Expires on: 06-13-2006

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Subjects:
Backup Exec for Windows Servers
   Application: Intelligent Disaster Recovery, Restore
   Intelligent Disaster Recovery: Known Issues
   Priority: 03

Languages:
English (US)

Operating Systems:
Windows 2000

Advanced Server, Advanced Server SP1, Advanced Server SP2, Advanced Server SP3, Professional, Professional SP1, Professional SP2, Professional SP3, Server, Server SP1, Server SP2, Server SP3

Windows NT

4.0 Server SP4, 4.0 Server SP5, 4.0 Server SP6a, 4.0 Workstation SP4, 4.0 Workstation SP5, 4.0 Workstation SP6a

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