Bare-metal recovery
Restore the entire system from an image-level backup copy.
Bare-metal recovery (BMR) restores the entire environment from an image-level backup, including the operating system, applications, and all associated data.
General information
BMR (bare-metal restore, also known as bare-metal recovery) enables rapid system recovery using a system image created with disk-imaging software. The image file restores the entire operating system and its underlying configurations in minutes, completely bypassing the lengthy process of manual OS and application re-installation. Because BMR allows you to quickly return a physical machine or server to its full operational state following a data-loss event or hardware failure, it serves as a cornerstone of an effective disaster recovery strategy.
Initiating a bare-metal recovery will completely erase all existing partitions and data on the target system disk. The process deletes the current disk structure, recreates the original partition layout from the backup, and then restores the operating system and files onto the machine.
In Xopero ONE, the BMR process is streamlined into four primary steps:
Create an ISO file that includes the pre-configured Xopero ONE backup agent.
Write the ISO file to a USB flash drive—or any alternative bootable media—to create a recovery drive.
Boot the target device (the device onto which the system image will be restored) using the newly created media.
Log in to the Xopero ONE Management Service (XMS) and start the recovery process.
Creating an ISO file (Windows)
The following steps outline the process of creating an ISO image with a pre-configured backup agent using the SVS Creator utility.
SVS Creator relies on the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) to generate ISO images. Please verify that Windows ADK is installed on the system before starting the creation wizard — if it's not, you must download and install it before proceeding with the media configuration process.
Download the SVS Creator utility from the official Xopero website and extract the contents of the ZIP archive to a separate folder.
Run SVSCreator.exe to open the creation wizard.
In the SVS Creator wizard window, specify the temporary working directory path, which also serves as the output destination where the final ISO image will be created. By default, this path is set to C:\Windows\Temp, but you can modify it to a different directory if needed. Once the path is selected, click Next.
Select the appropriate OS architecture (32-bit or 64-bit), then click Next.
If the Windows ADK is not detected on the system, clicking Next will automatically launch the ADK installation wizard. Once the installation is complete, you will be automatically returned to the SVS Creator window to resume the configuration.
The wizard will then automatically download and install the required components.
Once all required components are successfully installed, you have the option to include specific drivers required for the target system's recovery. Click Add to browse and select the necessary drivers, then click Next to proceed.
The wizard will then start generating the final Windows PE-based ISO image.
Once the ISO image is successfully created, an "ISO image with Windows PE successfully built" confirmation message will appear, displaying the exact output directory path of the file. You can then safely close the SVS Creator utility.
Next, write the ISO image to a USB flash drive—or another bootable media—to create a recovery drive. Use it to boot the target device and initiate the image-level backup restore.
Preparing the target device
The following steps outline the process of booting the Xopero ONE recovery environment on the target device.
Boot the target device using the previously prepared recovery drive.
After the device boots, the SVS application will launch automatically, displaying the following menu options:
Xopero: opens the Xopero window with additional recovery options.
Shell: opens the command-line interface, which can be used for manual network interface configuration.
Reboot: restarts the device.
Shutdown: shuts down the device.
Select Xopero to continue.
A new menu screen will appear with the following options:
Device app: launches the Xopero ONE backup agent application on the device.
Fix boot problems: resolves the operating system boot issues; can be used to fix errors related to the SVS application.
Drivers: allows you to load or add new drivers.
Select Device app to continue.
Enter the service address and the device name to use in Xopero ONE Management Service, then click Connect.
On another device, open the Xopero ONE Management Service panel and start the recovery procedure.
Starting the restore process
The following steps describe the restore process in Xopero ONE Management Service.
Click the laptop icon in the top-right corner of the management service panel.
Find the target device, select it, and click Activate to assign a license to it.
You do not need to select a license manually — Xopero ONE assigns it automatically.
Open the Devices tab, locate the device from which you want to restore the backup, and click the Restore button.
Select the backup plan from which you want to restore the data.
Choose the timestamp from which you want to restore the data, click Restore, and select the BMR recovery option from the drop-down menu.
Next, select the disk you want to restore and click Restore selected.
Verify that the correct target device is selected in the Restore to field. To change it, click Edit and select the appropriate device. Then, in the Restore directory section, specify the disk to which the backup should be restored.
Optionally, in the Restore settings section, select the checkbox to reset the system drivers, or leave it unchecked to keep the original driver configuration.
Verify that all entered settings are correct, then click the Restore button in the bottom-right corner of the Restore data pane to begin the recovery process.
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