With release of updated CloudBerry Backup 5.1 we have introduced its new feature – the ability to resize NTFS partitions during image based restoration. It allows maintaining the desired volume size irrespective the backup. Let's take a closer look at this feature.

When to Use the New Feature

It is common to recover data to the original server, but what to do if you need to use another one or just plan upgrading? By the way, it is necessary to repartition the new drive’s volume according to the new target disk size, and one often does it using OS built-in capabilities. These actions require rolling up your sleeves and doing the following:

1. Restore an image “as it is” with a smaller volume size.
2. Boot up the OS and use its tools to extend the partition size.
3. If the destination drive is smaller (for example, in case of upgrading to SSD), you have to start the shrinking process by means of the operating system, which may bring unpredictable results.

Here the new CloudBerry Backup feature comes. Now it is possible to change the volume size during the restoration process, whether shrink it or extend. Note that the desired size shall be larger than the size used in the image and smaller than the new drive’s available capacity.

Resize while Restoring as a Physical Disk

Here is a quick guide on resizing the volume during the restoration process:

1. Choose Restore option on the top panel of CloudBerry Backup and click Next.
   
2. Choose the desired repository and proceed to the Type of Data screen. The new feature is available only for image data, so choose Restore Image Based Backup.
   
3. Select the backup version to restore and the required target: it is possible to use a cloud VM service or a physical server. With two first options you will go to the Select Partitions screen. Otherwise, it will require to specify additional cloud account info.
   
4. Click the Target Size content and specify any partition size you need. But keep in mind that this size shall to be larger than the size of restored data and smaller than the available drive capacity.
   

On the next steps select the partition for the new data and additional settings you want (encryption, notification, etc.). When everything is done, start the Restore Plan.

Resize while Restoring as a Virtual Disk

Start the same Restore Wizard as described above and proceed to Type of Data step.

1. Select Restore as a virtual disk option and choose file format depending on your virtual platform.
   
2. On the next step you can use Target Size column or use a new feature called Advanced Reorganizer by checking the first radio button.
   
3. Then Resize partitions screen appear. Here you can create a new partitions structure for the restoring drive – check the screenshot below:
   We are going to create a separate blog post about this great feature, so stay tuned!
4. Select the destination volume, file or virtual machine (depending on your choice). Then set an additional options such as compression, scheduling, notifications, etc.
   
   

If you store a backups encrypted, don’t forget to enter the decryption key. After the wizard have finished, you can start the recovery process.

Conclusion

Check the new volume resizing feature in the updated CloudBerry Backup to be well-armed for any disaster or upgrade scenario. If you are not among our customers yet it is easy to check the capabilities of our backup software during a free 15-day trial period. Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with us using the comments section below or our support forums.

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Related links:

• Introducing CloudBerry Backup 5.1 with Image-Based Backup Enhancements
• Difference between Image-Based and File-Level Backup