Virtualization, Servers and Storage : How‑To: Restore a File by Date via UTORrecover NetWorker Client

This guide explains how to browse and restore a file from a specific point in time using the command-line interface of the NetWorker Client.

Prerequisites

• Working installation of UTORrecover NetWorker Client on the target machine

• Estimated timestamp of the backup (e.g., file state as of June 18, 2025)

Interactive Restore

Launch the recover shell

recover

This enters the NetWorker interactive mode.

Navigate to the file’s folder

cd /path/to/directory
ls

Use ls to confirm the filename.

List available backup versions

versions filename.ext

Shows saved timestamps before or on the current “browse time”.

Set the desired point-in-time

changetime MM/DD/YYYY

Example:

changetime 6/18/2025

Now versions lists backups from that date or earlier.

Mark the file for recovery

add filename.ext

(Optional) Restore to alternative location

relocate

Follow prompts to specify a destination path.

Run the recovery

recover

This restores marked files to the chosen location.

Exit shell

The interactive session ends automatically; use quit or exit if needed.

Automated (Non‑Interactive) Restore

Run directly with known date & location:

recover -a -t "06/18/2025 00:00:00" -d /restore/location /path/to/file/filename.ext

• -a: automatic mode (no prompts)

• -t: timestamp in MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS format

• -d: destination directory

Timestamp Format

• Format: MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS (24‑hour clock)

• e.g. "06/18/2025 00:00:00"

Example Session

$ recover  
recover> cd /home/UTORuser/project  
recover> ls  
report.txt  
recover> versions report.txt  
... shows timestamps ...  
recover> changetime 6/18/2025  
Time changed to: Sun Jun 18 23:59:59 2025  
recover> versions report.txt  
... shows version from 6/18 ...
recover> add report.txt  
recover> relocate  
# specify /home/UTORuser/restore
recover> recover  
... recovery output ...
recover> quit

Summary Table

Or use non-interactive command:

recover -a -t "MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS" -d /restore/location /path/to/file