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Restore options

The default restore command is an great way to restore data in a non-destructive manner to a new folder. When you need more control over the results you can use the advanced configuration options to change where and how your data gets restored.

Restore to target folder​

The --destination flag lets you select the top-level folder where Corso will write all of the restored data.

The default destination​

corso restore onedrive --backup a422895c-c20c-4b06-883d-b866db9f86ef

If the flag isn't provided, Corso will create a new folder with a standard name: Corso_Restore_<current-date-time>. The default restore folder is always newly created, and can't interfere with any existing items. If you're concerned about data integrity then this is always the safest option.

An alternate destination​

corso restore onedrive --destination /my-latest-restore --backup a422895c-c20c-4b06-883d-b866db9f86ef

When a destination is manually specified, all restored items will appear in that top-level folder. In the example above, Corso will restore everything into my-latest-restore. If that folder doesn't already exist, Corso will automatically create it. If it does exist, the restore will use the existing folder, allowing you to restore to the same folder multiple times.

The original location​

corso restore onedrive --destination / --backup a422895c-c20c-4b06-883d-b866db9f86ef

You can restore items back to their original location by setting the destination to /. This skips the creation of a top-level folder, and all restored items will appear back in their location at the time of backup.

Destination Limitations​

  • Destination won't create N-depth folder structures. --destination a/b/c doesn't create three folders; it creates a single, top-level folder named a/b/c.

  • Exchange Calendars don't support folder hierarchy. If your backup contains the calendars MyCalendar and Birthdays, and you restore to --destination Restored, all of the restored calendar events will appear in the Restored calendar. However, if you restore events in-place (--destination /) then all events will return to their original calendars.

  • When restoring Exchange Calendar Events to a destination folder, Events that were safe in different calendars may collide with each other in the destination calendar.

Item collision handling​

When restoring data into an existing folder, the items restored may conflict with existing data. When this happens, Corso resolves the conflict using its collision configuration.

Collision detection differs between each service and type of data. The general comparison always follows the same pattern: "within the current folder, if the restore item looks identical to an existing item, it collides."

The comparison uses item metadata (names, subjects, titles, etc), not item content. If the current reports.txt has different contents than the backup reports.txt, it still collides.

Collisions can be handled with three different configurations: Skip, Copy, and Replace.

Skip (default)​

corso restore onedrive --collisions skip --destination / --backup a422895c-c20c-4b06-883d-b866db9f86ef

When a collision is identified, the item is skipped and no restore is attempted.

Copy​

corso restore onedrive --collisions copy --destination /my-latest-restore --backup a422895c-c20c-4b06-883d-b866db9f86ef

Item collisions create a copy of the item in the backup. The copy holds the backup version of the item, leaving the current version unchanged. If necessary, changes item properties (such as filenames) to avoid additional collisions. Eg: the copy ofreports.txt is named reports 1.txt.

Replace​

corso restore onedrive --collisions replace --destination / --backup a422895c-c20c-4b06-883d-b866db9f86ef

Collisions will entirely replace the current version of the item with the backup version. If multiple existing items collide with the backup item, only one of the existing items is replaced.

Restore to target resource​

The --to-resource flag lets you select which resource will receive the restored data. A resource can be a mailbox, user, sharepoint site, or other owner of data.

When restoring to a target resource, all other restore configuration behaves normally. Data is restored into the default folder: Corso_Restore_<current-date-time> (unless a --destination flag is added). When restoring in-place, collision policies are followed.

corso restore onedrive --to-resource adelev@alcion.ai --backup a422895c-c20c-4b06-883d-b866db9f86ef

Resource Limitations​

  • The resource must exist. Corso won't create new mailboxes, users, or sites.
  • The resource must have access to the service being restored. No restore will be performed for an unlicensed resource.