Hello,
We have a file server that runs on HyperV, and we were wondering if anyone had any wisdom to share about test restore strategies. We have been restoring every few months, but this results in two issues. One is that the we end up with an extra server in the MSP360 portal of the same name every time we restore, and if they are both online at the same time it is about impossible to tell which machine is the production one and which is the copy. The other issue is that the server automatically inherits the production machine's backup plans, and ends up backing up to our local and cloud storage destinations, and we are left with unwanted and redundant backup data and no easy way to determine which backup data belongs to which version of the server.
We have some ideas to get around these issues, but they don't seem foolproof.
One thing we are considering is to change the computer’s name immediately upon restoring to something like “servername – test restore”
Doing this would at least keep the computer from backing up to our NAS since the name is no longer correct, and it would at least differentiate the copy's backed up data in our cloud storage since it would also have a different name. Also, it would make it clear to us what device is the true one and which one is the temporary test restore device in the MSP360 portal.
Another alternative would be to halt the backup plans of the non-production server as soon as the restore completes.

However, it seems like it would still be possible for either of these options to go wrong if the restore finishes and we are not quick enough to change the server name or to shut off the backup schedules before the device automatically follows its backup schedule (which runs hourly during the day).

Has anyone else struggled in a similar way? And if so what strategies have you all used to avoid this situation?