How to restore data or view contents from a deleted Protected Item or device in Comet Backup

Question

A customer deleted their Protected Items and removed their device, but the Storage Vault is still present. Is it possible to restore the data or identify which folders were backed up?

Answer

When a Protected Item or device is removed, the actual backup data remains intact inside the Storage Vault and will continue to follow the vault's configured retention policy. It is not immediately deleted.

However, deleting the Protected Item or device removes its unique identifier metadata, which impacts how the data displays:

Identifying Backups:

• Historical snapshots will still be visible when browsing the Storage Vault.

• Because the metadata identifier was removed, snapshots associated with the deleted item/device will display as "Unknown" rather than showing the original Protected Item name.

Restoring Data / Finding Folders:

• Direct Vault Restore: You can still browse and restore the files from these "Unknown" snapshots directly through the Comet Backup console or client interface, allowing you to inspect the contents and locate specific folders.

• Restoring the Original Protected Item Structure: Follow the official Comet documentation guide on Restoring an Accidentally Deleted Protected Item.

Full Server Rollback (Alternative for Self-Hosted):

• If you run a Self-Hosted Comet Server and regularly perform System Self-Backups, you can restore a server backup taken before the deletion of the Protected Item or device.

• This rolls back the management console state to bring back the original device and Protected Item definitions.

• Reference: System Self-Backup Guide | Disaster Recovery Guide