After sorting out an incredible mess Storage Spaces seems to be well known for when a physical drive takes a crap I am now in what almost feels like deeper doo doo!! Ive been using DPM 2012 R2 Version 4.2.1254.0 for quite some time. The Server with the Storage Spaces mess is a 2012 R2 OS as well. To add to the fun I had had dedupe turned on the Server being backed up. The DPM Server seems to have all the backups which would be 3 recovery points per day with 5 days retention and no tapes. I am able to do the Recovery both to "original location" and to Network Location. However, as YOU would know "original location" produces an error about missing volume: \\ ?\Volume{6460399a-ef18-4e02-90a5db1ebaf20962}\ . So I tried to restore it to the Network Location and use the "missing or crashed" volume that has been deleted and recreated/rebuilt in Storage Spaces. I get a conglomeration of folders which looks like the info needs to "restore or rehydrate" the deduped data but Ill be switched if I can get it to work. Ive attached a screenshot of the file structure DPM Recovery puts on the recreated volume V:\ on Destination Server if that might be of any help.

Storage Spaces, Deduplication, DPM: am I NUTS??!!! What happened to the old days .bkf??? Any help, articles or direction to head to would sure be appreciated..   The bottom line here is the recovery points all contain 465 +/-Gb in size which is correct, however, when DPM lays it back out either in the newly created Volume on the original Server OR another location it is conglomeration of files that appear to need hydration.       

                                  

• Moved by Mike JacquetMicrosoft employee, Moderator 12 hours 29 minutes ago

Hi,

If you reformatted the destination and disabled dedupe on the destination volume, then chose to recover the entire volume (don't deselect anything under the volume) - then DPM will restore the entire volume in a deduped state. Once complete the files not under the "system Volume Information" folder should be able to be opened and read like normal.

Mike, THANKS for the answer.  I made possibly a huge mistake identifying the Servers. The OS on the DPM Server is 2012 Std NOT R2 as I originally stated although DPM Version IS DPM 2012 R2 Version 4.2.1254.0 as stated. The PS is 2012R2 and it had DeDupe role enabled as the Storage Spaces were not the only drives. So it remained with that role and even though I "recreated" the V: Volume in Storage Spaces just like it had been before with thin provisioning I got what you see in the screenshot when DPM Recovered it.  As you know when I tried to recover it to a Network share on a 2012 R2 Server WITHOUT the DeDupe role installed I got the error message that it couldn't do the recovery there as the recipient Server was not DeDupe aware.  Since the original Server still was due to the other drives in it I was able to do the Recovery but you can see the conglomeration of files and folders all under "System Volume Information" folder.  It goes down to DeDupe-->ChunkStore--> and you can see from there.  To ME the uneducated it looks like "raw" DeDupe information that hasn't been "rehydrated".  As also can be seen from the screenshot there are NO folders or files other that "Recycle Bin" and "System Volume Information".  It also is once again a volume built with Storage Spaces.  The real weird part IS there is another volume that came back when I when through Storage Spaces hell built from the same 4 HDDs JBODs that this V: Volume was on but just wouldn't "come back".  I guess I COULD stick a 4Tb drive in the box and just initialize it, format it, and try to Recover to IT if you think that might be the right thing to do.  Just hate the workarounds and so on and would like to know what the heck is going on....... THANKS again for your help