Redirecting a restore of a SharePoint Web application

In a SharePoint Server 2007 or later or a SharePoint Foundation or WSS installation, a Web application can be redirected within the same farm. The source Web application should not be a live Web application. The target Web application where you want to redirect the restore must already exist on the specified Web server. It must also have the same database structure as the source Web application.

Note the following when you redirect a Web application:

You can only redirect the restore of Web applications and they must be restored at the database level. You can restore Configuration databases and Single Sign-on databases back to the original location only. Document sets and individual SharePoint items must be restored to their original site.
You can redirect a restore of a Web application within the same farm. The SQL database host and the SharePoint host must be the same. A redirected restore is not supported if the SQL databases exist across multiple SQL hosts.
You must restore all SQL databases in one operation at the same time.

To redirect a restore of a SharePoint Web application

Log on as Administrator.
Create the target Web application on the target Web server. The target site must have the same database structure as the source site.
Remove the source Web application.

If you attempt the redirected restore without removing the source, the restore completes successfully, but the databases are not properly connected to the virtual server.
Open the Backup, Archive, and Restore interface.
Click File > Select Files and Folders to Restore > from Normal Backup.
Select the MS-SharePoint policy type.
From the NetBackup History pane, select the image(s) that contain the objects you want to restore:
- The last full backup, or
- The last full backup and all subsequent differential backups
In the All Folders pane, expand Microsoft SharePoint Resources.
In the Contents of pane, select the Web application to redirect.

The following image shows a SharePoint 2007 restore.
Click Actions > Restore.
In the Restore Marked Files dialog box, click the Microsoft SharePoint tab.
Check Redirect SharePoint Resources.
Click SharePoint 2003 portal sites or SharePoint 2007 web applications.
In the URL box, type the URL of the destination site:

http://webapp
In the Front end web server name box, indicate the hostname of the Web server.
Click Start Restore.