Understanding Alike's 'Overwrite Target' Option
For restore and replicate jobs, Alike has an option allowing you to 'Overwrite Target'. As of Alike v2.05, there are changes in the way this option behaves. These new changes are intended to make Alike's behavior more clear and predictable. The 'Overwrite Target' option can behave slightly different depending on the circumstances, as we will explore below.
Overwrite in Restore Jobs
When performing a restore operation from Alike, the restored server will always be named with an "-Alike Restore" at the end (eg. "Server01-Alike Restore"). If the 'Overwrite Target' option is selected Alike will only delete and replace the server with "-Alike Restore" appended to it, if it exists. Alike will never attempt to overwrite the 'original' VM. So, this overwrite option is generally only meaningful for repeated restore situations, which should be very rare.
Example: You have a VM named "Server01" that has been backed up, and you want to restore from a previous version. When your restore job is complete, you will end up with a VM named "Server01-Alike Restore" in your target pool. If there already exists a VM named "Server01-Alike Restore" in that pool, and the 'Overwrite Target' option is selected, Alike will replace that VM with the version you are restoring. If the option is not selected, Alike will abort the restore operation.
It is also important to note that Standard and Enhanced restore jobs differ slightly with respect to the 'Overwrite Target' option. A standard (ie. XVA) restore job will rename the VM it is replacing during the restore operation, and only delete the previous version when completed. An enhanced restore job will immediately overwrite the VM it is replacing (ie. "Server01-Alike Restore").
Overwrite in Replicate Jobs
When performing a replication job the 'Overwrite Target' option is critical if you want your target VM to be updated on a schedule (ie. more than once). For these jobs, Alike will now rename the target of the replication job appending "-Alike Replica" to the end. If no VM named with "-Alike Replica" is found, it will create a new one. If a VM with "-Alike Replica" is found, and the overwrite option is selected, Alike will replace (or with enhanced replication, update) that VM. Alike will never overwrite or delete the original VM, it will only operate against a VM with the "-Alike Replica" appended to the end.
Example: A VM named "Server01" is being replicated for the first time, Alike will create a new VM on the target host named "Server01-Alike Replica". When that replication job runs again, if the overwrite target option is selected, Alike will replace or update the VM named "Server01-Alike Replica". If the replication job is run with no 'Overwrite Target' option selected, and it encounters a VM named "Server01-Alike Replica", it will abort the job.
