1. In a data processing system having a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, at least one input/output (I/O) adapter that enables connection to an external network with a shared storage repository, and a virtualization management component executing within the data processing system to generate a plurality of operating system (OS) partitions including a first virtual I/O server (VIOS) partition of multiple VIOS partitions communicatively coupled to create a VIOS cluster, a method comprising: performing, via a backup/restore utility of a cluster aware (CA) operating system (OS) executing on a processor resource of the first VIOS partition, a backup operation on the first VIOS partition, which creates a first configuration backup file having configuration information about the hardware, logical and virtual devices of the first VIOS partition, wherein the CA OS is communicatively connected to a VIOS database (DB) of the VIOS cluster, the VIOS DB being separate from the local storage and shared by each of multiple nodes within the VIOS cluster; storing the configuration backup file within local storage; the CA OS storing a copy of the configuration backup file within the VIOS DB of the VIOS cluster, wherein the storing of configuration backup file to each of the local storage and the VIOS DB is provided to ensure that various nodes within the VIOS cluster are device-level synchronized with each other node in the cluster; and responsive to receipt of a VIOS restore command: retrieving the configuration backup file from the local storage; and restoring the configuration of the hardware, logical and virtual devices of the first VIOS to a state that existed at a time at which the backup operation creating the configuration backup file was performed, wherein said restoring further comprises: performing one or more validation checks of one or more of the hardware, logical and virtual devices against the stored parameters within the configuration backup file, wherein performing one or more validation checks comprises performing a second validation check on the configuration backup file, wherein the second validation check is a virtual and logical device validation check, wherein performing a second validation check comprises performing a validation of a shared Ethernet adapter (SEA), wherein the SEA validation determines whether a physical adapter location code within the configuration backup file matches any location code within a VIOS system; and in response to a validation check of one or more of the validation checks failing: pausing a restore operation; and generating a notification of an error in the restore operation.