Change Repository for Backup Copy job without full backup

[hslee2]

Hello,

I have a question about changing our Veeam environment.

Here's a summary of our environment:
- We have sites A and B, each configured with local backups via NAS storage.
- Backup copies are configured as iSCSI-type Refs filesystems between sites.
- Site A has agents and unstructured data, while site B has agents and a Nutanix environment.
- Our goal is to convert all storage to immutable storage, while maintaining a backup chain between both sites. (Due to network usage restrictions.)
- Agent Jobs are configured with a 1:1 policy and source server, and Backup Copy is 1:N.

- The version is 12.3.2, and each Backup Copy repository has the Per-machine option enabled (the folders are actually separate).

Here's a brief summary of my plan:
- I'll link a new Linux repository to VBR and manually copy data (rsync). - After copying is complete, I use Repository Rescan -> Agent Job to change the repository and perform a map backup.
- For Backup Copies copied during the same period, I plan to split the 1:N copies and configure the source objects individually or in small groups.

There are some key considerations here:
- Will an incremental backup, rather than a full backup, be performed after the change?
- Can Nutanix Backup Copies change the repository in the same way?

I'd like to hear about everyone's experiences.
Thank you in advance for your advice.

[Mildur]

Hello Hu,

May I ask how much data you have to move? Is it Petabyte or just a few TB?

For Veeam Agent backup jobs, you can use the "Move Backup" feature to migrate your backups to a primary repository — no need for external tools. Simply select a new repository within the backup job and click on Move Existing:


Nutanix backups do not support the "Map Backup" capability. You’ll need to start a new backup chain with the new Hardened Repository.

For Unstructured Data backups, please follow this KB article:
https://www.veeam.com/kb4493

- For Backup Copies copied during the same period, I plan to split the 1:N copies and configure the source objects individually or in small groups.

May I ask what the reason is for creating more copy jobs? Having individual copy jobs for each source agent or VM would require dedicated primary backup jobs, which can be difficult to manage. In my opinion, it's best to keep things simple — use a single backup copy job, provided the target repository and retention is the same for all workloads.

Best,
Fabian

[hslee2]

Hello,
Thank you for the guide.

The data on site A is 12TB (NAS) for the first backup, and 15TB for the second backup copy from site B (Refs).
For site B, the first backup is 14TB (NAS), and the second backup copy from site A (Refs) is 14TB.

The reason I'm not using Move Backup is because, in my experience, it was much slower than manually copying.

If there's any performance improvement, I can try it.

I saw the KB link for Nutanix backups (https://www.veeam.com/kb2851). Doesn't that apply to my case? The key is actually moving the Nutanix backup copy data from site B stored on site A.

The purpose of the migration is to migrate the backup copy without a full backup.

The reason I can't do a new one is because the available bandwidth in the remote area is very low and cannot be increased.

Finally, the reason I'm separating the Backup Copy policy is to prioritize only some of the targets configured as Backup Copy sources, rather than migrating the entire data.

For proper incremental backups, I believe both the Backup job and Backup Copy job must be enabled simultaneously after data moving.

Thank you for your feedback.