Standalone backup agent for Microsoft Windows servers and workstations (formerly Veeam Endpoint Backup FREE)
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JasonPGTF
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Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by JasonPGTF »

Hi guys, I need some advice on how should i go ahead and configure a backups running only weekly? Reason being there's a request from a server owner saying that the server have a very low change rate thus he do not need the standard daily & weekly backups but only a weekly backups will do. Currently our practice is all servers are being backup with daily incremental & a synthetic fulls every once a week.
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by Egor Yakovlev » 1 person likes this post

Hi Jason.
Backup Job schedule page allows to perform backup on specific days of the week.
To have only Full backup once a week(example, Sunday) following settings shall be set:
- Storage - Advanced: [x] Create Active Full Backups periodically - Weekly on selected days: [x] Sunday
- Schedule: [x] Run job automatically [x] Daily at this time - select On these Days: [x] Sunday
/Cheers!
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by foggy » 1 person likes this post

You can even skip the scheduling step since active full scheduling overrides the general schedule of the job.
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by Gostev »

Run the job automatically should still be enabled though @foggy? Otherwise, you just found a bug :D
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by rajesh.r988 »

Hi,

You can configure Daily incremental and Weekly Synthetic Full and Monthly a Full Backup.

Note that when Monthly Full backup shouldn't conflict with other schedules.

Thanks
JasonPGTF
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by JasonPGTF »

Hi Egor,
Thanks for the reply.
So basically I can do a weekly full backup just by enabling Create Active Full Backup periodically option.
How about the backup mode option, I notice that option will still be ticked at either incremental or reverse incremental. Will this cause the backup job to do incremental backups every week?
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by Dima P. »

Hello Jason,

If you plan do only weekly fulls backup mode makes no difference, but I'd recommend you to leave the incremental backup mode as it gives you more flexibility in future (say, you need to perform daily incremental for this specific job).

Whenever you enable active full backup backup job will operate in forward incremental backup mode: the day set for active full will be a full backup and all other job runs will create incremental restore points (if you have those scheduled). Cheers!
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by foggy »

Gostev wrote: Dec 27, 2019 5:26 am Run the job automatically should still be enabled though @foggy? Otherwise, you just found a bug :D
Correct, I just meant that you do not need to schedule the job to run on the same day, as was suggested. But at least some schedule should be in place, indeed.
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by SpaceCoyote »

foggy wrote: Dec 26, 2019 11:45 am You can even skip the scheduling step since active full scheduling overrides the general schedule of the job.
I'm also looking only for weekly full backups. If activating the Active Full Backup schedule option in the advanced local storage settings overrides the general Schedule (I have not enabled periodic daily backups under Schedule) and my computer is off during the day I have picked for the active full backup, will my full backup still happen automatically the next time my computer is on (like it works with periodic backups enabled)? For example, if my active full backup is scheduled to happen on Mondays, but my computer is off for an entire Monday, will the full backup automatically start when I turn the computer back again on Tuesday? Or will that backup be skipped for the week?
Dima P.
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by Dima P. »

I'm also looking only for weekly full backups. If activating the Active Full Backup schedule option in the advanced local storage settings overrides the general Schedule (I have not enabled periodic daily backups under Schedule)

With active full backup, yes (I'd say active full backup creation suppresses incremental backup creation).
and my computer is off during the day I have picked for the active full backup, will my full backup still happen automatically the next time my computer is on (like it works with periodic backups enabled)?
In such case active full backup will be performed at the next scheduled date.
For example, if my active full backup is scheduled to happen on Mondays, but my computer is off for an entire Monday, will the full backup automatically start when I turn the computer back again on Tuesday? Or will that backup be skipped for the week?
Active full backup will be performed next Monday.
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by SpaceCoyote »

Ok, thanks for the reply, Dima! For my final question, if I schedule Active full backups weekly and select every day of the week, but I choose the option under Schedule to "Backup no more often than every 10 days", will I get an automatic full backup every 10 days if I leave my external backup drive plugged in at all times?

Thanks again!
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by veremin »

Just to be sure are you talking about standalone windows agent? I'm wondering because I cannot recall those settings somewhere else in product UI. Thanks!
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by Dima P. »

"Backup no more often than every 10 days", will I get an automatic full backup every 10 days if I leave my external backup drive plugged in at all times?
Yes, this option limits the backup job runs initiated by backup events (i.e. if you connect the removable media several times backup wont be triggered) . Schedule remains fully functional and is not affected by this option.
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by SpaceCoyote »

veremin wrote: Jun 01, 2020 8:55 pm Just to be sure are you talking about standalone windows agent? I'm wondering because I cannot recall those settings somewhere else in product UI. Thanks!
Ah, my apologies. I might be posting in the wrong section. I'm using Veeam Agent Free for windows. I will do some testing with the settings I mentioned above, but it sounds like this will only give me automatic full backups every 10 days, which is what I'm looking for. Thanks!
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[MERGED] Scheduling full backups only.

Post by m@x »

Hello everyone, I am a new member and this is my first post.

I am trying to wrap my head around full backup types and their scheduling. I've consulted the documentation thoroughly, but a few things are still unclear.

I have a media volume that is modified once in a blue moon. My initial backup strategy involved infinite incrementals. But very soon, after some testing, I dropped this idea immediately when I saw how huge incrementals are even with zero change on the volume (each .vib is 6GB+). [A separate thread about huge incrementals will follow].
So I decided to go with a full backup once a week, and just one restore point.

So I noticed that full backups have their own schedule. I enabled an Active Full every Saturday. After wondering where do I set the time of the full backups, I learned that it is inherited from the time specified in the main job schedule (which I disabled on purpose because I didn't need any incrementals).

Which leads me to 3 questions:

- If I wanted a full backup every Saturday, and previous backup deleted - I would set retention to 1, enable the main Schedule to back up Sat 1AM, and enable Full Backup every Sat?
- How does the time inheritance mechanism work, if I have several backups scheduled on Sat? Which time will the full backup inherit?
- Am I doing it right? Any other suggestions?

--------------------------
Windows Server 2019
Backup source: data volume on top of Storage Spaces and ReFS
Backup destination: FreeNAS iSCSI target (ZFS)
Veeam Agent: 4.0.1.2169
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[MERGED] Re: Scheduling full backups only.

Post by HannesK »

Hello,
and welcome to the forums.
So I noticed that full backups have their own schedule.
what do you mean? Full backup is executed at the first run of the day you schedule the full (just in case you run multiple backups at one day)
If I wanted a full backup every Saturday, and previous backup deleted - I would set retention to 1, enable the main Schedule to back up Sat 1AM, and enable Full Backup every Sat?
If you schedule full backup for Saturday, then you get a full backup on Saturday.

I don't know, what you mean with "inheritance"... just to be sure, you are using workstation or free edition and your computer is running at the scheduled time?

Best regards,
Hannes
Natalia Lupacheva
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[MERGED] Re: Scheduling full backups only.

Post by Natalia Lupacheva »

Hi,

In addition, please take a look at this thread, might give you a hint.

Thanks!
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[MERGED] Re: Scheduling full backups only.

Post by m@x »

Thanks Hannes for your reply. I will try to clarify. And BTW, I am using the Server edition of Veeam Agent.
HannesK wrote: Sep 25, 2020 5:46 am what do you mean? Full backup is executed at the first run of the day you schedule the full (just in case you run multiple backups at one day)
As a user who is evaluating the product for the first time (sysadmin here, so my brain is wired accordingly), I will try to share my first impressions. I might be completely wrong, so please correct me if this is the case.

The Backup Job wizard allows me to select Active full backups to run on Thursdays.
Then the wizard takes me to Schedule settings, where it allows me to run the job on Mondays.

The summary looks like this:

Code: Select all

Schedule -----------------------------------------
Schedule: server
On [Monday] at [12:30 AM]
Retry failed job 3 times
Wait before each retry attempt for: 10 minutes
Create active full backups weekly on Thursday
This is telling me that the Job schedule (run on Mondays) and Full backups schedule (run on Thursdays) are separate from each other. Otherwise, why would it let me pick 2 different days, right?
Now I begin to wonder, what's the main schedule for (the one running on Mondays) - perhaps for the incrementals? Also, now I am wondering why I can't specify the time for Thursday full backups, then? At what time will they run?

Someone who knows the product already doesn't notice these UX design flaws, that confuse new users a lot.
If you schedule full backup for Saturday, then you get a full backup on Saturday.
In the above example I scheduled the full backup on Thursday. Will it run on Thursday?
I don't know, what you mean with "inheritance"... just to be sure, you are using workstation or free edition and your computer is running at the scheduled time?
By inheritance I am referring to the time that Full backups run. Where do they get it from? If the full is scheduled on Thursday and my Job is scheduled to run 4 times on Thursday: 1AM, 9AM, 3PM, 8PM - which time will be used (inherited) by the full backup job?
My server is always running 24/7, Veeam Agent Server license.

Thanks!
Natalia Lupacheva
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[MERGED] Re: Scheduling full backups only.

Post by Natalia Lupacheva »

Max,

just to check I understood you correctly - you are confused with the schedule settings on
- Advanced settings for the backup destination
- and this schedule on a separate step,

right?

Thanks!
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[MERGED] Re: Scheduling full backups only.

Post by m@x »

Hi Natalia,

That is correct. I am trying to understand how they work together. What happens for instance in this example (summary):

Code: Select all

Schedule -----------------------------------------
Schedule: server
On [Monday] at [12:30 AM]
Retry failed job 3 times
Wait before each retry attempt for: 10 minutes
Create active full backups weekly on Thursday
Natalia Lupacheva
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[MERGED] Re: Scheduling full backups only.

Post by Natalia Lupacheva »

Max,

thank you for the detailed description! Appreciate it.

So, if you need to configure weekly full backups on Thursdays, you will need to configure the schedule on Thursdays.
I see it can be confusing and will cause further questions, so I'll move the posts from this thread to the existing one. We have a discussion on the same question here.

Thanks!
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by m@x »

I see conflicting suggestions in this topic. Some say that the day of the Full backup must be also ticked in the Job Schedule, while others say that it doesn't matter and the Full scheduled on Thu will run even if the Job is set to run on Sat only. If the latter is the case, what time will the Full run on Thu, if it's not specified anywhere?

Has any consensus been reached on this?
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Re: [MERGED] Re: Scheduling full backups only.

Post by m@x »

Natalia Lupacheva wrote: Sep 25, 2020 5:53 am Hi,

In addition, please take a look at this thread, might give you a hint.

Thanks!
Thanks, Natalia, but that thread seems to be for another product. Suggested options are not available in Veeam Agent for Win.
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by Natalia Lupacheva »

Hi Max,

Sorry I mislead you.
Just checked with QA both configurations (on Backup destination and Schedule step) are required.
If you need to run Active full backups on Thursdays, you have to set Thursdays on Destination settings and on Schedule step both.
If you configure Active fulls on Thursdays and set the Schedule to run the job each Monday and Thursday - active full will be created on Thursday, incremental will be created on Monday.
If you configure Active fulls on each weekday and set the Schedule to run the job only on Thursdays - active full will be created on Thursdays.

Schedule describes when to run the job automatically. Backup destination configuration describes the type of the restore points (full/incremental).
Hope this makes sense.

So, to run active fulls on Thursday, you will need to configure Thursdays both on the Backup destination configuration and Schedule step.

Thanks!
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by sanu »

Great, Thanks Natalia
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Re: Perfoming only weekly full backups

Post by phiaramos »

Hello, i just want to ask how should I configure to run monthly full backups only, no incremental backup? because some of my VMs have very low change rate, that's why I'm looking to backup only monthly full, without the incremental. Thank you.
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