Feature Request: include option in B&R itself to select default pushed agent version

[edison5000]

Currently, it is known that B&R always supports the most current version of Veeam Agent plus the most recent previous version.

However, while you can tell B&R via the Inventory / protection group options via checkbox to either automatically

+ install a new agent on a machine which has no agent (which would be whatever the most current version that comes with your installed B&R version is) - or -
+ upgrade agents automatically (if they have an older agent version, and a new one becomes available, due to a B&R version upgrade)

you *cannot* opt to tell B&R to default to installing the previous - but still supported - version of the Agent.

This should be an obvious option, but it is missing. While on the one hand, I get why Veeam would want users to use the most current version of the agent, seems like would be best to allow for testing of new agents before forcing all new company deployments to have it.

(Yes, you can easily do this with preinstalled agents, but not everyone has a 3rd party software deployment server set up, nor wants to use it for Veeam inventory tasks).

thanks : )

[Mildur]

Hi Edison

Thanks for the request.
Would the following workaround work?

Protection Group 1 - Active Directory based:
- Automatic deployment of new agents disabled
- Automatic update disabled
Add all production machines.

Protection Group 2 - AD based or individual computers:
- Automatic deployment of new agents enabled
- Automatic update enabled
Add only machines which are allowed to test a new agent version.

When you upgrade your Veeam Backup & Replication server, follow this steps:
1) disable the automatic deployment and upgrade in Protection Group 1
2) Update to the new Veeam Backup & Replication release
3) Let the protection group 2 machines automatically update their agent
4) Test the agents
5) If new Agents are running fine, enable automatic deployment and update in protection group 1

How to handle deployment of new agents while you are testing the new agent?
Either deploy them manually through the backup console (right click install agent) or add them temporarily to the protection group 2 to install the new agent right away.

Best,
Fabian

[edison5000]

Hi Mildur. Yes, I understand what you are suggesting. Right now we have 35 protection groups, each of which is AD/OU based. In total we have 1300+ agents on our B&R server now, and growing. There are probably customers who have more. There's going to be a lot of checkbox disabling on a per-protection-group basis based on your suggestion.

I'm still in favor of my request, or something like it. It seems to me that if there were a way to pick "default install agent version" globally, (maybe checkboxes for "Current" with the most recent Agent version # next to it, and "Previous" with the previous version #), it's another way to make it easier for customers to do rollouts more robustly. Then, the current 'upgrade agent' checkbox for each protection group would still do its job.

thx!

[Mildur]

Understood. Yes, 35 protection groups makes the workaround less manageable.
I will note it as a feature request.

Best,
Fabian