Cannot restore encrypted backup

[GWerner]

One of our customers has a real server desaster so we have to restore the whole server from backup included the virtual backup-server.
Unfortunately the encryption password noted in the documentation will not work. The passwort hint points directly to the pass in the documentation but it seem the password was entered false.
The password lost option is not configured, because the customer didn´t know the dependency.

To make that all a bit heavier, our customer never created a veeam account AND the corresponding e-mail-address of the license is no longer accessible because the enterprise name and maildomain have changed.
We cannot create a support case because we don´t have an account, we don´t have a "Support ID installed in the product" because the backup server itself is lost as mentioned.

Is it posible for veeam support to unlock the backup-file when the paswort is lost?

How can we open a support case when we do not have anything?

[HannesK]

Hello,
that's a tricky situation. You should be able to open a free support case. In that support case, you can describe the situation. Customer names and all details are needed to verify who you are. If you post the case number, I would ask support to verify everything and move it to the regular support queue.

Is it posible for veeam support to unlock the backup-file when the paswort is lost?

No. That would make encryption useless.

You need to have one of the following to access encrypted data
1) Enterprise Manager (not available)
2) A running backup server with connection to the SQL database. If it was all on one server, then this server needs to be up and running. (this looks also not available)
3) an encrypted configuration backup where you know the password (only encrypted configuration backups include passwords)

If the customer used short password, they can try brute force, but that really depends on the complexity of the password.

Best regards,
Hannes

[acmeconsulting]

Hi,

I have a customer with a similar problem:
The Veeam installation was migrated from v11a to v12.0 (export/import config backup, config backup is encrypted with password), but catalog import was always failing.
So we have done the migration importing the config without catalog and after manual import of backups and manual backup remapping, migration was OK, all credentials, config and jobs are good.
Now all is running fine for all unencrypted backups, but there is also a single encrypted backup, and we have discovered that the backup encryption password is lost (argh !!!) and so we cannot import this one.
We dont'use Enterprise Manager, but we have still old v11 encrypted configuration backups and if needed we can also start OFFLINE the old V11a machine.

So reading the previous post, it seems that it should be possible to recover the lost password.
We have opened ticket 03236580 about this, and support pointed us to KB4349, but in the in the dbo.Credentials table there are only credentials, not encryption password.

How proceed ?

Regards
Guido

[Mildur]

Hi Guido

KB4349 can only be used to decrypt credentials. Encryption passwords cannot be decrypted.
If you loose an encrypted password, it is lost. Our support team won't be able to help you recover it. Only enterprise manager can provide you with a option to regain access to the encrypted backups.

If you still have the original backup server with V11a available, you can try to use it for restoring data from the encrypted backup file. But it may be possible that the backup file cannot be used anymore on a pre-v12 backup server after you have imported the backups on a v12 backup server. When you do the import, we may update some metadata on the backup files. A v11a server cannot work with Metadata from a v12 server.

How proceed?

I suggest to keep working with support on why the catalog import has failed. Have you tried to restore from an another configuration backup? There should be 10 daily bco files if I remember correctly.

Best,
Fabian

[acmeconsulting]

Hi Fabian,

OK, now is clear.

If you still have the original backup server with V11a available, you can try to use it for restoring data from the encrypted backup file. But it may be possible that the backup file cannot be used anymore on a pre-v12 backup server after you have imported the backups on a v12 backup server. When you do the import, we may update some metadata on the backup files. A v11a server cannot work with Metadata from a v12 server.

The encrypted backup is hosted on a remote Windows machine with other 2 unencrypted backup, and now the Veeam installed components on this host are already upgraded to v12, so there is no more way to connect with a v11 server.

I suggest to keep working with support on why the catalog import has failed. Have you tried to restore from an another configuration backup? There should be 10 daily bco files if I remember correctly.

Yes, I have tried different cfg backup.
The import of the catalog just hangs forever at 78% of the upgrade phase with sqlserver.exe stuck at 5-6% of CPU, and after a very long time (many hours) it fails with a timed-out error.
The same happens trying to in-place upgrade from 11a to 12.
The cfg backup size is 126 MB only, so the import time should be short.
On v11a the cfg can be restored fine: after the first failed upgrade attempt, I have restored the nigthly backup of the veeam server and after the latest automatic cfg backup without any problem. The same cfg backup file fails on v12, but without catalog it restore fine.

Regards

Guido

[Mildur]

Hi Guido

I saw your last comment that the encryption password was found.
Are all backups now restorable again?

Best,
Fabian

[acmeconsulting]

Hi Fabian,

I saw your last comment that the encryption password was found.
Are all backups now restorable again?

Correct, this time we are lucky ..
The customer's IT guy remembered a 4 years old (and right ...) password.
I have imported fine the encrypted backup, all is working now.

My first comment to the customer was:
"Add immediately this password to backup documentation" ....

Thanks for your support.

Regards

Guido