Back Mode Entire Computer also processes Repository?

[Thilobi]

Hi all,
we back up to a drive directly attached to the Server in a Hot Swap Enclosure. Only Backup Repository is located there, assigned Drive Letter is M:\
Creating a Job with Mode "Entire Computer" backing up to this repository located on M:\ results in the strage effect that the repository drive is trying to be backed up, too, it's listed in Action-Tab when running:


Why is that? Kinda illogical to me...
It finally completes successfully but takes ages...

regards,
Thilo

[Gostev]

To be clear, are you asking why the Entire Computer mode backs up all disks?

[Thilobi]

...not really. Of course I know that the entire Computer consists of all internal drives, but if one of these drives are exclusively used as a backup repository, I expected that Veeam B&R recognizes that and does not backup that drive. But Veeam is serious about the definition of entire computer, ok.

What happens now is that drives C: and D: are backed up to M: and when that is finished M: is being backed up to itself again within this job.
So I need to choose Volume or File Level Mode (I guess), 'cause there you can make exceptions.

[Gostev]

@Dima P. do we exclude backup destination from the VSS snapshot? Using its native file exclusion functionality.

[Dima P.]

The warning logic is present in a standalone agent because we know that user is trying to make a backup to a local folder which is repository. Whenever agent is managed by backup server there is no automatic detection that the machine you are backing up contains the repository you are backing up to.

You can change the mode to volume level backup and select backup all volumes except M, that would exclude the repository volume from processing.

[Gostev]

Sorry, not talking about the UI warning but specifically about file exclusion.

As you remember, VSS snapshots exclude a number based on Microsoft-provided default exclusions list, like OST files from Outlook.
So I was wondering if we exclude backup files and/or backup destination folder using the same functionality?

If not, seems like an easy win to leverage native functionality. I think it's just a registry key?

[Dima P.]

Correct, that's what we do when you exclude an object manually. If we decide to add repo path to VSS exclusions automatically we will lose the possible option to migrate or protect the repository with Veeam Agent for Windows.

[Thilobi]

Whenever agent is managed by backup server there is no automatic detection that the machine you are backing up contains the repository you are backing up to.

Thanks for clarification, Dima