Getting started - failing to add Windows Workstation

[dffvb]

Hello there,

after a rushed try and fail in the past, I decided to give Veeam B&R (community edition) another shot. So I set it up on Windows Server 2022 - and backed up some Hyper-V VMs, worked fine. I then tried to add indivual computers, and learned, since it did want to connect to my W10 Laptop Test machine, that I apparently have to setup a 'protection group' first. So I went for the 'pre-installed backup agents'. I installed on Windows, got a small error thrown, and it did connect, and showed succes for the backup policy, but I was not able to start a backup for some reason. So I deleted everything, everywhere, (the group, and the protected pc on Windows Server and deinstalled Veeam from the laptop. So back to the New Protection Group 'individual computers'. Tried with an Ubuntu Server VM on the same Windows Server, worked fine. Then I added the Windows laptop via its IP with DOMAIN\USerName and also tried WORKGROUP\Username - it just doesn't want to work. It gives me the following error:

:: Checking Windows credentials Error: Access denied
RPC function call failed. Function name: [GetSvcVersion]. Target machine: [192.168.1.25:11731].

Oc I googled, and found that a Veeam service need sto be running - I was a bit surprised, because I couldnt see this anywhere in the documentation.

So I still had this service from pre-installed agents at hand, did not help, deactivated the firewall, no success. Restart, no luck. So I installed the normal agent. No success.

I then tried to skip the protection group, and just, add the laptop, and then I got this:

22.03.2023 21:39:16 Failed Unable to install backup agent: failed to connect to 192.168.1.25 Error: Access denied. Failed to connect to share '\\192.168.1.25\ADMIN$'.

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So my

1. Question: What do I have to do, with a workstation (laptop) to have it prepared, to be added as indivual computer to Veeam B&R? Only the VeeamInstallerSvc ? The full agent? Activate Admin account?

2. Question: What do I have to do on the server, if anything, to ensure a connection is possible?

3. Question: Is it recommended to to install Veeam B&R on the same Windows Server you are working on (storage, VMs, etc.) because you want to backup this server too - or do you better have it in a "naked" VM ?

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Many thanks in advance

[dffvb]

4. Question: If I am trying to add another laptop which has Veeam Agent standalone already installed, what do I have to do to set this up accordingly ?

Update: I activated the Administrator Account on the laptop, and with this it worked, is this normal that you can not add normal accounts? I also saw, that someone wrote "you need a super long and strong password, since it is test account on the test laptop, I used 6 characters only. Does this matter?

[dffvb]

Hm no asnwers - any ideas where to get this info in particular, and general knowledge from a home user perspektive? Reddit, Discord?

[doktornotor]

You cannot install services on a machine without an admin account. (See your OP, it's using the ADMIN$ share to get things done). Otherwise, I'd say that "preinstalled agent" only complicates things needlessly, no idea why you chose that way. There's also a "move to protection group" feature to move unmanaged agents which have backups stored on a VBR repo to a protection group, but I'm afraid anything that involves "move" backup is unavailable in Community Edition.

[robnicholsonmalt]

>Update: I activated the Administrator Account on the laptop, and with this it worked

I only have a lab/home setup for Veeam B&R but I had to create a domain account that has admin rights on the workstation. Might work with a local account as well. Also might not need to be a member of administrators. Backup operators might be worth a try?

[sol1au]

The veeam documentation says "The account must have local administrator permissions on all computers that you have added to the protection group".

(I had to look this up last week)

Question 1: I'm not an expert on this but I believe all you need is credentials for an account in the Administrators group. When you add it to the protection group, VEEAM will install the agent and connect it with the backup server. A non-domain local account should work.

Question 2: I believe all you need is network connectivity. I'm not sure exactly which ports but given what it's doing I would assume TCP 139 and 445.

Question 3: I don't understand what you are asking but you can run the VEEAM backup server inside a hypervisor (ie, VMWare) and then backup the guests on that hypervisor, including the VEEAM backup server.

- James

[prousername]

Did you ever figure this out? I can get Windows Servers to connect successfully. But I get the same error when trying to add a regular workstation on Windows 10.

[Mike.Powell]

https://www.veeam.com/kb4185 this should help.

[TheWaterbug]

Ugh. I finally have Veeam B&R working the way I need it to, but getting there was too painful. IMNSHO the single biggest improvement Veeam can make in its software is accurate, detailed error reporting.

If you scan through these forums, most of the troubleshooting discussions are along the following paths: "If you see Error X, it actually means Symptom Y, which is fixed by solution Z," or "If you see Error X, try TNC this port or TNC that port, etc.

Since Veeam has all of this data from these forums and the knowledge base, they should just bake this all into the app.

How much more helpful would it be if Rescan reported, "Could not connect to client. TNC succeeds on Port A, but fails on ports B and C. Check the client firewall settings."?