Feature Request (not available in EP 1.0) - Scripting Job

[zauner.gerald]

It would be a nice feature to specify the basic backup job configuration and job schedule for an unattended installation of the product.
Any kind of setup parameter, setup script file or recorded Installer files were good solutions for us...

[Mike Resseler]

Hi Gerald,

We will provide basic ways of making sure that you can deploy it through Group Policy for example. Then you will be able to also deploy it through SCCM or something like that. I don't have the exact details yet, but the basic way will be in GA.

Cheers,

Mike

[JuA]

Hi,

The Desktop Guys are considering to use VEB for all our laptops. Is there a "roadmap" for the future releases (date/feature).

The most important feature being the subject of this post : Scripted/automated install, Scripted/automated job creation. And better B&R integration ?

Regards,

Julien

[Vitaliy S.]

We do not provide roadmaps for any of our products, but if you would like to see some functionality you're missing in the current version, then your feedback would be highly appreciated.

Silent installation and initial configuration make sense to me as well, but can you please tell us what VB&R integration capabilities you would like to see apart from what we have now?

[Mike Resseler]

Hi Julien,

scripted installation already works by using the /s switch. It is not possible to do automatic job creation at this point however. And as Vitaliy says... Let us know what exactly you are looking for

Thanks

Mike

[JuA]

For the VBR integration, what's in the current version looks nice (I didn't tested extensively yet).

For the automated install/configuration, command lines like the examples bellow, with the opportunity to give every possible options would be nice. Or the same with 2 commands like in the last example.

Examples :

# Silent install and Sched full backup to NAS
d:\INSTALLS\VeeamEndpointBackup_1.0.0.1921.exe /s /sched BkpMode=Entire DestType=Shared Dest=\\nascorp07\vbe\corplaptop042\ DestCreds=DOM\jconors RestorePoints=14 SchedDaily=12:30 ActionAfterDailyBkp=Sleep BkpEvents=Lock,Logoff,TargetConnected HoursBeforeNextBkp=3

# Silent install and Sched full backup to VBR Bkp Repo
d:\INSTALLS\VeeamEndpointBackup_1.0.0.1921.exe /s /sched BkpMode=Entire DestType=VBR Dest=veeamserver.corp:10001 VBRrepository=DXi10TLaptops DestCreds=DOM\jconors RestorePoints=14 SchedDaily=12:30 ActionAfterDailyBkp=Sleep BkpEvents=Lock,Logoff,TargetConnected HoursBeforeNextBkp=3

# Silent install and Sched file backup to VBR Bkp Repo
d:\INSTALLS\VeeamEndpointBackup_1.0.0.1921.exe /s /sched BkpMode=Files BkpItems="OS,Personnal" BkpFiles="c:\corp\data,d:\STUFF,e:\noco" VolumLevelItems="e:" DestType=VBR Dest=veeamserver.corp:10001 VBRrepository=DXi10TLaptops DestCreds=DOM\jconors RestorePoints=14 SchedDaily=12:30 ActionAfterDailyBkp=Sleep BkpEvents=Lock,Logoff,TargetConnected HoursBeforeNextBkp=2


# Silent install, no config
d:\INSTALLS\VeeamEndpointBackup_1.0.0.1921.exe /s

# Sched file backup to VBR Bkp Repo
"C:\Program Files\Veeam\EndPoint Backup\Veeam.EndPoint.Configurator.exe" /overWriteSched BkpMode=Files BkpItems="OS,Personnal" BkpFiles="c:\corp\data,d:\STUFF,e:\noco" VolumLevelItems="e:" DestType=VBR Dest=veeamserver.corp:10001 VBRrepository=DXi10TLaptops DestCreds=DOM\jconors RestorePoints=14 SchedDaily=12:30 ActionAfterDailyBkp=Sleep BkpEvents=Lock,Logoff,TargetConnected HoursBeforeNextBkp=2


Best regards

Julien

[Vitaliy S.]

Hi Julien, thanks for these detailed examples, much appreciated. Once the product is installed, I believe you would also need some sort of central management, monitoring and reporting for Endpoints? Out of curiosity, how many laptops you would like to protect with Veeam Endpoint?

[JuA]

Of course yes, the administrator of the VB&R Server should be able to :
- Change the schedule of one or several laptops (haha!! All laptops are not online when they do it ! )
- Print a list of backed-up laptops
- Print a list of laptops not backed-up since XX days
- Set a default scheduling to put on laptop which peered to the server without giving a schedule

I don't know how many laptops we have. About 100.

[Vitaliy S.]

Got it! BTW, do you use any RMM tool in your infrastructure?

[agossett]

This, a thousand times this.

I work at a k-12 school that has a large 1 to 1 program. That students are supposed to be backing up there files to their personal network drives but they are kids and majority dont remember to do this.

If there was a way that I could script VEB to configure a backup job that would select folders X, Y and Z on there machines, target their network drive, set the time and set the amount of data points that would be GREAT!

Then I could push this out silent (GOP or SCCM) and push out this script for each student and all of there files would be backed up no matter what.

[Dima P.]

Adam,
I wonder, how many endpoints would you like to protect?

[DFEX]

Hi there!

Is there an msi-file for installing/updates/upgrades available? I have only found the exe-file which do not help a lot with Grouppolicies (only).
Thanks.

[Dima P.]

Hi DFEX,
Extract the VeeamEndpointBackup_1.0.0.1954.exe setup with WinRAR - msi should be inside

[agossett]

Dima,

I would be looking to protect roughly 350 endpoints. Is there an XML or some other sort of config file that stores the backup configs that could be modified. For example I have my machine being backed up to my personal drive so it looks something like this "\\servername\division\agossett\backup" If i could take that config file and replace it with "\\servername\division\%username%\backup" that would probably get what i am looking for would it not?

This question might be for a different/new thread but instead of having to type in user credentials would you be able to add a checkbox to use windows credentials, like SSO?
Also when using credentials for a shared folder which is what I am doing, are those credentials encrypted or stored in plain text?

[DFEX]

Hi Dima P.
Thanks for the tipp! I have already done but have stopped searching when I have seen the "setup.exe" inside. But after your post here I digged deeper and have found the msi's here "EndpointBackup.1.0.0.1954\EndPoint\EndPoint" and a lot of other msis for the dependencies for instance inside "EndpointBackup.1.0.0.1954\EndPoint\Redistr\x64". The dotNetFx is again packed inside another exe-file.

What I have not found till now is a mst-file, a "Customization Wizard" or a Manual with the settings to know what to set correctly. (Backupplan, Target, Credentials, Update-behaviour, etc)
Do you know these?
Thanx!

[hoFFy]

... If i could take that config file and replace it with "\\servername\division\%username%\backup" that would probably get what i am looking for would it not?

This question might be for a different/new thread but instead of having to type in user credentials would you be able to add a checkbox to use windows credentials, like SSO?
Also when using credentials for a shared folder which is what I am doing, are those credentials encrypted or stored in plain text?

This would be a nice feature for unattended installation via GPO / msi. The use of windows credentials is essential for me. Think of computers with critical data... it would be essential to make these backups inaccessable for "normal users", despite the need for encrypted backups, which is another feature request

[Dima P.]

Hello guys,
I have to upset all of you – it’s impossible send an Endpoint configuration via GPO (script,.xml file, etc). The only supported scenario for v1 is silent install, but configuration must be performed manually on every Endpoint.

[agossett]

When I configure my backup, are those settings store in any editable way? Such as in a an .xml file etc.?

Also this would be an awesome feature that might be pretty easy to add in the next version/update?

[Dima P.]

Adam,
Nope – the backup configuration is kept inside the database. Counted as a feature request

[agossett]

Dima,

Ah, I'm guessing it might be pointless to request that to be changed haha.

I am open to be a tester for scripting this if that is something you guys do. We currently have a different backup solution that we use but I do not really care much for it so I have been looking pretty hard for a replacement and i think that this could be a pretty great replace with just a few extra features added in.

[Dima P.]

Adam,
Any request is valid here at the forums and I’ve noted you to be a first person to test this feature if it’s get implemented someday By the way, what are the additional features you were talking about (except the described above of course)?

[agossett]

That sounds great!

I am not really sure what I have said where and when so I'll just not everything that I can think off haha.

1. Obviously scripting every aspect of the configuration of the job.
2. Use windows credentials for the backup location instead of having to type in username and password in case (Like I do) you have a policy to change your password every 90 days. (minor but could reduce the cause of confusion a lot I think)
3. When you are selecting a shared location it would be nice to be able to browse to each folder instead of only seeing the root folders on a computer (There is a way around this which is to manually type in the full UNC path minor but again could reduce confusion)

[hoFFy]

...
2. Use windows credentials for the backup location instead of having to type in username and password in case (Like I do) you have a policy to change your password every 90 days. (minor but could reduce the cause of confusion a lot I think)
3...

I just read in the documentation that windows credentials are used if you work with a Veeam B&R repository http://helpcenter.veeam.com/endpoint/10 ... vents.html

[agossett]

Unfortunately, I would have to a shared folder path and not a repository.

[Dima P.]

Thanks for the hints! Yup, it’s possible to use windows credentials even in v1, moreover, you can use local computer accounts for shared folder or VBR repository.

[agossett]

My aplogies, I was thinking of something like this http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/doc ... xvb-19.jpg

When I log on with vsphere I can simply check the "use windows session credentials" and I do not have to type in my username or password. It will just simple use the current logged on user's credentials. Does that make more sense?

My fear is that when it comes time for a user to change there password (every 90 days) that they will not know/remember that they need to update there password in the backup configuration as well. This would eliminate that fear as it would just use the username and password that had signed on to that computer.

[Dima P.]

Adam,

That’s why you can uncheck the box This share requires access credentials and use NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM account

From the Help Center - Specify Shared Folder Settings: If you do not select the This share requires access credentials check box, Veeam Endpoint Backup will connect to the shared folder using the NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM account of the computer where the product is installed. You can use this scenario if the Veeam Endpoint computer is joined to the Active Directory domain. In this case, you can simply grant Full Control access on the shared folder and underlying file system to the computer account(DOMAIN\COMPUTERNAME$).

[agossett]

My computer is a Domain computer that the access to the shared folder is controlled by policy so i am unable to use local account credentials and have to use my domain account. For security policy reason's we can not give file share access to a computer.

It works just fine once I put in my credentials I am just saying that it might be a lot easier for people if you had an option that would pass current windows session credentials which would include domain accounts.

[Mike Resseler]

Adam,

I think this is a good idea and we will discuss this further. A simple checkbox saying - use the current credentials. I believe it might even be "hidden" when we discover that it is NOT a domain account.

Thanks for the idea!

Mike

[agossett]

Hello,

Any update as to weither or not some if not all of these features in this post will be in the next update? If so, any idea when that will be released?

Curious as we are about to image about 125 new machines for next school year, I would wait to start imaging those machines if I knew that these are going to be included in the next update and that update was going to be released in time for us to included it in our image.

Thanks You,
Adam