Feature request: Take full Active Backup after every n backups

[billybigbrains]

Hello

I have Veeam Agent for Windows configured to take an Incremental Backup every time I insert my target USB Drive and, after the backup, Veeam takes the USB drive offline.
Veeam then sends me an email to say the backup completed, and I unplug the USB drive.
This is very useful to protect my backups from being encrypted by ransomware or malware.

I don't backup every day; only when I've done significant work.
I would like to be able to take a Full Active Backup every "n" insertions of the target drive, to limit the number of backups to be processed during any recovery, and to control target drive space usage.

Currently I can only see options to schedule Full backups on a calendar basis (certain days of the week etc). I don't think this works for me, since I don't know when I will be using the computer next.

I hope this makes sense!

Cheers
Bill

[HannesK]

Hello,

to limit the number of backups to be processed during any recovery

why do you want to limit it (remember, disk has random access. it's not like tape with sequential access)? Have no noticed any performance difference between restoring from one file or let's says 10 files?

and to control target drive space usage.

hmm, full backups waste a lot of disk space... how do you control that?

I don't think this works for me

please let us know why, because it works for a some million installations worldwide

Best regards,
Hannes

[Nils]

With a bit of scripting, that is already possible. Make sure that your backup is configured as required and create a script that
1. detects insertion of a backup HDD
2. depending on job counter, runs selectively (see https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/agent ... tml?ver=60 for details)

Code: Select all

"C:\Program Files\Veeam\Endpoint Backup\Veeam.EndPoint.Manager.exe" /backup

or

Code: Select all

"C:\Program Files\Veeam\Endpoint Backup\Veeam.EndPoint.Manager.exe" /activefull

3. waits for VEB to finish - I use

Code: Select all

:waitforveeamstart
   timeout >nul /t 10
tasklist | find >nul /i "VeeamAgent.exe" || goto waitforveeamstart
   echo Veeam seem to have started...
   timeout >nul /t 120
:waitforveeamdone
   timeout >nul /t 10
tasklist | find >nul /i "VeeamAgent.exe" && goto waitforveeamdone

4. ejects the USB drive - I use RemoveDrive from https://www.uwe-sieber.de/drivetools_e.html

[billybigbrains]

Nils, thank you for your very helpful suggestion. I'll look into a script-based solution.

[billybigbrains]

HannesK, thanks for your reply.
If you look into Nils' helpful suggestion, the code in steps 1, 3 and 4 already exists in Veeam. I'm just asking for the code in step 2 ( the "every n insertions" logic) to be added to Veeam.
Your suggestion seems to be that I should run one full backup, followed by infinite incremental backups (since I cannot guarantee that I will use the computer on a particular future day or date).
This seems illogical.
Q1) Why should a restore process have to trawl through infinite incremental backups plus the original full backup to create a restore image?
Q2) Why do I need to find disk space for an original backup plus infinite incremental backups?
My ideal would be:
full backup every n iterations,
incremental backups in-between.
This way, I am fully in control.
If I misunderstand something, please let me know.
Thanks!

[HannesK]

Hello,
I cannot follow, but I try to answer

"Incremental forever backup" is decades old already. Sure, one can do "active full" backups, but that's optional in general. One full backup plus a defined number of incremental backups is what most customers do.

"incremental forever" does not mean "infinite number of backups". The old backups are deleted according to retention settings.

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/agent ... tml?ver=60
https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/agent ... tml?ver=60

Best regards,
Hannes

[billybigbrains]

Thanks Hannes. That explains everything.
My understanding was old-fashioned.
Now I see that there is no need for this feature request.

Thanks very much and best regards.

Bill