Newbie questions about Veeam agent

[haris013]

Hello everyone!

I downloaded veeam free agent for windows in order to test it. I have created a file level backup job, the destination is a network drive, and the option keep backups for the past is set at 7 days. I would like to ask what exactly the option keep backups does and if i want to free up space from my computer disk and delete some files, when the next backup job runs, will delete my old backups which included all my files and create new backups with the data i have after space clean up?

thanks in advance!

[PTide]

Hi,

The option means that the Agent will keep backups for the last N days when the machine was active. If you delete some files before the backup job starts, then the oldest backup in the chain will be merged with the next one, plus a new restore point will be created. That is, only the latest restore point would not have the files that you just deleted. Please check this article and let me know if you have any unanswered questions.

Thanks

[DGrinev]

Hi Haris and welcome to the community!

Please use forum search or read through the User Guide prior asking basic questions. Thanks!

[haris013]

Hi,

The option means that the Agent will keep backups for the last N days when the machine was active. If you delete some files before the backup job starts, then the oldest backup in the chain will be merged with the next one, plus a new restore point will be created. That is, only the latest restore point would not have the files that you just deleted. Please check this article and let me know if you have any unanswered questions.

Thanks

So to recap, if i understand correctly, the deleted files from my computer will remain at the nas server and won't been replaced/deleted regardless how many days pass. Is that correct?

Sorry for my bad english!

[PTide]

Not exactly. They will stay on your NAS server until the last restore point that has been created before deletion is not merged.

For example, consider the following restore points chain of Full and three incrementals, you retention is set to 5:

F (01.09) - i (02.09) - i (03.09) - i (04.09)

Today (05.09) you decide to delete some files before the backup job runs. You run backups daily, so today the chain will look like this (the restore point in bold does not contain your files anymore):

F (01.09) - i (02.09) - i (03.09) - i (04.09) - i (05.09)

Tomorrow:

F (02.09) - i (03.09) - i (04.09) - i (05.09) - i (06.09)

After tomorrow:

F (03.09) - i (04.09) - i (05.09) - i (06.09) - i (07.09)

...and two more days later the last restore point that contains the deleted files will be merged and gone:

F (05.09) - i (06.09) - i (07.09) - i (08.09) - i (09.09)

Thanks

[haris013]

So in order to store some static folders/files(they will never change) the best practice is just to copy them at nas and configure the scheduled backups for folders that keep changing(adding more files during time etc), right?

How i can delete a backup schedule at veeam in order to create new?

[PTide]

You can do that, however I'm not sure that I understand why to exclude such a static folder from backup - if nothing changes in it then its copy in the backup won't be replaced ever.

Well, in the current version you don't delete a schedule, you just edit the job scope.

Thanks

[pj1220]

Hi,

My current setup is: Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows Free Edition 2.2.0.589 for backing up a laptop with a 512 GB SSD and a 1.5 TB HD (Recovery, C:\, System on the SSD and D:\, E:\ on the HD) to an external USB-HD. Backup schedule is configured as follows:

There is one full backup and 6 or 7 incremental backups when I set the retention period to 14 days. From time to time a standalone full backup will be initiated.

Now I wonder what will happen to a file (call it demo.txt) that was created and backed up in an incremental backup e.g. on Wednesday of week 1. On Thursday this file (demo.txt) was deleted on the laptop and never again recreated there. In the next week a restore with the date of Wednesday would bring back demo.txt that was deleted on Thursday. That is to be expected.

Q1.: Will this file be restored when a restore point from Friday or the following Monday is taken? (Assuming a full restore or BMR is done)

After week three it is to be expected that all incremental backups of week 1 were injected in the full backup file (.vbk) and are no longer available as separate .vbi files.

Q2.: Is it correct to assume that no restore points of week one can be used because the incremental backups are already injected in the full backup file?

Q3.: When doing a full restore after the injection of week 1, will the file (demo.txt) that was deleted on Thursday of week 1 reappear, because it was injected from the vbi of Wednesday?

Thanks
Peter

[PTide]

In the next week a restore with the date of Wednesday would bring back demo.txt that was deleted on Thursday. That is to be expected.

Correct.

Q1. No, it won't. A restore point is an exact copy of a machine from the the day when the restore point has been created. The file had been deleted before the Friday when the restore point was created, therefore it won't be restored.

After week three it is to be expected that all incremental backups of week 1 were injected in the full backup file (.vbk) and are no longer available as separate .vbi files.

Not only they are no longer available as .vib, but also as restore points. That is, once .vib from Thursday is merged with .vbk from Wednesday, the data from Wednesday is no longer available, and your .vbk represents the state of your machine as of Thursday.

Q2. See Q1

Q3. The question is not clear. Would you elaborate please?

All of the above applies to forever-incremental backup chains. Please check this example.

Thanks

[pj1220]

Hi,

Thank you for your input that is highly valued. So let me elaborate on the reasoning behind my post. In my understanding an incremental backup works this way: The first backup of a set will be a full backup where each and every file is written to the backup media. Once backed up the archive bit of these files will be reset.

The following incremental backup will search for files with their archive bit set. These files will be written to the backup media and have their archive bit reset. So the next run in the incremental backup will again only write those files that have their archive bit set. When restoring a given state one has to have the full backup and all incremental backups up to the desired point in the timeline of incremental backups.

This strategy leads to small incremental backups whereas a differential backup does not reset the archive bit but is faster on restore because only the full backup and the last differential backup is needed. At least this was true in the past, valid for dinosaurs like ARCsolo, MS-Backup or backupexec. Well I have to admit that my understanding of backups goes far back in history and might not be up to date.

My assumption is/was that VAW works the same way. The only new feature from my perspective is the injection of incremental backups (.VIB) into the full backup (.VBK) once their retention period expired. So back to my file demo.txt:
The next incremental run after the creation of demo.txt will store demo.txt in a .VBI and reset its archive bit. Once the retention time of this particular .vib is expired the contents of said .VIB is moved into the full backup .VBK. Now demo.txt sits in the full backup and therefore will be restored at a later time, completely independent of a deletion on the computer in the meantime – that is the way restoring from a set of one full backup and a bunch of incrementals work in my understanding.

PTide’s reply to my post tells but another story. Only those files will be restored that were present at the time the restore point/vib selected for restoring was created.

So my Q3 addresses two issues: VAW has to retain information about all files that ever were backed up and deleted at some time after the injection of the corresponding .VIB. Furthermore those files have to be removed from the resulting .VBK just to avoid an undue increase of its size. Is this true?

Q3 rephrased: We have a forever incremental backup chain. Demo.txt is injected from .vib into .vbk. After the injection demo.txt is deleted on the computer. Will demo.txt be removed from the .vbk in the following backup session?

Thanks for your time and effort

[PTide]

Once backed up the archive bit of these files will be reset.

VAW does not toggle the archive bit, it relies on proprietary change tracking technology instead.

Once the retention time of this particular .vib is expired <...>

If you set up your retention on Free edition to 5, and run three backups a day for the first 2 days (6 points), then switch it off for a week and then switch it on again and continue for three more days (3 x 3 = 9 points) you'll have 6+9 (15) restore points before the retention will kick in. Please check this page for details.

<...> the contents of said .VIB is moved into the full backup .VBK

At this point .VBK represents the state of the machine (or the data set you chose to backup) at the moment when the incremental run (the one after demo.txt creation) started.

Q3 rephrased: We have a forever incremental backup chain. Demo.txt is injected from .vib into .vbk. After the injection demo.txt is deleted on the computer. Will demo.txt be removed from the .vbk in the following backup session?

The file won't be deleted until the restore point that has been created right after demo.txt deletion is not merged into .VBK

Day 1: F
Day 1: create demo.txt
Day 2: F-i
Day 3: F-i-i
Day 4: F-i-i-i
Day 4: delete demo.txt
Day 5: F-i-i-i-i
Day 6: F-i-i-i-i
Day 7: F-i-i-i-i
Day 8: F-i-i-i-i (at this day .VBK contains the state of your machine at Day 4, before you've deleted demo.txt)
Day 9: F-i-i-i-i (at this day .VBK contains the state of your machine at Day 5, the first backup run after deletion)

That is, After Day 9 there demo.txt will be gone forever.

Thanks!