VAW and VBR licencing issue.

[SBarrett847]

I have a strange issue with licencing. I have used the VAW free agent on all my hosts in my infrastructure, backing up to my main VBR repo. I now have a need to licence one of these agents to install the VAW CBT Driver. I've purchased the licence, but I can't apply it as the Agent says it is managed by VBR. In VBR (9.5u4) i can only licence all of the agents or none - I can't apply the VAW licence that has been purchased.

How do I untangle this? Maybe bypass VBR altogether?

If I point the Agent directly to the files in the repo, will it remap the job in VAW automatically?

[Dima P.]

Hello Stephen,

Can you please double check if this agent is licensed or not via Veeam B&R licensing window (with new licensing schema in U4 you got several free instances, so I wonder if you agent has been accidentals licensed)? Please also check if 'Allow free agent to consume license' checkbox is checked or not. Thank you!

[SBarrett847]

'Allow free agent to consume license' checkbox is not checked. I have around 15 Free Agents going to that repository that I don't want to licence, they would take existing instances that are free, that I would otherwise use for VMs.

I'm guessing I can't send a backup to a VBR repository without VBR taking control of the licencing of VAW also?


EDIT:- Just got a response from support....

Hello Stephen,

You may use only licensed or only free Agents with one Veeam Backup&Replication. As an option, you may install the license to this particular Veeam Agent locally and select non-Veeam backup repository for the backup job.

[SBarrett847]

Ok - next stumbling block - how can I import an existing VAW backup job into VAW?

[Dima P.]

You may use only licensed or only free Agents with one Veeam Backup&Replication. As an option, you may install the license to this particular Veeam Agent locally and select non-Veeam backup repository for the backup job.

That's correct. To clarify, when free agent is baking up to a Veeam repository is ok, to keep the mentioned checkbox unchecked (so you will have all your agents operating as free agents without consuming licensees installed in Veeam B&R). Whenever agent must be licensed and the backup target is Veeam repository - license must be inserted in the Veeam B&R console. Since you have single agent license I'd recommend you to configure the backup to a shared folder (for example you can use the shared folder on your Veeam B&R repository and import backup while to the Veeam B&R console whenever it's required).

how can I import an existing VAW backup job into VAW?

You can do that in licensed agent by running import/export commands, check this Help Center article. Cheers!

[SBarrett847]

Just getting back to this. I don't think the import/export commands are what I need. I wish to switch the VAW client from a VBR managed VAW job going to the VBR repo, to a non-VBR managed job going to a shared folder (in the same location). I want to make this switch and use the Terabytes of data I already have seeded.

If I point the VAW client to the File location of the existing data, it just creates a new job in another folder, ignoring the existing data.