VBO Repository with File to Tape Backup

[Marcus1414]

I would like to backup the VBO repository to tape and the repository is a physical server. As checked previously there is a recommendation to use File to Tape backup option in VBR server. I've configured that but I have the below questions:

1. Is every time the file to tape job run will be a full backup? Will there be any incremental backup for VBO repository?
2. How should we schedule the file to tape job as it doesn't have the option like "Run this job A automatically after job B is done". We are not sure when the VBO scheduled job will finish and would like to avoid both job running at the same time.
3. Other than file to tape backup, may I know is there any other alternative that could help us to backup this physical VBO repo to tape?

Thank you.

[HannesK]

Hello,
can you maybe point to the recommendation where the file-to-tape recommendation comes from? At least I would use agent + backup to tape.

1. file-based (tape) backup always copies the full file if it changed. and the databases always change. So yes, it's always a full backup
2. While file-to-tape has VSS support, I would probably shut down the VBO services completely and do that with scripts https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... ml?ver=110
3. I would use Veeam agent for Windows and go with backup-to-tape

Best regards,
Hannes

[Marcus1414]

I actually posted a question previously and here's the link:

veeam-backup-for-office-365-f47/backup- ... 75315.html

3. I would use Veeam agent for Windows and go with backup-to-tape

Can the above option achieve Full + Incremental backup and how would the job scheduling be like? Appreciate if you could explain a bit more to me.

[Mildur]

3. I would use Veeam agent for Windows and go with backup-to-tape

Can the above option achieve Full + Incremental backup and how would the job scheduling be like? Appreciate if you could explain a bit more to me.

1. The agent Job will do „entire computer“ backups to a backup Repo on your VBR Server.
After the first Full Backup, each day is only incremental backup for changed blocks, not changed files.


2. After the backup to disk Job, you can use Tape Job to write the incremental agent backups from the disk to the tape.

[HannesK]

backup proxy+repo for VBR server (Same LUN but different folder)

ah, you have also other data on the same volume... that makes it more complex.

As my colleague mentioned in the other thread: the agent can do incremental backup. But backing up to the same system makes little sense to me. So I revert back my idea with the agent.

File-to-tape sounds like the best option (as we both mentioned: use VSS. Or stop all VBO services).

[Marcus1414]

Yes the VBO repo is also a VBR repository. So if using the Veeam agent for Windows to backup can we specify which folder to backup? Or it will just backup the entire system?

[HannesK]

per default "entire system". But also file-and volume-based is possible. File-based has the same "always full" disadvantage. But there is a way to make it block-based incremental backup. https://www.veeam.com/kb3236 option 1 shows it.

But then there is still the question where to put the data. I understood, that you only have one volume to store the data, which is also the source. Backing up and writing to the same volume is a bad idea (remember the VSS snapshot that exists on the source volume)

[Marcus1414]

"But then there is still the question where to put the data. I understood, that you only have one volume to store the data, which is also the source. Backing up and writing to the same volume is a bad idea (remember the VSS snapshot that exists on the source volume)"

Does this means that if I am about to use the Veeam agent method then I will need to first backup the VBO repository to the same local disk in the VBR server then only we can backup that folder to tape? Or can we do a direct backup the VBO repository to tape using Veeam agent for Windows?

[Mildur]

If you want to have incremental „blocks“ on the tape, you need to use the agent. Agent backup directly to tape is not possible. It needs to go to the disk first.

How many data is this vbo backup repository?
If it‘s not to much, then my recommendation would be:

1) Create a new vm on your hypervisor
2) add a secondary disk for the vbo data
3) Install vbo on the vm
4) migrate the data
5) configure vm backup job for this vm
6) write the entire vm to the tape with incremental tape jobs

With this method, you are able to restore vbo data directly from the vbr console too.

[Marcus1414]

Hi Mildur,

The VM deployment is not possible as we have around 700+ users and the storage is only available in the physical server. So if I am going to use the Veeam agent to backup then the procedure will be as follow?

Incremental possible (If I backup the selected folder then incremental is still possible right?):
1. Backup VBO repo to the same local disk? Or backing it up to another physical server local disk.
2. Configure backup to tape job to backup the VBO repo from local disk.

Everytime full backup (File to Tape backup):
1. Can backup VBO repo to tape directly.
2. Every time the backup will be full backup due to database changes.

Appreciate your advise on this.

[HannesK]

Hello,
first question: incremental only works if you do the selection as stated in the KB article. Select full volume with file based backup and then exclude everything you don't need
1. It must be another disk.
2. yep

second question
1. yep
2. yep

Best regards,
Hannes

[Marcus1414]

Seems like using the File to Tape backup method would be the easiest one since I don't have to do a 2 times backup (one to other local disk and second to tape).

Any best practice on the scheduling wise? Or I'm only able to stop the services and backup to tape and start back the services? In case if the VBO backup job is running and in the half way the file to tape job is triggered, then the pre script stopped the VBO services. So once the file to tape job done then the post script will run and start back the VBO services. In this situation the VBO backup job will only continue on the next cycle for where it left off?

[HannesK]

I would stop the services at a time when everything is done to avoid errors in the job logs (I like it green )

[Marcus1414]

We would like to make it to run automatically but we are unsure when would the VBO job will finish. So here's a problem for us to schedule the job. Is there any alternatives that could make this automated with scheduling?

[HannesK]

I would probably run a scheduled task on the VBR machine and check every X min whether the VBO backup jobs are running or not. That script then also starts the VBR jobs. Command line command for starting a VBR job are available on the summary page of the backup job configuration wizard.

VBO has PowerShell and REST API.

[Marcus1414]

I see. So for the script, if my VBO server (console, also VBR server) and VBO proxy+repo (also VBR proxy+repo) are on different server. I can just create the script in my VBR server and then add this script into the VBR job right? It will be able to stop the services in VBO proxy?

stop sc Veeam.Archiver.Service
stop sc Veeam.Archiver.Proxy

start sc Veeam.Archiver.Service
start sc Veeam.Archiver.Proxy

[Mildur]

Yes, why not
Add the script here:

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... ml?ver=110

[Robbi]

Hello everyone,

I am having issues with the script to stop/start the VBO services, I get an "Access Denied, Error 5".
VBR is executed in an admin context, but these services run in the "Local System" context. Any idea?

VBO and VBR are on the same physical Win2016 server, all data is stored on a NAS over an SMB share.

After reading all the great posts in this forum about the possible pros and cons of storing our 150 Office 365 accounts to an LTO-7 tape I think that the stop/start of services in combination with a Backup Copy is this the easiest approach, despite the downside of only doing full backups every time but that is more acceptable then storing everything twice (for a dedicated VBO-VM) since we don't have the disk space on-prem.

(BTW: There is a little typo in the post from Markus1414 , it should read "sc stop..." and not "stop sc ...")

Many thanks!

[Mildur]

Hi Robby

For Job scripts Veeam Backup & Replication will use the service account under which the Veeam Backup Service is running.
Do you have configured a custom user account for it or is it LOCAL SYSTEM?

Best,
Fabian

[Robbi]

Hi Fabian,

"Veeam Backup Service" (or VeeamBackupSVC) is running in the Local System context as as well. On the same server as mentioned above.
But it throws the error message "Pre-job script terminated with exit code 5"