Backup Copy: Copy Interval (for Idiots!)

[nick3young]

Hi All,

Despite stretching my brain-power to the absolute maximum, I've never quite managed to get my head full around the backup copy interval (and I sense that it shouldn't be that tricky!).

Our main backup job backs-up to a storage server in our server cabinet. So we use the 'backup copy job' to send another backup over to another building on our site.

Our main backup starts at 10pm each night (with an incremental taking under 2hrs). Our copy interval is set at '1 day starting at 00:00'.

However, I find that quite often, individual VM backups fail due to 'not completing within the copy interval'.

So.... I'm assuming VEEAM checks for new backups with a 24hr period (midnight to midnight). And if our main backup finishes at say, 23:30 does that mean the 'backup copy job' only has 30minutes to do it's stuff?

So I guess my questions are:

1. What time should I be starting the 'copy interval' at?
2. How many copies a day/hour'/minute should I be setting it at?

I just want a single copy for each new backup.... why isn't there a 'tick box' for that?!

Yours stupidly
Nick

[PTide]

Hi,

Configure it to start shortly after the backup job starts, i.e. 10:05. If your backup job takes more than an hour you can set start time to 11pm. Set the interval to 24 hours.

Thank you

[foggy]

Right, in this case the backup copy job will start and monitor the source regular backup job execution and once the new restore point is created, backup copy will start transferring data from it.

[nick3young]

Thanks for the quick responses.

PTide: Do you think I would be better starting the job before midnight then?

Foggy: I understand that this is what it does.... but the 'copy interval' seems to confuse matters somewhat - this is what is causing some of my VM backups to fail.

I still really don't understand this interval and 'how many copies are created'. I can't imagine a scenario where an organisation would like to 'copy every 30 minutes'! Surely a single 'backup copy' for each main backup would suffice in every situation? What am I missing?

[foggy]

You're right that making backup copies more frequent than the backup itself doesn't make sense (no new data to copy). So the interval is typically equal or less frequent than the source backup job execution period.

[PTide]

Do you think I would be better starting the job before midnight then?

Yes. As foggy's explained in this case a job that has 1 day interval will detect source job running and will pick up a new restore point as soon as it is finished. Please setup start time at 10:10 - that will prevent your interval from expiring at midnight.

I still really don't understand this interval and 'how many copies are created'.

Have you seen this article?

I can't imagine a scenario where an organisation would like to 'copy every 30 minutes'!

There are various cases. For example some people want to make a replica out of backup copy job backups every 30 minutes - that will make no load at production at all.

Thank you.

[nick3young]

Right... I feel like this 'copy interval' is the bane of my life!! (why am I struggling so much with it, haha?!).

Like PTide has suggested above, my 'backup copy job' starts 30 minutes after my main backup starts (main = 22:00. copy = 22:30).

9 out of 10 times it works. But occasionally I still get "incremental copy was not processed during the copy interval". I also sometimes get (for example) 6/9 of my VM completing successful with the other 3 showing that error message.

Obviously ideally I'd like my backup copies to go through 10 out of 10 times. What should I be setting my copy interval to ensure this....?!

[micoolpaul]

I have to agree with this, I thought backup copy was going to be an amazing feature but I can't help but feel it's overly complex. Any chance Veeam could do a couple of Webinar's explaining this better and maybe then leave a recording available for education? Think that'd help out so many of us!

[PTide]

I also sometimes get (for example) 6/9 of my VM completing successful with the other 3 showing that error message.

Those VMs that have not been copied during the interval will be copied during the next interval which starts immediately once the previous one is finished. In other words that's an expected behaviour and there is nothing to worry about.

Thank you.

[foggy]

Michael, here's one of the recordings discussing backup copies in detail you could find useful.