Backup Copy Job Documentation

[cffit]

I'm looking to implement backup copy jobs, but I'm a little unclear how the whole process works. Is there a webinar or guide to how this works? Some questions I have off the top of my head:

1. When a backup copy job runs, I assume it goes and checks to see when the lastest backups and files were run/updated, then it copies from the backup files?
2. Will the "backup copy" always just be one single file, or will it show up as many files like my normal backups with a few full backup files and some incremental backup files?
3. If I do a GFS setup with my backup copies, and I have full backups to run the first Sunday of each month, and I have the yearly backup set to run the first Sunday of the year, will this just be one backup or two?

If I'm doing this with VEEAM Cloud Connect, and say version 8.5 or whatever comes out in a few months, will I need to carefully coordinate our backup schedule to be the same as our cloud provider? Or will it not matter if we are on different versions?

[foggy]

I'm looking to implement backup copy jobs, but I'm a little unclear how the whole process works. Is there a webinar or guide to how this works?

Please review the corresponding user guide section as it answers all the listed questions in detail. Feel free to ask for further explanation, if required.

If I'm doing this with VEEAM Cloud Connect, and say version 8.5 or whatever comes out in a few months, will I need to carefully coordinate our backup schedule to be the same as our cloud provider? Or will it not matter if we are on different versions?

You will need to upgrade both sides so they run similar versions of Veeam B&R components.

[cffit]

I did read that before I posted. I don't see where it addresses any of the questions I asked, but maybe I'm not understanding some things.

For instance, I don't see where it talks about if there is only one backup file on the backup copy side or if there are several depending on how many you choose to keep. From my own testing, it looks like the backup copy is always one single file, not like the normal backups are.

I don't see where it talks about when more than one GFS points happen upon the same backup.


Also, so you are saying we would be at the mercy of our cloud provider if an update to VEEAM came out and we wanted to update locally? We'd have to wait for them to update?

[foggy]

For instance, I don't see where it talks about if there is only one backup file on the backup copy side or if there are several depending on how many you choose to keep. From my own testing, it looks like the backup copy is always one single file, not like the normal backups are.

Backup copy job retention is thoroughly explained in this section. Basically, it is always incremental, having a single full backup and a number of subsequent increments up to the specified retention setting.

I don't see where it talks about when more than one GFS points happen upon the same backup.

Each GFS restore point is stored as a separate full backup file (unless you have, for ex., weekly and monthly scheduled at the same day, then the corresponding restore point will be marked both as weekly and monthly). See more for GFS retention here.

Also, so you are saying we would be at the mercy of our cloud provider if an update to VEEAM came out and we wanted to update locally? We'd have to wait for them to update?

Yes.

[cffit]

Thank you. One other question I have... If I currently have a backup job that has 10 VMs, and they total 500GB in space, but beings they are all part of the same job, a full backup for this job is 300GB (with the shared blocks). If I were to do backup copy for them all, they would be taken individually and I would lose the space savings I get by having them all in the same job correct? They would take up more space in the backup copy world than they do on the local backup where they are part of the same job.

[foggy]

If you set that backup job as a source for the backup copy one, they all still will be stored in a single full backup file, so will require the same amount of space.

[cffit]

Ok, but if I setup backup copy for say 5 of 10 VMs in a job, would that end up in the backup copy as 5 individual files or 1 file with all 5 VMs in it? I assume it would be 5 different files and 5 different jobs correct?

[foggy]

No, all VMs data is stored in a single restore point/file, right as with regular backup jobs.