[V12] Best way to update Legacy VMWare Backup Copy jobs to the new V12 standard?

[ITP-Stan]

I don't know if the script that creates the new copy-job also 'maps' the old chain so your next run is just an incremental.
Or maybe that doesn't work and your next run is a full copy and you have to manually delete the old chain when your confident you don't need it anymore.

[masonit]

Hello Nathan,

1. For periodic backup copy (interval-based) with any backup format you'll need to create a new job and map the backup. During mapping we will synthesize full backup from your current backup and build a per-vm chains for every object. Next job run will be incremental. Let us know how it goes!

2. For mirror mode backup copy with single backup file, you can:
a. keep the job but detach current backup chain from the current job > settings are preserved but new per-vm chain backup starts with full
b. as in the first case - create a new job and map the backup. During mapping we will synthesize full backup from your current backup and build a per-vm chains for every object. Next job run will be incremental.

3. For mirror mode backup copy with v11 per-machine backup file, you just need to click 'upgrade back file format' and everything will be preserved.

P.S. I've updated this post with all backup copy upgrade scenarios for new comers. Thank you!

Hi!

Just need some clarification to see if I understand correctly.

All our backup copy jobs except one is mirror mode with target sobr. They all are created in v11. Will they work after upgrade to v12. Or is it mandatory to "upgrade backup file format" after upgrade to get them working?

One of our backup copy jobs is periodic backup with target sobr. Created in v11. Will this job work after upgrade. Or creating a new job and map the backup is a must to get it working?

\Maso

[Mildur]

Hi Maso

Backup/Backup Copy jobs will still work after upgrading to Veeam Backup & Replication v12. We do not force you to upgrade them directly after upgrading to v12.
Please note: If you update the backup chain format for a backup job, the backup copy job may also need to be updated.
You will then receive a corresponding error message:
- Backup copy must be upgraded to per-machine format to match the source backup job format

Best,
Fabian

[bulletlynn]

Can you clarify this a little more for Periodic Copy Mode? We keep 14 days & 12 monthlies that goes to immutable storage.

We created a new Copy job, mapped the Copy job, it did its upgrade, we see it created the new copy job chain and orphaned the old copy job.
Does it retain the ReFS/XFS savings going forward?

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... ml?ver=120
Veeam Backup & Replication will start a new backup chain in the required format and will place the backups used for mapping to the orphaned node and retain them according to the background retention. For more information on when the background retention applies, its limitations and considerations, see Background Retention.

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... ml?ver=120
[For orphaned backups] When a backup becomes outdated, Veeam Backup & Replication removes this backup regardless of the number of backups in the backup chain. When all backups become outdated, Veeam Backup & Replication remove the whole backup chain.

Reading through the documentation it is not clear if it will clean up the orphaned copy job? Do I need to manually clean it up as immutable retention falls of? Or do I need to wait for all 12 monthlies to expire before it will clean up the Orphaned Copy job?

[Dima P.]

Hi Nick,

Does it retain the ReFS/XFS savings going forward?

No changes in a way how backup copy operates on the repository level, so behavior remains for the upgraded backup copy backups.

Reading through the documentation it is not clear if it will clean up the orphaned copy job?

Sure. Orphaned backups with daily retention policy will be processed by background retention as soon as such backups are expired.

Do I need to manually clean it up as immutable retention falls of?

Depends on the difference between retention and immutability. Can you please clarify how it's configured?

Or do I need to wait for all 12 monthlies to expire before it will clean up the Orphaned Copy job?

GFS restore points will be removed by background retention.

[mcz]

Guys, I have to switch to a new mirroring bcj (had a legacy bcj until now) because I had upgraded the backup job to the new format and now the legacy job fails. The thing is that I only wannted to copy a specific vm in the chain and copy that only once a week.

I looks like I can't do this anymore using the mirroring mode because there you can only choose between repository and job - no vm selection possible. Of course I could exclude the vm's that are not needed, but this looks like an ugly solution as any new vm in the source backup chain does get copied if you forget to exclude it. There must be a better solution I guess, but which one? Thanks!

[Dima P.]

Hello Michael,

Periodic mode can be scheduled to run at the desired time (mirror mode runs all the time and copies all the restore points), as for the vm selection, unfortunately the only way is to perform it is via source jobs with the help of exclusions. Thank you!

[mcz]

ok, thanks Dmitry. please consider the option to pick individual vms as a feature request. thanks!

[Dima P.]

Noted, thank you Michael!

[mcz]

Periodic mode can be scheduled to run at the desired time (mirror mode runs all the time and copies all the restore points)

So there is no way to only copy the latest point say once a week? I don't wannt to copy all the restore points as data can change a lot and I don't wannt to waste the additional space needed...

[Gostev]

Such pruning is exactly what the Periodic mode is designed for? If you schedule the Backup Copy job to run once a week, then it will copy the latest restore point once a week and that's it.

[mcz]

Thanks Anton, but how to do that when your source backup chain has the new format? I wasn't able to upgrade the bcj format using an periodic one...

[Gostev]

Dima answered this in the very first response to this topic? Unless you're asking something else, then please clarify.

[mcz]

Ahh, I thought that you can't use periodic bcj anymore with new format. Apologies, now I got it!