browse backup / restore files / standalone

[larry]

I am looking for a way to include Veeam runtime on a backup tape/disks.
I need to store some data for 7 years. Is there any utility that opens the backup files and allows me to extract files from the Veeam backup. I looked at extract.exe but I need to pull just files without installing Veeam. I do not want to store the backups as plain NTFS files but as Veeam backups, way less work and space. I need to restore randomly selected files a couple times a year for audits, the auditors want a me to restore without the use of tools not stored on the media. Now I am storing the whole Veeam install with my lic file, which works but adds a lot of time to my tests. I wanted to store a Veeam server VM and just import to VMware but my ESX servers were considered tools which may not be able to read/run the VM in 7 years.

With Veeam running restoring a file from 5 years ago from removable disk takes 15 minutes, installing Veeam and restoring the file then unistalling Veeam takes me a few hours.


My other choice is to dig in and use the VM import which I can prove works today. Which case every year I will need to prove this to the auditors. This will take a few hours of my time every year to document for the audit committee.


Has anyone found a solution for this?

[veremin]

You can store backup files, along with extract.exe utility. Using extract.exe, you can restore VM disks to whatever directory you want to, and, then, mount these disks to VM. Once the disks are mounted, you can copy required files from VM, using default Windows/Linux functionality.

Thanks.

[larry]

am I mounting to VM or to a temp folder on the PC I am on?

[foggy]

Vladimir was talking about hotadding the restored disks to a VM.

[larry]

ok, I will test out. When I read to copy to VM I thought it meant to copy the virtual dirsk to the SAN and add to a VM, which will be too time consuming.
If I undersand this, the backup ( extact.exe) will appear as a datastore without ever moving the files off of the removable disk ? which I then just add to a vm.

[tsightler]

How big are the VMs? It's hard for me to imagine that installing/uninstalling Veeam itself is more time than having to extract the VMDK, mount it somewhere, and then copy the files out. And wouldn't that just fall back to the whole "tools" problem?

It's hard for me to understand how install/uninstalling Veeam takes more than 30 minutes or so. You don't have to configure anything, you can do without the license. Just install Veeam free edition, switch to "Full function" mode, import backup, restore the files you need, uninstall, done. I'm curious what's taking "a few hours" in this process (i.e. what am I missing)?

Of course, the auditors are crazy if they think that, 7 years from now, being able to run a current generation Windows OS image with current generation Veeam pre-installed on the available virtualization platforms of the future is less likely than being able to install current generation Veeam on some random OS version 7 years from now, but no-one ever said auditors were sane in their requirements (believe me I know, I lived that life for too many years). It sounds like some of your battle is simply between making the auditors happy, and making it easy on yourself to do so. Those two things are at complete odds of each other in my experience.

But, if you want to get around the "tools" aspect, then why not a Hyper-V VM image with Veeam installed? You can run Hyper-V VMs right from Windows 8/Windows 2008R2 and newer. They can't possibly consider the OS itself a "tool" right?

[larry]

Didn't even think of the hyper-V for a vm, I only use vmware in production so I have my blinders on but have played with hyper-V. big thanks for the idea.

it takes a couple of hours to install and uninstall becuase of change control procedures. I create a vm, load vmeeam, copy files, run test then clean up, I need to document each step, less steps less documenting.

I think the issue was no low hanging fruit so they dug deep to "find" something.

The whole Veeam in a VM still the best for when I want an Exchange item, I also let it read from the removable disk so I move no files.

The plan is when the backupcopy job runs I have a filecopy job run and place the VM on the removable disk so everything is automatic.

[tsightler]

it takes a couple of hours to install and uninstall becuase of change control procedures. I create a vm, load vmeeam, copy files, run test then clean up, I need to document each step, less steps less documenting.

Ah...change control. But wouldn't you need change control to run a VM as well? Just install Veeam on your workstation. Do you need change control even for that (I know, the answer's probably "yes")?

Both the "extract.exe" and the "Veeam.Backup.Extractor.exe" (a GUI version of extract.exe in V7) don't require any install, however, they only extract the entire VM files (i.e. VMDK/VMX), so you'd have to extract those somewhere, and then either attach them to a VM or use some other tool to mount/browse the VMDK. I can't see how this would ever be faster.

Also, these tools only act on the full VBK, no increments. That's something you need to look out for with your plan. It sounds like you're going to use a Backup Copy, and then file copy to copy the Backup Copy repository to the removable disk. Remember that backup copies have a VBK, and then VIB files as the increments, so if you have 14 restore points for retention, the VBK would represent the oldest backup in the chain.

[larry]

after playing I am going with tsightler and use "Hyper-V VM image with Veeam installed? You can run Hyper-V VMs right from Windows 8/Windows 2008R2 and newer"

I will use a filecopy job after backupcopy job to send a VM with full Veeam loaded with every removable disk. This way any Windows 2008R2 server or Windows 8 can be used to restore my files, did a quick test and this will be the quickest way by far, mostly because the backups and VMs stay on the removable disk.

Restore steps are
Plug in disk
load VM
start Veeam
restore file. 15 minutes - Should be able to do in 5 but 15 first try.

plus no clean up

Thanks for your help.