Convert VBR to Windows Agent

[dhayes16]

Hello. I hope everyone is well.

I have a question. We have a couple small sites that have a windows 10 computer serving as a server. Very small LOB applications that did not need a full server. Our tech installed full VBR on these windows workstations and they are running fine. They backup to object storage. So we believe this is definitely overkill to install on a windows 10 workstation and would like to convert them to just running windows agents.

So I have the following questions:
#1) Can we migrate the object storage repo used in VBR for use with the windows agent or do we need to start over?
#2) Can we manage windows agents via VSPC? It seems as though we can. We have customers asking us to backup workstations as well lately so we would like to monitor these agents via VSPC.

Thanks much
Dave

[Mildur]

Hello Dave

1) May I ask, do you plan to provide object storage as a service through Veeam Cloud Connect or will each Agent have it's own bucket?

2) Yes, you can --> Managing Veeam Backup Agents

Best,
Fabian

[dhayes16]

Thanks Fabian. As for offering via cloud connect I would think possibly. That is a great function. But my question there would be bucket portability just in case a customer wants to leave us and wants their bucket.

But right now I would want to convert existing backup jobs running vbr on those windows workstations with a manually configured bucket in wasabi (with immutability). I was wondering if I could use those buckets when I install windows agent.

Again thank you!

[gnalley]

Just a reminder. It is about the restore and not the backup. Test your restore times and modify your SLA / Expectations appropriately. I am assuming that having a local VBR server also included having a copy of the latest backup on the windows workstation "server" before pushing it off-site. Local restores at best can "rock" and provide options when "not-rock" situations occur...cloud restores are at best "slow" and about 30-40% of the time "just plain stink".

[dhayes16]

Thanks for the reply. Sorry. I should have been more clear in my description. These Windows 10 workstations are very small customers with well under 200GB to restore. And these are ALL direct-to-Wasabi object storage with no on-prem device at all. For most other sites we always have an on-prem device such as a linux hardened repo, etc.

Basically, the tech install Veeam Backup and Replication on these Windows 10 computers serving as servers as opposed to just the Veeam Windows Agent. They built out the immutable wasabi repo with immutability, etc and it is working just fine. We can leave it this way but the cost is basically double in this situation which is why we were thinking of converting them to Windows Agents only and managing them via VSPC (which is awesome). Having VBR on these workstations is not required.

I was just wondering if it was possible to "migrate" the repo he created in VBR to be used in windows agent (managed-not free one). We attempted to install veeam agent on the same box but it complained that the backup is already "managed". We are just trying to save the time to re-upload the images into a new bucket and have to deal with cost of the old immutable bucket expiring in 30 days.

Thanks again

[BackupBytesTim]

I'll let someone else, preferably from Veeam, confirm, but I am very certain you'll need to redo your backups and just sit on the old ones until they expire. I don't think there's any sort of conversion or migration that can be done to continue using the existing backups when you switch to the Agent.

If someone knows otherwise, it would be good to know about though.

[dhayes16]

Thanks...I suspect you are correct. In essence we are downgrading from VBR to windows agent but I just thought technically the VBR configuration is still using the windows agent to perform the backup and was hoping the repo settings could be reused.