I'd like to propose a feature for the scale-out repositories: It would be nice to have a function to directly replace an extend with a new one, like a more precise evacuate, where the backups stored on the old extent are copied over to the new extent, the old extent removed and the new extent put in its place.
This would allow one to easily put in a newer or bigger extent, even if you cannot add more empty extents to the scale-out repository without removing one before.
When would this feature be useful? Mostly for people with only the Enterprise licence, who are limited to one SO-repository with max. 3 extents.
If for example you already have 3 extents in your SO-repo and want to replace one, you first need to remove the old one by evacuating it, hoping that the remaining two extents have enough space for this.
Then you can put in the new extent, which will be empty and stay empty until the next Active Full backup, since this is the only time when Veeam will reevaluate where to put the backups.
Or you can manually copy the backup files to the new soon-to-be extent, remove the old one, add the newly prepared one, rescan the repository and hope Veeam finds every restorepoint.
But I find this rather hackish, because there already is an in-product feature to move the backup files around. So in my opinion it should be feasible to add another feature below "Evacuate backups" in the context menu for an extent, for example "Replace extent".
The work-flow I am imaging would be like this:
- admin adds a new empty Backup Repository
- admin puts old extent in maintenance mode
- replace function copies all restore points from old to new extent
- old extent is automatically removed and new extent is put into its place
- profit