FEATURE REQUEST: Pre/Post Jobs inside Guest (VM)

[Poweruser]

Another useful Feature:
- Pre/Post Batches should be selectable by a "browse files dialog" inside Guest VMs
So you just press "browse" and get a full folder/file list of the guest os and select the batch file you need.
So you can run post/pre job batches inside a VM easily

[Dima P.]

Hi.

Pre/post job scripts are executed on Veeam B&R server and, in general, might be treated as scripts to prepare job for successful processing (i.e. shutdow the vm or reattach repository). If you want to perform a script at VM level take a look at Pre-Freeze and Post-Thaw Scripts as they are executed inside the VM. Cheers!

[Poweruser]

Thanks, so the Freeze script is the "inside vm pre job"?
I have to check this out, and if the "browse" button works inside the VM filesystem, so i dont have to type in the path by hand.

[PTide]

Right, pre-feeze and post-thaw scripts are picked from VBR's local file system, passed to the VM, and then executed inside a VM.

Thanks

[Poweruser]

ah, scripts are saved on the VM Host and are "copied" to the VM and executed there?
that sounds nice, so i dont have to put the script into the vm?

[veremin]

Not on a VM host, but on a backup server itself.

When the job starts, Veeam Backup & Replication uploads scripts to the VM guest OS and executes them under the account specified in the Guest OS credentials section of the job settings.

Thanks.

[Poweruser]

okay, but if the backup server is installed on the hyper-v host then they are there too ;-)

maybe it would be usefull if there is a testbutton for scripts.
where you can execute a script directly from veeam.
veeam will give back the execution time, errorcodes, user under which script has run/UAC status and maybe optional send an /test parameter with the script, so the script will notice its a test.

[PTide]

<...>where you can execute a script directly from veeam.

Why can't you just start the script on the VM instead? You can even build an isolated lab specifically for script tests.

Thanks

[Poweruser]

Yes i can run the script from VM.
But as you stated the script is not installed on VM, because b&r pushes it into the VM during backup only.
i want to make sure this progress works, B&R will have the right rights etc.

You may not believe, but even APC has included it in their UPS Software now :-D (they still miss a test e-mail button... but i think after 5 years it might be there, too :-)

[Poweruser]

if i use pre-freeze scripts i have to select them from backup server only.
as i mentioned a test button which pushes the script to the vm would be nice. alternative the script should be located on the vm.

but lets suggest another thing:
if prejob fails we have to run post job in any way! so i want to stop backup if prejob fails but still run post job.
or alternative i want to run an recovery job.
and the best way would be: just warn per email/log on prejob fail, but do backup and do postjob.

[PTide]

as i mentioned a test button which pushes the script to the vm would be nice

Ok, your request is noted, thank you.

alternative the script should be located on the vm.

If you want to have scripts on a VM, then you can use VMware Tools quiescence and create scripts in /usr/sbin/pre-freeze-script and /usr/sbin/post-thaw-script corresponding files. Please check this thread for details.

if prejob fails we have to run post job in any way! so i want to stop backup if prejob fails but still run post job.

You can setup pre-job script in such way that if it fails it will stop the job and proceed to performing a post-job activity.

and the best way would be: just warn per email/log on prejob fail, but do backup and do postjob.

You can fire an email right from a pre-job script. Even if a pre-job script returns a non-zero status, the backup and post-job will start anyway, so you should give it a try.

Thanks

[Poweruser]

alternative the script should be located on the vm.
If you want to have scripts on a VM, then you can use VMware Tools quiescence and create scripts in /usr/sbin/pre-freeze-script and /usr/sbin/post-thaw-script corresponding files. Please check this thread for details.

but i use hyper-v..

if prejob fails we have to run post job in any way! so i want to stop backup if prejob fails but still run post job.
You can setup pre-job script in such way that if it fails it will stop the job and proceed to performing a post-job activity.

i can say ignore errors, stop job on error or disable script. maybe the text should be stop job on error but still execute post job.
another useful idea for quick-help: add (mouseover) quickinfo into the gui. so you can see infos (very large, detailed description of many words) for each checkbox quicker without searching the online help. that would be pretty helpful.

and the best way would be: just warn per email/log on prejob fail, but do backup and do postjob.
You can fire an email right from a pre-job script. Even if a pre-job script returns a non-zero status, the backup and post-job will start anyway, so you should give it a try.

so post job starts in any case?

[PTide]

but i use hyper-v..

Scripts work the same way on Hyper-V.

i can say ignore errors, stop job on error or disable script. maybe the text should be stop job on error but still execute post job.

All these things can be implemented on a script level via a couple of "if"s and a proper handling of exceptions. In the same way you could create a pre-job script that would start another child script and return zero so that the job would start while the child script could monitor the job's execution.

another useful idea for quick-help: add (mouseover) quickinfo into the gui. so you can see infos (very large, detailed description of many words) for each checkbox quicker without searching the online help. that would be pretty helpful.

That is why our User Guide exists. If you feel like it can be improved, please use the "feedback" button in the bottom right corner.

so post job starts in any case?

Right, pre-job script exit status does not affect the job execution, the job will be executed anyway. Also pre-job script failure won't prevent post-job script from starting.

Thanks

[Poweruser]

the script thing confuses me... /sbin.. is just linux? how does it apply to me with windows only and hyper-v?

and yes, it is possible to script everything. but if i would not so lazy to code, i would write the backup software myself ;-) so i prefer buying it, so others may code ;-)

[Mike Resseler]

Poweruser,

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... tml?ver=95

This is more specific for Hyper-V. Here you can see that in the guest processing settings you can define both windows scripts and linux scripts.

Hope it helps
M/

[Poweruser]

Thats nothing new, Mike.
I was talking about pre-freeze scripts all the time.

[PTide]

the script thing confuses me... /sbin.. is just linux? how does it apply to me with windows only and hyper-v?

Yes, sorry, it slipped from my mind that you had hyper-v and windows. There are two types of scripts in Veeam:

1. Pre-freeze/post-thaw scripts.

With hyper-v there is no option other than uploading pre-freeze and post-thaw script directly onto the VM.

2. Pre-job/post-job scripts.

These work in the same way regardless of the hypervisor being used.

Thanks

[Poweruser]

yes, thats what i said :-)