File Level Backups.

[robc.yk]

Good Day Folks,

Can someone behind the scenes tell us is the ability to do file level backups is in the roadmap for Veeam?
We have quite a few custom application VM's that only need one data folder backed up and not the rest of the O/S files. To us, this ability would save alot of time and sapce.

Thank You,

[Vitaliy S.]

Hello Rob,

I wouldn't expect this feature to be implemented in the short-term future. However could you please share what applications and what files you're referring to?

Thanks.

[Daveyd]

Funny that you mention that I just had that discussion with my boss. He understands the flexibility of Veeam and backing up an entire VM. However, in his eyes, it comes to a space issue. If we do not need to backup and entire VM and just specific files on it, say just a couple of important files or a database, he doesn't see the need for the overhead and the space required to backup the entire VM. Something like a Backup Exec agent in the VM would suffice.

[ccrichard]

You'd probably be better off making a scheduled task and running tar or 7zip.

[tsightler]

Well, if you follow good practice of putting applications on a separate disks from the OS then you can easily use Veeam's disks exclusion to not backup the OS. You can even use the "mounted volume" approach to mount volumes to specific directories and just backup those specific virtual disks.

Another important point, Veeam's dedupe will actually work very well to dedupe to OS data between VM's, especially if you deploy your OS disks via templates.

[robc.yk]

I do agree with the idea of having a seperate disk for the data, but this is not alway's feesable, especially with imported VM's.
Some of these applications are custom apps that are poorly written, others are SQL and the like. Changing a SQL DB's location is not alway's a good idea from my experience.

Being able to grab just a folder off of a C:\ Drive on a server, say C:\_Backups, would be great. Then we can drop the overhead and speed up the initial backup and the backup to tape space.

[Gostev]

Thanks for your feedback... we'll see what we can do. I can say that we have thought about adding this kind of feature before, and have some interesting ideas on how this can potentially be implemented.

[tsightler]

I do agree with the idea of having a seperate disk for the data, but this is not alway's feesable, especially with imported VM's.
Some of these applications are custom apps that are poorly written, others are SQL and the like. Changing a SQL DB's location is not alway's a good idea from my experience.

Being able to grab just a folder off of a C:\ Drive on a server, say C:\_Backups, would be great. Then we can drop the overhead and speed up the initial backup and the backup to tape space.

You don't have to relocate them from the "C:\ Drive" at least on any reasonably modern Windows. Just mount up a new volume on a mount point under C:\ Drive. We do this for stupid apps as well (we actually have some apps that don't even asks where to install them).

[flavor4real]

Additional File Level Backup would be great so that we could use Veeam Backup to backup Event Logs and push them to Net-backup Tape. Very important in military installations. This would be great because Veeam could be the center point for backups and file level backups.

[tsightler]

What would Veeam add in this equation? Why not just use the tool that your already using to back them up to tape?

If you're really wanting to use Veeam, you could do this now as it's fairly trivial to reconfigure Windows to write the event logs to a dedicated volume (standard practice in some security conscious environments). You could then configure Veeam to backup only these specific volumes.

Of course, there are also infinitely better ways to perform event log management and archiving, but I guess if the military has decided that backing up raw event logs to tape is good enough, well, it's better than nothing.

[flavor4real]

reconfigure Windows to write the event logs to a dedicated volume

I'm aware of it.

From my point of view, it would make it more easier to have the enterprise manager displayed on the big screen and have the regular backup procedures displayed and additional jobs specific for file level backup. Typically, military/ DoD Operating systems are enforced with a strong security template and executing scripts starting from Batch file to PowerShell to VB,.. is hard at many times. Believe me I know :/

Veeam is a approved software and having this feature would be great.

[tsightler]

OK, if you think Veeam having this feature would be great, so be it especially since I agree it would be a nice feature as well (we actually tested a image level backup product that still allowed you to exclude directories since it understood the underlying filesystem layout). That was pretty nice, but of course it required an agent (it wasn't a VMware based product).

If you reconfigured Windows to write all event logs to say "L:\" drive, and this was a specific volume, you could have special Veeam jobs that only backup this volume and get very close to what you are requesting today, no batch files, powershell, or VB scripts required.

[ccerino]

[merged]

n00b question for the VEEAM gurus.

We are in the process of truly building out or Virtual Environment. As a temporary VEEAM archive we are backing up to external USB drives (yes - that is not the greatest solution. We are aware and moving forward on our true digital archiving solution this is just a temporary config).

What I want to do:
1. Backup these jobs that are dumped to the USB drives to TAPE
2. While I know VEEAM is a Virtual Machine backup solution (said the entire flat file structure) - can I treat the VMs like true physical machines and backup only specific files/folders? The reason being is - we don't NEED all the information. We'd rather reduce the backup size, window by backing up only the essential information on the target VMs themselves.


I can dig in, RTFM and all that - but I figured if the gurus have the answer I'd check the source first.

Thanks!

[Gostev]

1. For that you should definitely use forum search, there are many existing discussions with multuple approaches/techniques/scripts. Basically, this comes down to using your existing tape backup solution to archive backup files Veeam produces to tape.

2. Yes, this is not what Veeam is designed for, although we do plan to add functionality like that in future releases. For now, I suppose you could leverage our File Copy jobs to copy specific folders to required target.

However, you should realize that by copying only specific files you are loosing most (if not all) benefits that image-level backup provides. For example, if your VM fails, you will no longer be able to recover it in less than 1 minute. More like a few hours. Quick recovery is the primary reason why IT is moving towards image-level backups for all servers (the only purpose of backup is recovery anyway), but you seem to go in the opposite direction

I'd say, if you are totally convinced you only need file-level backups, you should not buy our solution in the first place.

[LeoJBI]

[merged]

Hello,

I wanted to know if was possible to conduct granular backups? When creating a new backup job, I have the option for "Host & Clusters" or "Datastores & VM's"

I am looking for the ability to backup just particular folder from a VM.

[dellock6]

Hi Leo,
Veeam does image level backups, so it only sees the entire VMDK files. You can exclude single vmdk but not folders inside the VM. It's a different approach from classic backup software...

Luca.

[LeoJBI]

Gostev,

Certainly quick recovery is a concern. However, as more and more data is stored electronically, the archive and retrieval of that specific information becomes critical.

I'm a geek that arrived by way of Architecture. I understand the importance of keeping construction documents for long term storage. The request for retrieval is not solely because some dummy pressed the delete key. The primary reason I look for retrieval is to revisit documents. Many projects get remodeled and having information that was gathered when the project originally completed has a tremendous value to clients. I understand that Veeam is not currently design for this type of application.

All of us are bringing more and more data into the virtual environment. But, we need solutions that take into consideration how people work. I rarely ever needed to conduct a complete restore of a server (thank goodness). However, I encounter request daily for documents relating to project from some time ago.

You guys are doing a great job in the restoration department. But tapes and selective archiving & restoration has it's purpose.

[J1mbo]

What being describing really is the limitation of simple file shares, or actually the very concept of files in the first place (for end-user storage). IMO some kind of versioning information space really is the answer, rather than falling to backups - which are there to protect against hardware failure, at the end of the day.

JMHO!

[Vitaliy S.]

selective archiving & restoration has it's purpose.

Selective restoration is already there, so half of the work is already done

[Spex]

I think there is more than the half done. Veeam does already exclude a file from from backup: pagefile.sys