Is there a way to backup file share reg key with VEEAM?

[momo_spb]

Specifically the

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Shares

Registry Key.

We use Hyper-V but don't backup the C drive of the file server, only the data drive. We don't want to add the C drive backups to our existing jobs due to space limitations.

In the event of a file server failure I don't want to be in the position that I'll have to sit and rebuild the share and share security information. I know it's all stored in the above registry key so I'm wondering if there's a way to add that key (only that key) to a backup job.

I know how to do it in powershell where it can dump out the key into a .reg file, which I can then backup but I'd rather do it directly via VEEAM, if it's at all possible. The scripts aren't always monitored so we can miss the alerts if they have/haven't run. I want something as easy as possible (preferably via VEEAM) so that my entire team can pick up the checks if I'm not around.

Much appreciated.

[david.domask]

Hi Mo,

Currently the best options for achieving this would be as you described:

1. Dump the relevant registry keys/values as you discussed and ensure they're stored on the volume being backed up
2. Include the System Volume as well during backup

I'm not an Active Directory administrator, but I believe you can also handle this with GPOs, no? So should the machine be restored, upon rejoining the Domain, such share connections can be enforced if I remember correctly; is this an option in your environment?

[momo_spb]

How about running a powershell script as part of the VEEAM backup job - so a script before the job runs to dump the .reg file to the volume that's already being backed up? Would VEEAM report if the powershell script part of it failed or would it cause the entire backup job to fail?

All I would need to do is:

Code: Select all

reg export "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Shares\" "D:\ShareKeyBackup\$env:computername $date.reg" /y

That's the command that I would run on the file server, would it work from the VEEAM backup server?

Thanks

[david.domask]

Sure, though I think that a pre-freeze script is probably the best solution here as opposed to a pre-job script. Pre-freeze scripts will be copied from the VBR server to the GuestOS being backed up and executed natively on the GuestOS using the credentials set for Guest Processing within the job. Indeed, this should be a simple script, and you can define what the job should do if the script fails. (treat script execution failures as task failures, log the script execution failures but continue processing, don't execute the script)

I think that is easier than writing out code in the script to do powershell remoting before the job, but it's certainly a viable route as well.

[momo_spb]

It looks like pre-freeze scripts are only available when you backup as a VM? We backup as Windows Computer.

Would regular pre-job script work in the same way or does it only run the command/script from the backup server?

[david.domask]

Agent jobs have the on-guest scripts at a different location: https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... ml?ver=120

But ultimately the behavior will be the same.

Pre-Job scripts are indeed executed by the Backup Server for Agent jobs managed in the Veeam Backup and Replication Server, so the same PSRemoting will be required if you elect for this route.