Issues creating a rotating backup job

[luminous]

HI all, I'm new to Veeam and have read a lot of guides, but am still struggling to get this setup.

Using Windows Server Backup we have previously been able to backup a Hypervisor and all its VMs to a pair of USB hard drives. These drives are rotated by the customer, when they want to. The Windows Server Backup will backup to either of these drives if they are present. It only errors if neither drive is attached to the server.

We are trying to make a setup like this using Veeam, but so far I have not managed to achieve this. I can activate the "rotating backup" option, but that does not let me select a range of drives, just a single drive for a repository. The backup job only allows one repository to be selected. This leads me to think that I will have to create two backup jobs, one of which will always fail and send an error message to me. I would like to avoid this if possible.

Does anyone have any suggestions please?

[MichaelCade]

When you swap the USB drives they need to come into Windows as the same drive letter. Then add that drive letter as the veeam backup repository and configure the the this repository is backed by rotating drives.

[luminous]

I believe we have done as you have suggested, but I do not see how that works for more than one hard drive? Please can you elaborate

For example. We would like to use 2 external drives, one on Mon Wed Fri and the other Tue Thu Sat. However, if a member of staff forgets to rotate the drive at the end of the night, rather than the backup fail we would like it to use the drive that happens to be attached to the server. Better to have some backup, than none at all. This is how Windows Server Backup has managed to work (although it has its other issues)

[MichaelCade]

If the drive is not removed then it should take the incremental file to the same disk that is connected. the diagram shown here will help understand this - https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... tml?ver=95

[luminous]

Hi Michael

I'm sorry I don't understand the process

1) We attach first backup drive
2) We make a repository, which is one of the rotating USB Backup drives - we used the advanced option to ensure it is seen as a rotating backup drive
3) We make a backup profile and point it at 2)
4) We attach second backup drive
5) We make a repository for the second backup drive
6) How then do we add this second repository to the backup profile without removing the first one?

[MichaelCade]

You dont add the second disk as a repository. when it is connected instead of drive 1 it needs to appear as the same disk drive letter and veeam will send backup files to it.



the image above will show how that looks from a backup point of view.

[luminous]

Now I like the sound of that!

Presumably it only has appear as the same drive letter once, ie when we are setting things up? After that it will be able to find it when Windows decides to give it another drive letter just because it feels like it?

Thanks for your help, the guides just did not make it clear enough that this was how it worked. Sorry if I am being a little slow.

[MichaelCade]

from the link i shared above

When you insert a drive for the first time, the drive is not registered in the configuration database. Such drive must have the same letter as the one specified in the Path to folder field in backup repository settings. For more information, see Configuring Path and Load Control Settings.

If the drive has some other letter, Veeam Backup & Replication will not be able to detect and use it.

[foggy]

Correct, you need to make sure all the drives keep the same drive letter during the first backup to them. On subsequent drive switches Veeam B&R will "follow" the drive on the letter change (provided this is a Windows type repository).

[luminous]

All sorted, thanks for the support