Veeam 8 - disk exclusions on backupjob

[systemCGV]

Hi,

After upgrade to veeam 8, we can't add disk exclusions in a backupJob ( on vmware ressource pool)
We can exclude SCSI/IDE controller by bus number but we can't exclude a specific disk on a VM.

The migration from 7 to 8 delete vm disk exclusions

It's a bug ?

[veremin]

The upgrade procedure shouldn't have deleted any VM disks exclusions specified. In order to exclude specific VM disk, go to Virtual Machines -> Exclussions -> Disks -> Add VM -> Edit -> Selected Disks -> Add SCSI -> select disks you want to exclude. Thanks.

[averylarry]

Small correction -- you are selecting the disks you want to INCLUDE. So you have to add everything EXCEPT what you want to exclude.

A long time ago I put in an enhancement request -- I'd much prefer an exclude feature. The way it works now, I have to remember to explicitly include every future disk I might add to a VM. I don't like the "workaround" of checking everything in the list except what you want to exclude.

[Gostev]

Good point.

[anglerzac]

Maybe a warning could be put in log if disk configuration change is detected when specific disks are selected reminding us to recheck selections for specific system.

[veremin]

Changes in disk exclussions configuration are logged in the both Windows Event Log (Application -> Veeam Backup) and Job Change Tracking report that is available in Veeam ONE. Or you mean we should warn user in the job session statistics about changes that he's made? Thanks.

[dellock6]

I think he means this: if the disk exclusions are enabled with even only one selection, everytime there is a change in the disk configuration of the VM (and basically the main use case is when a disk is added) the software should give a notification.

I vote instead as Ted for the inversion of the checkboxes: mark with a checkbox the disk I want to exclude, so even if a new disk is added, I don't need to rebuild the "inclusion" list.

[averylarry]

You could choose which method . . .

Choose the default to be exclude all or include all, and then you can choose exceptions that are opposite.

Either:
[Include all disks {except the ones I specify}]
or
[Exclude all disks {but include the ones I specify}]

[Bunce]

Don't hold your breath. I raised this about 4 years ago.

[Gostev]

Why not? The amount of requests is exactly what defines each feature's priority. For example, it was not until the topic with requests for adding encryption became over 10 pages long that we prioritized this feature for implementation. With hundreds of feature requests pending, amount of requests becomes a very important (albeit not the only) metric.

[averylarry]

<<<starts creating new users to artificially add voices to the enhancement request>>>

[systeembeheerder]

you get my vote!

[Morgenstern72]

At the moment, excluding means you have to include disks you want to backup, the rest is excluded.
The wording is not only perplexing, but contradicts the spirit of a good backup: backup everything except the things i exclude.
Because when you add a new disk to this VM you will have to remember to go to "exclude" and include(!) the new disk.
I am quite sure, more possible harm is done by not backup up than by backing up something I do not need.

We have this problem right now with a Fileserver where we do not want to backup one disk but all else. And new disks will be added.

So I would like to ask that there is a new tab that really lets me exclude like "backup anything that is not excluded in this list"

[Shestakov]

Hello Joachim,
You can click "Select all" and uncheck unwanted disks if you want to exclude just a couple of them. I believe lots of users, on the contrary, just want to include several of the disks from the list and for them selecting all disks by default is not handy.
However, your reasoning for sure makes sense. Thank you for the feedback!

[Morgenstern72]

Hello Joachim,
You can click "Select all" and uncheck unwanted disks if you want to exclude just a couple of them.

Could you please provide me with a screenshot how to do that? I just cannot do that. When "select all" is checked, everything else is greyed out.

[Morgenstern72]

Hello Joachim,
I believe lots of users, on the contrary, just want to include several of the disks from the list and for them selecting all disks by default is not handy.
However, your reasoning for sure makes sense. Thank you for the feedback!

Well, reading all the posts here all users in this thread have the same idea like me. But if it's too much trouble to implement this feature, changing the wording alone would help: To exclude, I do not want to include disk. So "selective backup" would be a good wording or "backup selective disks".

[Morgenstern72]

I think he means this: if the disk exclusions are enabled with even only one selection, everytime there is a change in the disk configuration of the VM (and basically the main use case is when a disk is added) the software should give a notification.

I vote instead as Ted for the inversion of the checkboxes: mark with a checkbox the disk I want to exclude, so even if a new disk is added, I don't need to rebuild the "inclusion" list.

#

I vote for both:
) notifying when a new disk is attached and not backed up as long as it works right now
) changing to real exclusions (and so automatic inclusions of new disks) as soon as possible in the future

[Shestakov]

Could you please provide me with a screenshot how to do that? I just cannot do that. When "select all" is checked, everything else is greyed out.

Sure:

[Shestakov]

Well, reading all the posts here all users in this thread have the same idea like me. But if it's too much trouble to implement this feature, changing the wording alone would help: To exclude, I do not want to include disk. So "selective backup" would be a good wording or "backup selective disks".
...
I vote for both:
) notifying when a new disk is attached and not backed up as long as it works right now
) changing to real exclusions (and so automatic inclusions of new disks) as soon as possible in the future

Joachim, despite people in the thread think that the exclusion logic has to be changed, lots of other users got used to the current exclusion mechanism. When users find something working as expected they just don`t pay attention to that. Imagine if we change the logic to the opposite and accustomed to the current logic users, as usual, pick VMs/disks to backup, filtering everything else. Those users will got mad when they found out that the approach was changed and they need to do all the job again because the software worked not as it was expected.

However, I agree with you that we can make the current description clearer.
Thanks for the feedback and participation. Much appreciated!

[Morgenstern72]

Joachim, despite people in the thread think that the exclusion logic has to be changed, lots of other users got used to the current exclusion mechanism. When users find something working as expected they just don`t pay attention to that. Imagine if we change the logic to the opposite and accustomed to the current logic users, as usual, pick VMs/disks to backup, filtering everything else. Those users will got mad when they found out that the approach was changed and they need to do all the job again because the software worked not as it was expected.

I do not want to take something away, I want an option added. In "Select Disks -> VM Disks to proceed" there are now theese options:
All disks, Disk 0:0, Selected Disks
What I am missing is simply "All disks except ...". So you can see immediately what is not backed up.
Everybody could use the backup like now but have one more option. Nobody has to pay attention or reason to get mad since all is working like before
But users like me will be happy since they do not have to use workarounds to be sure that every disk, even new ones, are backed up, except the ones that are excluded.
An to be honest: a backup should always rather backup too much than not enough. A full repository maybe lead to some work to clean up but a disk missing in a backup is really really bad.

That said I will not longer contribute to this thread. It's veeams choice to invest some hours for a simple new selection to make users happy and the wording more logic. If it helps: we are small but Enterprise Plus Users. We really like your product

[Gostev]

Agree - adding a new, separate option should not present any issues to existing users.

[andyg]

I really think the exclude disk section in Veeam 8 is really clunky now.

If you want to exclude one disk, but ensure if you add more disks later you need to tick ALL the disks and untick the one you exclude.

That menu is about excluding, so it would be better to tick the one you want to EXCLUDE.

[TitaniumCoder477]

I concur. It is ridiculous to have to manually specify which disks to INCLUDE when all you want to do is EXCLUDE one disk. This is like taking three steps backward so you can take one step forward. Makes absolutely no sense.

[ratkinsonuk]

Very often, users need to exclude a specific volume from backups for a variety of reasons. The process for doing this is currently to say what you want backed up, rather than what you don't want.

Could a dropdown be added to the Select Disks window allowing the mode to be set to "Disks to be processed" / "Disks to be excluded" please.

The reason for this change is that if we use a list of disk ID's to be included in the backup then any new disks added would not be automatically included in the backup. This feels counter-intuitive.

Thanks, Rob.

[Egor Yakovlev]

Hi Rob.

Thanks for sharing your experience with Exclusions control.
I do agree that it can be somewhat confusing and we have some ideas in mind to make it better in the future versions.

/Thanks!