Feature request, Veeam powershell on Windows Core

[lowlander]

Hi Team,

We would like to make a feature request to start a veeam backup job from a windows core server. While we are unable to install the VBR console on core, we want to make use of powershell to start veeam backup jobs when using the VSA with VBR.

[david.domask]

Hi lowlander,

Is Windows Core a "must"?

If you want powershell box without having to spend a Windows license, consider our Linux Powershell module in v13.

Required Rocky 9 / RHEL 9.6 for current release.

[lowlander]

Hi David,

however it is not a must, it is more an evolution of customers separating VBR console from this kind of servers that where installed as a one in a box solution (VBR,Repo,proxy,tape server and so on) all based on a single Windows Server. Now we can deploy the VBR part on a Veeam Software Appliance, customers still need a Windows server providing storage for a repository but also for several legacy datadumps and are hardening Windows Server to core. So yes, it would be nice to have powershell on windows core. Can Linux Powershell module in v13 be installed on (for example) Enterprise manager or VBR saying that these are both Veeam Software Appliances. Thinking out of the box, is it possible to start a job with a script that is using the Veeam API, from the Windows Core servers?

[david.domask]

Understood -- right now nothing to share regarding stanadlone Windows module.

For the Veeam appliances (software (VBR / EM) and infrastructure(proxy / repo)), no, these are locked down and you must not install additional software, it should be a self-managed server at the moment.

Our API has expanded greatly in v13 and continues to expand on each release -- right now you get pretty good job coverage for VM backups and agent backups and backup copies, so API is definitely a solution.

I would say for the clients consider a linux powershell box if feasible -- it should be pretty slim to run as a VM, and your existing scripts will work with official cmdlets.

[exarchbcn]

Hi David,

Any update on the standalone Windows PowerShell module? I'd like to +1 this request from an enterprise automation perspective. Not enabling the Veeam PowerShell module on Windows without the full console effectively blocks a big chunk of enterprise automation scenarios. A few points worth considering:

- Windows Server Core is very common in enterprise environments. Hardening Windows workloads to Core is now the default posture in many organizations, and installing the full VBR console on those hosts is either not allowed or not possible.

- The Linux PowerShell module is not a workaround for Windows shops. The documentation itself states up front that "Connecting to a Microsoft Windows–based backup server from a remote Linux machine using Veeam Backup PowerShell is not supported." So customers running VBR on Windows can't just spin up a Rocky/RHEL box to drive automation.

- GitHub-hosted and self-hosted runners are typically Windows Server Core (or Linux) images. Enterprise CI/CD pipelines that need to trigger or orchestrate Veeam jobs from a runner have no clean path today: no console on Core, no Windows module without the console, and the Linux module can't talk to a Windows VBR server.

- PowerShell version compatibility between v12 and v13 makes coexistence painful. In v12, the module only loads on Windows PowerShell 5.1 (fails on PS 7). In v13, the module only loads on PowerShell 7.4.7 (won't load on 5.1). During a migration window — when many customers will be running both v12 and v13 in parallel — this forces us to maintain two separate automation hosts (one on PS 5.1, one on PS 7), each with its own console dependency. A standalone Windows module that could be installed side by side on Core would make this transition dramatically smoother.

- REST API is helpful but not a full substitute. Coverage is expanding, but many teams have years of existing PowerShell-based runbooks, and rewriting them to API calls just to accommodate a console dependency is a hard sell internally.

Would it be possible to share a rough direction on whether a standalone Windows PowerShell module (installable on Server Core, no console required) is on the roadmap? That would help a lot of us plan our automation strategy around v13 and beyond.

Thanks!

[david.domask]

Hi exarchbcn,

Understood on all points, and indeed the documentation was updated regarding the linux powershell module w/ Windows based backup servers after my post was made -- it "technically works", but naturally that's not the same as supported.

We still have plans for a standalone Windows Powershell module, especially as we move towards deprecating the remote console entirely in favor of the WebUI -- right now no specific timelines for this I can share, but it's the direction we're heading. For the immediate future (13.1, and probably subsequent 13.x releases) the console will remain a requirement.

I understand that this answer still leaves it difficult to plan for future automation strategies, and best I can advise is that REST API will be getting a lot of attention in near future in order to enable features elsewhere. I will update this thread once there is more information regarding a standalone Windows PowerShell module.