[Feature Request] V13 - Improved Upgrades for Isolated Environments

[crun]

Hi

Current upgrade process for isolated environments feels underwhelming and it is a downgrade from applying patches through single, easily transferable packages.

Basically, if you want to perform updates/upgrades, you need to base on couple of community solutions:
1) You need to build a custom Veeam Update Repository Mirror Server (e.g. for Linux https://community.veeam.com/blogs-and-p ... rver-12216)
2) You need to create a custom script to pull data off https://repository.veeam.com/vsa/ (or modify the one in https://community.veeam.com/blogs-and-p ... 327&fid=57 - but this script will break file names with "+", do not use it unmodified). Note you basically need to move full repository every time - it was 40GB at first, then 50GB, 13.1 is actually 80GB+. In some environments moving this kind of data to the isolated environment is another hassle.

The problem is that now it takes much longer to patch, adds administrative overhead and it is partially unsupported and undocumented.

What I believe should be done by Veeam is to:
1) Add "Veeam Update Repository Mirror Server" feature into e.g. Enterprise Manager
2) Patches should be released two-ways: online via repository.veeam.com and offline through packages (probably two kinds: smaller delta releases and full releases) we could drag&drop via some kind of web interface on EM.

Hopefully this was already investigated and is on the roadmap

[david.domask]

Hi crun,

1) Add "Veeam Update Repository Mirror Server" feature into e.g. Enterprise Manager

Good news This is a v13.1 feature: https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbr/e ... tml?ver=13

Currently this feature expects that Enterprise Manager can reach the Veeam repository to cache the updates.

As for patches, noted on the request; just for clarification though, when you talk about patches you're talking about our officially released patches or about hotfixes?

Self-managed mirrors are fully supported, but you are expected to manage the mirror server yourself, that part is correct. But 13.1 Enterprise Manager should help with at least some of this for you today without any custom scripts.

[crun]

Thanks David.

As for patches, noted on the request; just for clarification though, when you talk about patches you're talking about our officially released patches or about hotfixes?

Official released patches, since hotfixes you can push through "Upload a hotfix". I would expect similar button/feature for official releases at some point too (kind of like what Zerto offers with offline/online upgrades)

Self-managed mirrors are fully supported, but you are expected to manage the mirror server yourself, that part is correct. But 13.1 Enterprise Manager should help with at least some of this for you today without any custom scripts.

To my understanding, this will not help in my (and most other isolated environments) case. I need to move the mirrored repository (via unofficial scripts) in a package through official channels to the isolated environment, we cannot just mirror straight from the non-isolated environment.
Afterwards the self-managed repo mirror must be seeded with this new data, and then we could use Veeam Enterprise Manager as another layer in mirroring. This adds another step, not sure if this will be beneficial at this point yet

[david.domask]

Happy to share crun.

And yes, understood on your request, like I wrote currently the Enterprise Manager mirroring requires some connection to the internet, and doesn't fully hit what you're looking for.

We are researching and want to extend the Enterprise Manager mirroring capabilities (including what you're requesting above), but nothing to share at the moment.

For your situation, local mirroring is likely going to be the solution if no internet access can be given to Enterprise Manager, but as noted we want to have an option like you're asking for.

[pma]

Hi all,

Good news on the part David could not share yet: a supported offline update path for the appliances is in development, and we are aiming to have it available by the end of this year.

We are solving it on the appliance itself rather than through Enterprise Manager. Many environments are simply VBR plus several appliances, with no EM in the picture at all, so the update source has to be configurable where the packages are actually
consumed. In the Host Management Console you will be able to attach or upload an update ISO to any VSA or VIA, and then choose how that content is used:

- as the local package source for that appliance's own updates, and/or
- as an HTTP(S) mirror for the rest of your backup infrastructure, so your other appliances - and VBR itself - point at that appliance instead of repository.veeam.com.

Both modes can be enabled at the same time, and no external connectivity is required at any point: you bring the ISO in through whatever channel your isolated network allows, and everything after that is in-product configuration rather than custom scripts.