Archive advice please.

[readie]

Having given up tape backups, we now plan to Archive some servers onto USB HDs. Since we are an educational establishment, we plan to do this annually, between academic years (we then keep enough ongoing backup copies during the current year). My question is about formats, and I don't just mean HD format.
If we want to read one of these Archives in (say) 5 years' time, will the then current version of Veeam B&R read our old backup? (I know I'm asking you to star-gaze!) Will the USB HDs still work in 5 years?
I could mount the USB HD as an iSCSI attached to a Windows 2012 Server (as our present repositories, which I presume are therefore NTFS formatted by Windows?), or as a simple SMB share formatted EXT3 or 4, or NTFS (or as NFS though I know less about that).
I suppose for my convenience, I attach it as an iSCSI to the same Windows 2012 server which holds our present repositories, so that a (one off, annual) backup copy job just uses that one server.
I would value any thoughts or advice.
Thanks, Bob

[foggy]

Bob, Veeam B&R always provides backward compatibility in terms of backup file format, so that backups created by any of the previous releases be recoverable. Thanks.

[larry]

I have backups I need for seven years. I researched and picked USB3 formatted NTFS. We did this after restoring an old tape that took us a while to find an old drive. I found the Seagate LaCie 12tb ( mirrored to 6tb ) worked well and stack nice on a shelf in the vault. We also copy the Veeam standalone restore utility with the backups.

[readie]

Thanks both - now I am starting to set this up, I have a follow up question. I had a Backup Copy job of two big (3TB) VMs which ran from July 2014 to Nov 2014, and it has several restore points - 7th July, 11th Sept, etc . . .
I would really like to Archive (to my new USB) just the oldest Restore Point on 7th July. If I 'restore' I can select which restore point I want, but if I set up a Backup Copy job, it will (by default) take the latest restore point.
Ahhh. Even worse. Now I look, I cannot point a Backup Copy job at a VM in an old Backup Copy job, only to Backup jobs??
I could, possibly, just copy the vbk file to USB HD . . . but unfortunately it includes 2Vms each over 3TB, so is 5.9TB. I was hoping to extract each of the 3TB VM backups onto 4TB USB HDs . . . .
Might I copy the vbk file, import it back into B&R, and then point my backup copy job to it (can I point a backup copy job to a previous 'job' in that way) . . . . then just select the VM I want??
Perhaps there is now no way, from what I've got?

[foggy]

There's no easy way to do this. You would need to edit VBM file so that it contain information about that single full restore point. Probably an easier way is to temporarily restore the VM from the required restore point (using either full VM restore or Instant Recovery) and then back it up again, to get a separate VBK for it.

[readie]

Thanks for the thought. I think I might go through that process, but since it is a production server, how?? (Of course it will take ages for over 3TB, but . . . )
Can I restore and say 'do not power on'? (Fortunately I don't do restores that often, so can't remember the wizard.) Then create a backup job for that powered off server?
Is there any difference if I create a single backup job of the powered off restored server straight to USB HD, or do a backup to somewhere and then use a backup copy to USB HD? Is there any difference in the final backup 'image' files? Or do they both have the same structure of a VBM file and a VBK file?
Thanks for your continued support on this tricky problem.

[veremin]

Can I restore and say 'do not power on'?

Just do not connect a restored VM to a network.

Then create a backup job for that powered off server?

Correct.

Is there any difference if I create a single backup job of the powered off restored server straight to USB HD, or do a backup to somewhere and then use a backup copy to USB HD?

No difference. The backup job approach is easier, since it requires just one step.

Is there any difference in the final backup 'image' files?

No.

Or do they both have the same structure of a VBM file and a VBK file?

Correct.

Thanks.

[readie]

Wonderful - super quick support as always!
Bob

[veremin]

You're welcome. Veeam Speed is one of our core values.