Veeam with vSphere 5 Hypervisor (e.g. free ESXi) works...

[mcvosi]

When attempting to use Veeam B&R to backup my Cisco UC server VMs, running on ESXi I get a message about Veeam not being able to backup the free version? Any way around this???

[foggy]

No way around, free ESXi is not supported. Please review the thread for details.

[frankinmunich]

To add some more confusion to this thread:

I am using an ESXi 6.0 with the "free" HyperVisor license.

Creating backups from Veeam was possible with ESXi 5.5 and I believe, also after the upgrade to 6.0. At some point, after applying ESXi patches, the licensing error came up. I cannot say for sure where it stopped working.

The behavior doesn't seem to be very consistent. Whatever, I am going to uninstall Veaam now.

Regarding a vSphere license: how much is a basic ESXi license for one server? I am using my ESXi every day and have a couple of images that I cannot afford to lose - some of these environments involved quite some work to set them up. All that stuff is for private projects and learning/testing though, so no commercial usage and no budget that needs to be wasted.

I would even consider purchasing a license for a reasonable price which would then allow automated backups.

[Vitaliy S.]

Regarding a vSphere license: how much is a basic ESXi license for one server?

AFAIK, vSphere Essentials was the cheapest purchase so far.

[adeleon]

veeam b&r 9.0 free version claims to be ESXi compatible ("... works perfectly with standalone ESXi or ..." as said in https://www.veeam.com/virtual-machine-b ... -free.html ).

However, whenever I try to backup a virtual machine, I get "Error: Current license or ESXi version prohibits execution of the requested operation" . Does 9.0 effectively support ESXi or am I missing something? Thank you.

[foggy]

You're missing vSphere license. Only licensed hosts can be backed up, as mentioned above.

[wild.lucifero]

I'm getting the same error.
I'm sure that the vmware license key is OK. I just retyped it by copy and paste from the vmware download license page.
The wmware version is the 5.1. I didn't done any upgrades to vmware host. It was a normal installation from the 5.1 CD
The vmware 5.1 vsphere ESXi hypervisor has a (free) license and it is licensed for free.
I installed on a Windows 7/64 PC the Veeam Backup and Replication 9 with 30 days trial license key.
Thanks
Ciao!

[foggy]

Michele, as stated above, free ESXi version is not supported. You need a paid license.

[wild.lucifero]

I think there is some confusion. Or, better, I'm confused a lot.
I understood that ESXi should be the free version of vmware vsphere. Even if it stays free until you have for example one phisical cpu: with 2+ CPUs you must obtain a different license paying it.
So, even if the ESXi is free, it needs a license (for free). It means that veeam backup doesn't need a licensed vmware; veeam backup needs any paid version of vmware.
Veeam writes on their website that weeam backup free edition doesn't support the free version of vsphere.
But, what about the backup and recplication 9?(standard, enterprise and enterprise+)? I don't read anything, instad on the veeam free edition download page I read it doesn't support.

Really many thanks for your quick reply.
Ciao!

[veremin]

Certain DataProtection APIs are blocked in VMware free license, thus, neither free nor paid version of VB&R can work with such license. Thanks.

[foggy]

It means that veeam backup doesn't need a licensed vmware; veeam backup needs any paid version of vmware.

Correct.

I don't read anything, instad on the veeam free edition download page I read it doesn't support.

It is actually mentioned in multiple places, including user guide and licensing FAQ.

[m.jaber]

hi all ,

i have upgrade my esxi from 5 to 6.0 and my veeam backup keep failed with below error

Processing SVR Error: Current license or ESXi version prohibits execution of the requested operation.


any idea please ?

[menace]

Hi,

I`m a bit confused about the Veeam VMware FAQ. The System Requirements tell ESXi is fully supported, but only in a (paid) licensed version.
I have a free ESXi 6.5 machine running, without vCenter or similar. When I downloaded the ESXi iso from the VMware website I got a license number with which I licensed the ESXi Server.



Am I able to use the Veeam Availability Suite with this machine to backup the VMs running on it?


kind regards

[DGrinev]

Hi and welcome to the community!

The Free ESXi Hypervisor is unsupported as it states in the FAQ. You need a paid license.

Please review this thread for additional information. Thanks!

[marcello.gambetti]

goodevening,
my situation is:
production site: vcenter with a couple of VMs and veeam server, proxy and repository all in one physical server.
dr site: free esxi host with local datastores.

i am using a replica job to replicate the VMs from prod to dr site, all fine, but i am a bit confused about where the "destination data mover" (https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... 95#offsite) is located in my solution? is it the esxi itself? am i missing something?

thanks
Marcello

[PTide]

Hi and welcome to the community,

Using free ESXi as a target for replication is not supported, you need to obtain ESXi license for your DR site.

Destination datamover runs at Veeam target proxy. You can either assign the proxy role to any windows machine of your choice, or stick with the default one (Veeam Backup Server itself), however it is recommended to deploy target proxy as close to the target site as possible.

Thank you