How to Move Veeam Backup & Replication Backup Files

Challenge

This article provides a method to change the repository where backup files are stored.

Solution

Important! If you have attempted to manually import the backup files using the Import button in the ribbon prior to performing the steps below you must first "Remove from configuration" any backups that were manually imported. These will identifiable in the Backups > Disk (Imported) section, they will be listed with the suffix _imported and will have no repository listed in the Repository column.

There are two primary situations and respective methods that this KB article documents.
Below is a summary of both methods.

Method A:
You have physically moved the backup files to new storage and want to map the old jobs to the backup chain in the new location.

Method B:
You are seeding a job, or you want to map a job to a backup chain in a new location. This method does not require that the job doing the mapping be the same as the job which created the restore points initially.

Method A: Same Job, New Backup location

1. In [Backup Infrastructure] > [Backup Repositories], create a new repository for the new location where backup files will be located.
2. Manually move the backup files to the new repository path. You must include the metadata file (.vbm), full backup files (.vbk), and any needed incremental files (.vib or .vrb).
   
   Notes:
   • It is recommended to move all backup files, but you can omit incremental files if needed. If you decide to not move/copy all backup files to the new storage, you will need to use the “Forget Missing Restore Points” function to clear any references to backup files that were not moved/copied.
   • Also keep in mind that there will be folders created inside the directory/path for job names.
     If your repository path is set as E:\Backups, Job A will go to E:\Backups\Job A.
3. Rescan the new repository.

4. If the backup files are not encrypted, skip this step.
   If the backup files are encrypted, the encrypted backup will appear under the Backups > Disk (encrypted) node in the inventory pane. In the working area, select the imported backup and click Specify Password on the ribbon or right-click the backup and select Specify password. More Information This is also relevant for encrypted Veeam Agent backups.
5. Edit the Backup\Backup Copy Job. Go to the Storage\Target tab, and from the drop-down menu, select the new repository.

6. Press Finish to finalize the setting. If you no error occurs, and the job now lists the new repository in its Repository column, the mapping has been completed.
   Note: If you encounter the following error: “Move all backup files to the new backup repository first”, some restore points the software was expecting to find were not found in the new repository. Cancel out of the job configuration and check both the old repository location and the new location to verify that all restore points have been moved. Then return to step 3 again.

If the steps above do not work, and you still get stopped at the "Move all backups files to the new backup repository first" error, please contact Veeam Support. You may also attempt Method B below.

Method B: New Job, New Backup location

To map the existing backup files to a new or different job, follow these steps:

1. Under Backups > Disk, right click the job you are changing repository for, and do either Remove From Backups (v8) or Remove from Configuration (v9).

2. If you are mapping the backup set from one job to another, but the backup location will stay the same, skip this step.
   If you are moving the backup files to a new location create a new repository for the new location where backup files are located.
3. Rescan the repository where the backup files are located.

4. If the backup files are not encrypted, skip this step.
   If the backup files are encrypted, the encrypted backup will appear under the Backups > Disk (encrypted) node in the inventory pane. In the working area, select the imported backup and click Specify Password on the ribbon or right-click the backup and select Specify password. More Information This is also relevant for encrypted Veeam Agent backups.
5. Edit the Backup\Backup Copy Job. Go to the Storage\Target tab, and from the drop-down menu, select the repository where the backup files you wish to map are located.

6. Click Map Backup and select the existing backup chain

If you are attempting to seed failover cluster Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows job’s restore points please follow the actions below (it has a bit different workflow due to the product design):

1. Clone the source cluster job
2. Remove the source job (it will also remove from configuration its points; not from the disk but from Veeam config only)
3. Move the source backup folder to a new backup folder;
4. Rescan the new repository to import the moved files
5. Change the cloned backup job to the new repository and map the imported points there

More Information