How to Migrate Veeam Agent Backup Files to Cloud Connect Repository
Purpose
This article documents the available methods to migrate backup data from Standalone deployments of Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows or Veeam Agent for Linux from a non-Cloud Connect Repository to a Cloud Connect repository, allowing the original backup job to continue utilizing that backup data.
These methods can be helpful when you need to back up a large amount of data to a cloud repository using a slow network connection and doing so directly may fail due to the 168-hour connection timeout. These methods will allow you to create a full backup on local storage, move the backup file to the cloud repository with external tools, and use that backup file as a "seed" for the backup to continue sending only incremental change data.
Solution
Migrate Standalone Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows Backups to a Cloud Connect Repository
Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows
Information regarding the process for migrating existing Standalone Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows backup data to a cloud repository is available within the Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows User Guide, Moving Veeam Agent Backups to Veeam Cloud Connect Repository.
Veeam Agent for Linux and Veeam Agent for Mac
The migration (seeding) of backup data for the standalone Veeam Agent for Linux or Veeam Agent for Mac is not available when it is not managed by the Veeam Service Provider Console, due to the absence of the Map Backup function in Veeam Agent for Linux and Veeam Agent for Mac.
Migrate VSPC-Managed Veeam Agent Backup Data to a Cloud Connect Repository
Note: Veeam Agent in this context represents Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows, Veeam Agent for Linux, and Veeam Agent for Mac.
The procedures in this section depend on whether the Cloud Repository assigned to the tenant or subtenant is backed by a simple repository or a scale-out backup repository on the server provider's side.
Cloud Repository Is Backed by a Simple Repository
Move a Veeam Agent backup that is managed by the Veeam Service Provider Console to a cloud repository that is backed by a simple backup repository on the provider side.
This example is based on the following scenario information; please adjust accordingly for your situation:
- The initial Veeam Agent backup job was created using VSPC.
- The initial Veeam Agent backup job is named: BackupJob1
- The initial Veeam Agent backup job created restore points on local storage in the folder: C:\VeeamBackup\BackupJob1\
- The Veeam Cloud Connect repository stores backup files in the folder: D:\TenantBackups\
- Cloud resources are exposed to the tenant named: Tenant1
- (Optional) Tenant1 provided access to the cloud repository to the subtenant named: Subtenant1
Note: This example uses Windows file paths. However, the method described is fully compatible with all supported repository path types (e.g., Linux [/backups/tenantbackups/], NFS [x.x.x.x:/backups/tenantbackups/], or SMB [\\nas\backups\tenantbackups\].
To move the backup files that are stored locally to the Veeam Cloud Connect repository, do the following:
Tenant Actions
- Make sure the Veeam Agent job is not running.
- Move VBK, VIB, and VBM files from the local storage to the cloud repository using a reliable drive or NAS.
(ask the provider if they have a preferred method.)
Service Provider Actions
- On the Service Provider side, create a folder on the repository for the backup data:
- If you are moving the backup file(s) for the tenant:
move files from C:\VeeamBackup\BackupJob1 to D:\TenantBackups\Tenant1\BackupJob1 - If you are moving the backup files(s) for the subtenant:
move files from C:\VeeamBackup\BackupJob1 to D:\TenantBackups\Tenant1\Users\Subtenant1\BackupJob1
- If you are moving the backup file(s) for the tenant:
- In the Service Provider's ${product.title.vcc} console rescan the repository where the files were placed in Step 4.
During rescan, the rescan statistics window will display information about added tenant backups in the Tenant backups line.
Note: Perform the rescan during non-working hours to avoid overloading the repository with excessive tasks.
Tenant Actions
- Update the Veeam Agent backup job
- Edit the initial Veeam Agent backup job through the Veeam Service Provider Console.
- Go to the Destination step of the wizard and change the destination to Cloud Repository.
- On the Credentials step of the wizard, use the tenant or subtenant credentials that match the folder where the seed was placed in Step 2.
- Run the job.
Cloud Repository Is Backed by a Scale-Out Backup Repository
Move a Veeam Agent backup that is managed by the Veeam Service Provider Console to a Scale-Out Backup Repository (SOBR) on the provider side.
This example is based on the following scenario information; please adjust accordingly for your situation:
- The initial Veeam Agent backup job name was created using VSPC.
- The initial Veeam Agent backup job is named: BackupJob1
- The initial Veeam Agent backup job created restore points on local storage in the folder: C:\VeeamBackup\BackupJob1\
- The Veeam Cloud Connect repository stores backup files in the folder: D:\TenantBackups\
- Cloud resources are exposed to a tenant named: Tenant1
- (Optional) Tenant1 provided access to the cloud repository to a subtenant named: Subtenant1
Note: This example uses Windows file paths. However, the method described is fully compatible with all supported repository path types (e.g., Linux [/backups/tenantbackups/], NFS [x.x.x.x:/backups/tenantbackups/], or SMB [\\nas\backups\tenantbackups\].
Note that the backup job name, the backup folder name, the VBM filename, and the path to the VBM must conform to naming standards for SOBR:
- Allowed alphanumeric characters: a-z, A-Z, 0-9
- Allowed special characters: _ - . + = @ ^
- The path and VBM filename must not contain spaces. If the path or the VBM filename contains spaces, replace them with underscores.
To move the backup file(s) that are stored locally to the Veeam Cloud Connect repository backed by SOBR, do the following:
Tenant Actions
- Make sure the Veeam Agent job is not running.
- Move the VBK, VIB, and VBM files from local storage to the Cloud Provider site using a reliable drive or NAS.
Ask the provider if they have a preferred method.
Service Provider Actions
- On the Service Provider side, create a folder for the job on each performance extent of the SOBR.
- If the files are being seeded for a Tenant, the folder structure will be:
D:\TenantBackups\Tenant1\BackupJob1 - If the files are being seeded for a Subtenant, the folder structure will be:
D:\TenantBackups\Tenant1\Users\Subtenant1\BackupJob1
- If the files are being seeded for a Tenant, the folder structure will be:
- Into each job folder created in Step 3, place a copy of the VBM file
- Next, place the VBK and VIB files accordingly:
- If the SOBR was created with the Data Locality placement policy, place the VBK and VIB files in the newly created BackupJob1 folder on the preferred extent.
- If the SOBR was created with the Performance Mode placement policy, place the VBK file(s) on the designated extent(s) (if applicable) and place the VIB file(s) on the designated extent(s) (if applicable) in the BackupJob1 folder.
- In the Service Provider's Veeam Backup & Replication console, rescan the Scale-Out Backup Repository where the files were placed in Step# 2.
During rescan, the rescan statistics window will display information about added tenant backups in the Tenant backups line.
Note: Perform the rescan during non-working hours to avoid overloading the repository with excessive tasks.
Tenant Action
- Update the Veeam Agent backup job
- Edit the initial Veeam Agent backup job through the Veeam Service Provider Console.
- Go to the Destination step of the wizard, and change the destination to Veeam Cloud Connect Repository.
- On the Credentials step of the wizard, use the tenant or subtenant credentials that match the folder where the seed was placed in Step 3.
- Run the job.
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