License Update Fails In Networks Where HTTP Proxy Must Be Used
Challenge
License updating may fail if the machine where Veeam Backup & Replication is installed does not have a direct connection to the Internet and must instead connect to the Internet via an HTTP proxy.
When this occurs the Svc.VeeamBackup.log shows either of the following errors:
Connection error: The remote name could not be resolved: 'autolk.veeam.com' (System.Exception)
Invalid answer received from https://vbr.butler.veeam.com: possible proxy server configuration issues
Cause
Proxy settings within Internet Options are configured per user. While the account you are logged in as may be able to access the internet through the proxy, the backup service account may not have access if that account hasn't had its internet connection settings configured.
Solution
Account-Level Configuration
Assigning the Proxy Settings for an account, whether a dedicated account or LocalSystem, will allow all services and applications that use that account to access the internet using the configured proxy.
Identify Veeam Backup Service Account
Open services and check which account is listed in the 'Log On As' column for the Veeam Backup Service.
Or, check via PowerShell using:
Get-WmiObject Win32_Service -Filter "Name='VeeamBackupSvc'" | Select-Object Name,StartNameService Account is Local or Domain User
If the Veeam Backup Service is running as a user, you can log in to the machine and perform the following steps.
- Log on to the Veeam Backup Server using that account.
- Open Internet Options (inetcpl.cpl)
- Switch to the Connections tab.
- Click 'LAN settings'.
- Configure the Proxy settings in the 'Proxy server' section.
Service Account is LocalSystem
If the Veeam Backup Service is running under the account LocalSystem, it will not be possible to log in as that user.
Documented below are two methods that can be used to configure the proxy settings for the LocalSystem account.
Method 1: Use PsExec to Configure Internet Options as LocalSystem
- Download PsExec from Microsoft's website: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/psexec.
- Open the zip and place PsExec.exe in a location that is convenient to access from a command line. (C:\temp\)
- Open an Administrative Console (Command Prompt or PowerShell)
- Change to the folder where you placed PsExec.exe in Step 2.
- Run the following command to launch a Command Prompt as LocalSystem:
PsExec.exe -s -i cmd.exe- In the new command prompt window that appears, open Internet Options by running the command:
inetcpl.cpl- In the Internet Options window that opens, switch to the Connections tab.
- Click 'LAN settings'.
- Configure the Proxy settings in the 'Proxy server' section.
Be sure to include all proxy settings you want the LocalSystem to use, including bypasses and exclusions.
Method 2: Copy Proxy Connection Settings From Current User to LocalSystem
- Configure the proxy settings for the current user.
- Open Internet Options (inetcpl.cpl)
- Switch to the Connections tab.
- Click 'LAN settings'.
- Configure the Proxy settings in the 'Proxy server' section.
Note: The settings you configure will be duplicated to the LocalSystem account, so be sure to include all settings you want the LocalSystem to use, including bypasses and exclusions.
- Open an Administrative PowerShell console.
- Run the following command to copy the DefaultConnectionSettings from the current user's settings to the setting used by the LocalSystem account:
Copy-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Connections" -Name "DefaultConnectionSettings" -Destination "Registry::HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-18\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Connections"More Information
The Proxy settings within Internet Options configure proxy usage for WinInet connections. Some commands used by Veeam Backup & Replication utilize WinHTTP, which must be configured as documented in KB3090.
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