Problems with Creating Jobs in PowerShell - Enabling Schedule, Setting Retention Policy, and Encryption Key

Here is a script I have for creating backup jobs with multiple options.  I think some of this will help with the options you are trying to set as an example only.  Not meant to replace what you have done.

{{
#Specify the name you want to assign to the backup job

$JobName = "backup job name"



#Specify the array of VMware VMs you want to add to the job.

#If you want to search by part of VM name use *

$VMsNames = Find-VBRViEntity -Name "VM1", "VM2", "VM3"



#Specify the backup repository where the created backup will be stored. Default: default backup repository

#If you want to search by part of repo name use *

$BackupRepo = Get-VBRBackupRepository -Name "name of repo"



#specify the VMware backup proxy for this job

$ProxyName = "name of the proxy"



# Which day you want to run the synthetic full? Options are Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. type the day between ' '

$syntheticday = 'Day'



# specify the retention for daily jobs and weekly

$DailyRetention = "number of days"

$WeeklyRetention = "number of weeks"



#specify the time of the day you want to run the job? Format is hh:mm. type the time between ' '

$StartTime = 'hh:mm'



#Enter the number of attempts to run the job after failing and define time intervals between them in minutes. type them between ' '

$RetriesNumber = 'number'

$WaitingTime = 'minutes'



Add-VBRViBackupJob -Name $JobName -Entity $VMsNames -BackupRepository $BackupRepo

# Job is created with default parameters



$BackupJob = Get-VBRJob -Name $JobName



# assign VMware proxy to the Backup Job

$proxy = Get-VBRViProxy -Name $ProxyName

$BackupJob | Set-VBRJobProxy -Proxy $proxy



# Set retention for backup

$retention = Get-VBRJobOptions -Job $BackupJob

$retention.BackupStorageOptions.RetentionType = 'Days'

$retention.BackupStorageOptions.RetainDaysToKeep = $DailyRetention

Set-VBRJobOptions -Job $BackupJob -Options $retention



$retention.GfsPolicy.IsEnabled = $true

$retention.GfsPolicy.Weekly.IsEnabled = $true

$retention.GfsPolicy.Weekly.KeepBackupsForNumberOfWeeks = $WeeklyRetention

$retention.GfsPolicy.Weekly.DesiredTime = $syntheticday

Set-VBRJobOptions -Job $BackupJob -Options $retention



# set full synthetic backup

$BackupJob | Set-VBRJobAdvancedBackupOptions -Algorithm Incremental -TransformFullToSyntethic $True -EnableFullBackup $False -FullBackupDays $syntheticday



# Advanced options (for Dell Data Domain)

$BackupJob | Set-VBRJobAdvancedStorageOptions -CompressionLevel 0 -EnableDeduplication $False -StorageBlockSize 5



#enable daily schedule and set the start time

$BackupJob | Enable-VBRJobSchedule

$BackupJob | Set-VBRJobSchedule -Daily -At $StartTime



# set number of reties and waiting time

$ScheduleOptions = $BackupJob | Get-VBRJobScheduleOptions

$ScheduleOptions.Retrytimes = $RetriesNumber

$ScheduleOptions.Retrytimeout = $WaitingTime

Set-VBRJobScheduleOptions -Job $BackupJob -Options $ScheduleOptions



}}

Similar code for a primary backup that might have some extra useful properties. Some of the settings in B&R can only be done by dropping into the underlying .Net methods.

#region Setup Repository and Backup Names

if ($paramBackupJobType -eq "COPY") {
    $DataDomainRepositorySuffix = "_COPY_REPOSITORY"
    $DataDomainTarget = $CopyBackupDataDomain.substring(2)
} else {
    $DataDomainRepositorySuffix = "_REPOSITORY"
    $DataDomainTarget = $PrimaryBackupDataDomain.substring(2)
}

if ($paramUniqueIdentifier -eq "") {
    $BackupJobName = $paramBackupEnvironment + "_" + $paramBackupFrequency + "_" + $paramBackupName + "_BACKUP"
    $CopyJobName = $paramBackupEnvironment + "_" + $paramBackupFrequency + "_" + $paramBackupName + "_COPY"
} else {
    $BackupJobName = $paramBackupEnvironment + "_" + $paramBackupFrequency + "_" + $paramBackupName + "-" + $paramUniqueIdentifier + "_BACKUP"
    $CopyJobName = $paramBackupEnvironment + "_" + $paramBackupFrequency + "_" + $paramBackupName + "-" + $paramUniqueIdentifier + "_COPY"
}


$TargetRepository = $DataDomainTarget + "_" + $paramBackupName + $DataDomainRepositorySuffix

#endregion



#region Setup GFS and retentions

if ($paramBackupFrequency -eq "WEEKLY") {
    $BackupRetentionPolicy = "DAYS"
    $BackupRetention = 13
    $BackupGFSWeekly = 2
    $BackupGFSMonthly = 0
    $BackupGFSYearly = 0
} else {
    $BackupRetentionPolicy = "POINTS"
    $BackupRetention = 10
    $BackupGFSWeekly = 0
    $BackupGFSMonthly = 0
    $BackupGFSYearly = 0

}

#endregion



#region Create BACKUP Job

if ($paramBackupJobType -eq "BACKUP") {

    foreach ($Server in $aryServerList.Name) {

        Write-Host "Checking server $Server exists..."
            $objServer = Find-VBRViEntity -VMsAndTemplates -Name $Server

        if ($null -eq $objServer) {
            Write-Host "Invalid server name: $Server"
            exit
        }
    }

    Write-Host "Creating Veeam BACKUP job '$BackupJobName' using repository $TargetRepository..."

    Try {
        Add-VBRViBackupJob -Name $BackupJobName -BackupRepository $TargetRepository -Description $paramBackupDescription `
            -Entity (Find-VBRViEntity -VMsAndTemplates -Name $aryServerList.Name) | Out-Null
    }
    Catch
    {
        Write-Host "Failed to create the backup job:" $Error[0].Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
        Exit
    }


    Write-Host "Updating Storage options..."
    Try {
        Get-VBRJob -name $BackupJobName | Set-VBRJobAdvancedStorageOptions -CompressionLevel 4 -StorageBlockSize 5 -EnableDeduplication $false | Out-Null
    }
    Catch {
        Write-Host "Unable to update the Storage options:" $Error[0].Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
        exit
    }


    Write-Host "Updating Full Backup options..."
    Try {
        Get-VBRJob -name $BackupJobName | Set-VBRJobAdvancedBackupOptions -EnableFullBackup $true -TransformFullToSyntethic $false | Out-Null
    }
    Catch {
        Write-Host "Unable to configure Full Backup:" $Error[0].Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
        exit
    }


    Write-Host "Updating settings for deleted VM's..."
    Try {
        Get-VBRJob -name $BackupJobName | Set-VBRJobAdvancedOptions -RetainDays 90 | Out-Null
    }
    Catch {
        Write-Host "Unable to configure settings for deleted VM's:" $Error[0].Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
        exit
    }


    Write-Host "Updating retention settings..."
    Try {
        $BackupJobOptions = Get-VBRJobOptions -Job $BackupJobName
        $BackupJobOptions.BackupStorageOptions.EnableDeletedVmDataRetention = $true

        if ($BackupRetentionPolicy -eq "DAYS") {
            $BackupJobOptions.BackupStorageOptions.RetentionType = "Days"
            $BackupJobOptions.BackupStorageOptions.RetainDaysToKeep = $BackupRetention
            $BackupJobOptions.GfsPolicy.IsEnabled = $True

            if ($BackupGFSWeekly -gt 0) {
                $BackupJobOptions.GfsPolicy.Weekly.IsEnabled = $True
                $BackupJobOptions.GfsPolicy.Weekly.KeepBackupsForNumberOfWeeks = $BackupGFSWeekly
            }

            if ($BackupGFSMonthly -gt 0) {
                $BackupJobOptions.GfsPolicy.Monthly.IsEnabled = $True
                $BackupJobOptions.GfsPolicy.Monthly.KeepBackupsForNumberOfMonths = $BackupGFSMonthly
            }

            if ($BackupGFSYearly -gt 0) {
                $BackupJobOptions.GfsPolicy.Monthly.IsEnabled = $True
                $BackupJobOptions.GfsPolicy.Monthly.KeepBackupsForNumberOfMonths = $BackupGFSYearly
            }
        }

        if ($BackupRetentionPolicy -eq "POINTS") {
            $BackupJobOptions.BackupStorageOptions.RetentionType = "Cycles"
            $BackupJobOptions.BackupStorageOptions.RetainCycles = $BackupRetention
        }

        Set-VBRJobOptions -Job $BackupJobName -Options $BackupJobOptions | Out-Null

        $CopyJobOptions = New-VBRJobOptions -ForBackupJob
        $CopyJobOptions.BackupStorageOptions.RetainCycles = 8
        $CopyJobOptions.GenerationPolicy.SyncIntervalStartTime = (Get-Date($BackupTime)).AddHours(-2).TimeOfDay      # Should be primary backup time +2 hours
        $CopyJobOptions.GfsPolicy.IsEnabled = $True
        $CopyJobOptions.GfsPolicy.Weekly.IsEnabled = $True
        $CopyJobOptions.GfsPolicy.Weekly.KeepBackupsForNumberOfWeeks = 5
        $CopyJobOptions.GfsPolicy.Monthly.IsEnabled = $True
        $CopyJobOptions.GfsPolicy.Monthly.KeepBackupsForNumberOfMonths = 3

    }
    Catch {
        Write-Host "Unable to update the Storage options:" $Error[0].Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
        exit
    }


    Write-Host "Updating Guest Interaction options..."

    Try {
        Enable-VBRJobVSSIntegration -Job $BackupJobName | Out-Null

        $VBRGuestCredentials = Get-VBRCredentials -Name $GuestProcessingAccount
        Set-VBRJobVssOptions -Job $BackupJobName -Credentials $VBRGuestCredentials | Out-Null

        # Read in the backup as an object so we can access the individual VM settings
        $VBRJobObject = Get-VBRJobObject -Job $BackupJobName

        foreach ($VMObject in $VBRJobObject) {
            # Read in each of the VM's and set their VSS options
            Write-Host "Configuring VSS settings on $($VMObject.Name)..."
            $JobVSSOptions = $VMObject | Get-VBRJobObjectVssOptions
            $JobVSSOptions.VssSnapshotOptions.IgnoreErrors = $true
            $JobVSSOptions.VssSnapshotOptions.IsCopyOnly = $true
            Set-VBRJobObjectVssOptions -Object $VMObject -Options $JobVSSOptions | Out-Null
        }
    }
    Catch {
        Write-Host "Unable to update the Guest Processing options:" $Error[0].Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
        exit
    }


    Try {
        Write-Host "Configuring backup scheduling options..."
        Set-VBRJobSchedule -Job $BackupJobName -DailyKind SelectedDays -Days $VBRBackupDays -At $BackupTime | Out-Null
        Enable-VBRJobSchedule -Job $BackupJobName | Out-Null
    }
    Catch {
        Write-Host "Unable to update the backup scheduling options:" $Error[0].Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
        exit
    }


    Write-Host "Setting disk exclusions for SQL servers..."

    Try {
        # Read in the backup as an object so we can access the individual VM settings
        $VBRJobObjects = Get-VBRJob -Name $BackupJobName | Get-VBRJobObject

        $SQLServerDefaultIncludeDisks = $SQLServerDefaultIncludeDisks -Split ","

        Foreach ($VBRJobObject in $VBRJobObjects) {

            $ServerType = ($aryServerList | Where-Object -Property Name -eq $VBRJobObject.Name).Type

            If ($ServerType -eq "SQL") {

                Write-Host "Excluding disks on $($VBRJobObject.Name) - SQL server specified"

                $DiskArray = @()

                foreach($DiskKey in $SQLServerDefaultIncludeDisks) {
                    $VDiskKey = [Veeam.Backup.Model.VDiskKey]::New($DiskKey)
                    $DiskArray += [Veeam.Backup.Model.CDiskKeyInfo]::CreateDiskInfo($VDiskKey)
                }

                $CDiskFilterInfo = [Veeam.Backup.Model.CDiskFilterInfo]::CreateSelectedDisks($DiskArray)

                $VSSOptions = $VBRJobObject.VSSOptions
                $JobInfoType = $VBRJobObject.Info.Type
                $VBRJobObject.Update($VSSOptions, $CDiskFilterInfo, $True, $JobInfoType)

                Write-Host "Removing Application Processing from the server"
                $JobVSSOptions = $VBRJobObject | Get-VBRJobObjectVssOptions
                $JobVSSOptions.VssSnapshotOptions.ApplicationProcessingEnabled = $False
                $JobVSSOptions.VssSnapshotOptions.Enabled = $False
                Set-VBRJobObjectVssOptions -Object $VBRJobObject -Options $JobVSSOptions | Out-Null
                $VBRJobObject

            }

        }
    }
    Catch {
        Write-Host "Unable to update the disk exclusion options:" $Error[0].Exception.Message -ForegroundColor Red
        exit
    }

    Write-Host "Creation of $BackupJobName complete"

}

#endregion

Thank you all - Yes, @NZ_BenThomas was on the right track that the order was out of whach. Using the $Job.GetOptions() method instead of New-VBRStorageOptions made sure that when I modified the retetnion settings I wouldn’t wipe out anything I had already set. In the end, my sequence was (1) apply advanced storage options, (2) update retention, and (3) set the schedule. 

Also, the retention problem was specifically that I was modifying the wrong setting to do what I wanted - to change the retention setting available in the GUI, I used “RetainDaysToKeep” to 3. So, I am now in good shape on this. Thanks so much for the community’s support.