If you run a Veeam Hardened Repository (VHR) that was installed with the Managed Hardened Repository ISO, there is no way around the upgrade to the Veeam Infrastructure Appliance (VIA) with Veeam Backup & Replication 13: after upgrading to v13, the Hardened Repositories must be upgraded to the VIA. But before you boot the VIA ISO and click “Upgrade”, there is one thing you need to know for sure: Which version of the Hardened Repository is actually running on the system?
The version is essential for the upgrade, because the upgrade path is not intended for every release. Veeam describes the upgrade via the VIA ISO for Hardened Repositories that were installed with the Veeam Hardened Repository ISO v2.
Important: If the repository is still running an older version, a direct jump to the VIA is not possible. You should check this beforehand and plan the time for it. An upgrade from the preview version is not possible.
After the upgrade to VIA V13, the repository can only be connected to Veeam Backup & Replication 13 (and newer at some point), because authentication between the repository and VBR is then done exclusively via certificate, and this feature did not yet exist in V12.
Veeam describes the exact upgrade procedure in the Help Center: https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/vbr/userguide/upgrading_hr_iso_v2.html
The problem
The installed version is not that easy to recognize at a glance: after logging in to the Hardened Repository, the Configuration Manager in the TUI shows Version 1. This quickly causes confusion. However, this only refers to the Configuration Manager itself, which is still at V1. The Hardened Repository may already be on a newer release.
The version cannot be displayed directly in the TUI on any other location. So the TUI is not the right place to check the repository version.
The Solution
Fortunately, the version can be read out with a single command.
Step 1: Enable SSH access via the TUI
The Hardened Repository is deliberately locked down – SSH is disabled by default. To run the query, access must therefore be enabled temporarily:
- Log in to the TUI (Configurator) on the server console (e.g. via iLO, iDRAC or the VM console).
- In the menu, enable SSH access.
- A one-time user
veeamsvcwith a password is provided. These credentials are required for the SSH login, not the vhradmin!
Step 2: Log in via SSH
Then connect to the repository with an SSH client using the user veeamsvc:
ssh veeamsvc@<IP-or-hostname-of-the-repo>Step 3: Identify the installed version
Once logged in, the following command is all you need:
cat /etc/os-releaseThe output then looks like this, for example:
The key line: VARIANT_ID
Most of the lines describe the base operating system – a Rocky Linux 9.2 provided by Veeam. What matters to us are the last two lines:
- VARIANT=”Hardened Repository” confirms that this is a Hardened Repository installed with the Veeam ISO.
- VARIANT_ID=“2.0.0.8” shows the version of the Hardened Repository – in this example 2.0.0.8 –> upgrade to VIA is possible
This very value determines whether the repository can be upgraded directly with the Veeam Infrastructure Appliance ISO or not.
Step 4: Disable SSH again
After the query, disable SSH access again via the TUI.
Conclusion
With cat /etc/os-release you know within seconds which Hardened Repository version is running. You should always perform this check when planning the update to the VIA if your Hardened Repositories were installed with the Veeam ISO.
* the first picture is AI created
Original post is on my blog: Veeam: Find Out the Veeam Hardened Repository Version - petersvirtualworld.de
