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Hello Community!The Veeam Software Appliance grabbed all the headlines when V13 dropped, and rightfully so. But here's the thing: the Windows installable version received substantial upgrades that address real operational challenges. If you're running Veeam on Windows and thinking about when/how to adopt VSA, here's why your next move should be upgrading to V13 for Windows first.Why V13 Is DifferentEvery major version brings new features. Table stakes. V13 is different because it fundamentally modernizes the platform architecture in ways that affect your security posture, operational efficiency, and future flexibility.The case for adoption comes down to four things:Security debt reduction – RPC, WMI, and NTLM are attack vectors that have been exploited repeatedly. V13 eliminates them. Performance gains without hardware spend – 2x agent throughput and 30% CPU reduction from BLAKE3 hashing means you're unlocking capacity you already own. Operational complexity reduction – Fewer ports, si

 Recently, Veeam announced the release of Veeam Data Cloud, previously known as Cirrus by Veeam. Veeam Data Cloud will provide resilient data protection and recovery for multi-cloud data, all delivered through cloud-native backup and storage services.Veeam Data Cloud is available for Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Azure, and Veeam Data Cloud Vault is offered.Specifically, the Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 is a game-changing BaaS (Backup as a Service) offer. It arrives to meet a latent demand and brings it with many differentiators for customers, such as:Access the Veeam Data Cloud services in a Web browser. The cost of storing backups is included in the subscription, and storage is unlimited! *** WOW *** Customers can choose their preferred Azure region to store their backups. You still manage your data and perform backup and recovery operations using a simple and intuitive interface. Veeam scales cloud resources at no extra cost to customers. Keep costs low and predictable! There is

 As organizations accelerate their adoption of cloud, SaaS, and AI-driven workloads, data protection alone is no longer enough. Today’s enterprises must not only back up and recover data — they must understand it, secure it, govern it, and ensure it can be trusted, especially when that data is used to power AI initiatives.This is where the integration of Securiti AI with Veeam represents a major step forward. Together, they bring data resilience, security, governance, and AI trust into a single, unified platform. The Challenge: Data Everywhere, Risk EverywhereModern data environments are complex by design. Data now exists across:On-premises infrastructure Public and private cloud platforms SaaS applications like Microsoft 365 Backup repositories Analytics platforms and AI pipelinesThis sprawl creates new risks:Limited visibility into where sensitive data lives Inconsistent security and governance controls Increased exposure to ransomware and insider threats AI systems trained on untrus

After the First part,  Let`s continue with the second part,Let`s create our DuckDNS Sub domain before continuing:Go to the DuckDNS website, and create an account, is free.In my personal use case, I sing in with google, so the creation was super easy and smooth.In the page, write down the name you want to use in your subdomain, and click in add domainIn my case, I have two domains created, im showing you them right now:now, is time to connect our duckdns domain with our server to get the automatic IP update every time our dynamic IP address changes:On top of the DuckDNS website, you will find an Install menu, click on it:Follow the web instructions, choose your OS and setup, and follow the steps and input the information in your server, in my case, Linux base with cron tab:With this command we check that the DNS update is working fine.DuckDNS setup completed,Part three, Wireguard Setup!Cheers!Luis F.

Prepping VBR/VEMMuch like Veeam ONE, we need to allow data collection in the host management pageFor a VBR HA cluster, repeat this on both individual nodes, starting with the primaryLog into the host management portal onhttps://fqdn:10443And click Backup Infrastructure, then under Data Collection, click Submit RequestAnd the same on VEM  Initial ConfigurationWe can now access the VRO WebUI fromhttps://fqdn:9898And login with the Windows administrator accountFill in the server details on the initial configuration wizard, you can add what you like here, then click NextWe then need to add administrators for VRO, click AddWe can add users or groups from the local server, I am going to add the local administrators group, and click AddThen click ApplyWe then need to add our VBR instance, on the Connect Veeam Backup And Replication Servers, click DeployClick Deploy Agent/LinuxIf you have VEM, select that, if not use VBR, if you have HA without VEM, ensure you add the cluster FQDN inThen by Cr

Hi everyoneAfter christmas, I had some time to improve my lab a little bit.I decided to setup a Pi-Hole to use it as my main DNS and filtering app, and why not, use it also over my VPN with WireGuard , and be able to use it all the time reaching my Server from anywhere with a FQDN instead of an IP (Dynamic), with DuckDNS.As a base system, I chose Ubuntu Server, with the minimum installation, choose your own, maybe you will need to adapt some commands or content.After login into my clean ubuntu server machine, and update all the packets, I went to the Pi-Hole website, and click into the Install Pi-Hole button.I used the Curl command with sudo before:curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bashNow let´s open a browser and login into the Pi-Hole console:http://192.168.15.136:80/adminusing the password provided in the previous step: Xa7K80REDone! Pi-Hole has many options and features,for now, lets keep it like this, as DNS with filter capabilities, we will tune it up in another entry.happy

We first need a VM with the following specs, running Windows Server 2022/20256vCPU 24GB RAM 180GB DiskWe then need to get the VRO ISO, we can find Veeams latest releases hereWe then need to scroll down and find the Veeam Recovery Orchestrator section and click DownloadDouble click the Veeam Data Platform Premium ISODouble click the Setup.exe applicationClick InstallThen click Veeam Data Platform 13 – Premium EditionAccept the EULA by clicking I AcceptClick NextWe can either sign in with Veeam or manually upload our license file, for the latter, click Browse To Local FileDouble click the licenseThen click NextEnter the details for the service account, the default administrator is fine for this, then click NextWait for the system configuration to passThen click InstallWhen its done click FinishThen click Yes to rebootWe then need to upgrade SQL like in Veeam ONE here  The full guide can be found herehttps://blog.leaha.co.uk/2025/12/23/veeam-data-platform-13-ultimate-deployment-guide/

 In Veeam ONE, if you have been logged out, you can get back to where we downloaded the package by clicking the Settings Cog in the top rightClick Data Collection/Overview/Data Source/Add ServerClick Veeam Backup And ReplicationIf you have VEM, enter the FQDN and select the server type as Enterprise Manager, if you dont have this, enter the VBR FQDN, for standalone VBR, if you have a HA cluster, use the cluster FQDNIn my case, I am using the VEM FQDN, which has my VBR HA cluster addedWhen you are happy click NextClick Add CredentialsClick ok hereSelect Standard Account and click NextEnter the veeamadmin credentials and a description, then click FinishClick NextFor the certificate, click Trust And Continuethere may be a few of theseWhen thats done, click FinishGive VeeamONE plenty of time, as we manually installed the agents, we may see duplicated entries in the Data Collection menu, it will sort them outWhen its done it should look like this, the secondary node will be unhealthy as onl

Prepping VBR/VEMBefore we can add anything we need to allow data collection in the host management pageFor a VBR HA cluster, repeat this on both individual nodes, starting with the primaryLog into the host management portal onhttps://fqdn:10443And click Backup Infrastructure, then under Data Collection, click Submit RequestAnd the same on VEM Manually Installing The Analytics AgentThere is a known limitation that prevents the automated install by Veeam ONE to Linux server managed by VEM, which we have, Veeams documentation can be found hereBut the limitation is[For Linux servers] Veeam Analytics service cannot be automatically installed on Veeam Backup & Replication servers managed by Enterprise ManagerYou must install Veeam Analytics service on such servers in Veeam ONE Web Client or manuallySo, we will be installing this manually on both VBR HA nodes and VEM firstOpen the Veeam ONE WebUI onhttps://fqdn:1239Login with the local Administrator accountThe format for the username shou

By default, the version of SQL Express thats installed is the RTM version of 2017, so this needs updating to the latest versionAs of December 2025 the latest is CU31 build 14.0.3515.1, which we can get hereFor a list of all updates, Microsofts own KB is out of date listing the March 2025 release as the latest, however this site has a much more up to date list of all patches which is hereIf we scroll down, we can see it in Method 3 for obtaining the release, and click Download The Package NowThen click DownloadDouble click the exeAccept the EULA and click NextClick NextWait for the check and click NextClick UpdateWhen its done, click Close The full guide can be found herehttps://blog.leaha.co.uk/2025/12/23/veeam-data-platform-13-ultimate-deployment-guide/

We will also not be domain joining this as it is significantly less secureTo get the installer head here and click Download on Veeam ONE 13, you will need a valid Veeam login for thisOn the Veeam ONE server, double click the ISODouble click the Setup.exe fileClick InstallClick Install Veeam ONEClick I accept to accept the EULAWe need to add our license, you can sign in with Veeam or Browse to the fileFor a file, find it and double click itThen click NextUse the default administrator account for the service account, enter that users password and click NextA system configuration check will then runYou may see an error like this, its often caused by pending windows updates, as my template is outdated, applying all Windows updates and rebooting, then retrying the installer has always fixed this for meWhen the precheck is done click InstallWhen its done, click FinishThen click Yes, you will need to log back in The full guide can be found herehttps://blog.leaha.co.uk/2025/12/23/veeam-data-pl

Adding Our LicenseWe first need our license, and this can be downloaded from your myveeam page hereLog into the VEM server with the veeamadmin account and click Configuration in the top rightUnder Licensing, click Install LicenseAnd double click your license fileClick Yes here  Adding VBRLog in to VEM with the veeamadmin account and click Configuration in the top rightThen click Backup Servers/AddEnter the VBR FQDN and enter the veeamadmin username/password, optionally add a description and click okIts important for a VBR HA cluster you add the cluster DNS entryClick Yes to trust the certificateNow we need to wait ~10 mins for everything to sync The full guide can be found herehttps://blog.leaha.co.uk/2025/12/23/veeam-data-platform-13-ultimate-deployment-guide/

On the VM console, press Enter on Veeam Backup Enterprise ManagerPress Enter on InstallClick Yes here and the install will automatically startWait for the install to complete and the server to boot and load the initial configuration wizard, here press Tab to select Accept and press EnterEnter a hostname and press Enter on NextFor the network adapter, press Enter on StaticEnter the IPv4 address, subnet mask, gateway and DNS servers, comma separated and press Enter on ApplyThen press Enter on NextTo change the NTP server, press Enter on EditEnter an NTP server and press Enter, I am using Cloudflare, but you likely have one on premYou can optionally use Add for additional server, when you are done press Enter on NextWe then need to set password requirements, this needs to be 15 characters, there is also a link to the requirements hereOnce you have your password set, press Enter on NextWe then need to setup MFA, press Enter on this pop up screen for the QR code to add to your authenticator

To get this head here and click Download on the Veeam Software Appliance 13 section, you will need a valid Veeam login for thisWe need the ISO for this, so click the Bootable ISO button and click DownloadFor the hypervisor, this example will be done in VMwareWe need to right click the cluster and click New Virtual MachineClick NextEnter a VM name and optionally select a VM folder, then click NextFor the computer resource, select the cluster and click NextSelect a shared datastore then click NextSelect the VM compatibility and click NextThe guest OS type must be the Linux family and for the OS version, Rocky Linux, then click NextFor the spec, this should have 8vCPU, 16GB RAM and 2x240GB disks, ensure you change the Disk Provisioning to Thin in VMwareVeeam’s documentation on the spec can be found hereNow, for the ISO you’ll need that uploaded to a datastore or content library, expand the CD/DVD drive and use the drop down to select the option matching your environment, in my case its a

VBR HA ClusterTo start with, we will need a second VBR server, setup like the first, but dont add any of the other components, like the repository or managed servers, on a different FQDN and IPOn our first VBR server, log in with the veeamadmin account on the management interface onhttps://fqdn:10443Click Backup Infrastructure then under High Availability, click Submit RequestWe will need to repeat this for the other, secondary, blank VBR serverThis must be approved by the security officer, if you didnt configure one, like me, its auto approved, it should show up like thisWe then need to connect to this VBR server with the remote console we setup earlierEnter the server FQDN and click ConnectClick Yes to trust the server, if you get the popupEnter the veeamadmin credentials and click Sign InWe first need to remove the local backup repository, on the bottom left, click Backup Infrastructure, then Backup Repositories, select the Default Backup Repository and click Remove RepositoryClick

Moving The Configuration BackupBy default, the configuration goes to the local default backup repository, now we have an external hardened repository, we need to move it thereWe need to connect to this VBR server with the remote console we setup earlierEnter the server FQDN and click ConnectClick Yes to trust the serverEnter the veeamadmin credentials and click Sign InIn the top left click the three lines and click Configuration BackupUse the drop down to set this to the immutable repositoryAt the bottom enable configuration backup password and click AddSet something secure, and ensure you dont forget it, then click okThen click ok The full guide can be found herehttps://blog.leaha.co.uk/2025/12/23/veeam-data-platform-13-ultimate-deployment-guide/ 

Adding The Repository To VBRWe now need to log into the VBR with the setup veeamadmin account, then head to Infrastructure/Managed Servers and click Add ServerClick Veeam Infrastructure ApplianceAdd the server FQDN and a description, then click NextClick Yes and accept the TLS keyThen click NextAnd click FinishWait for all the jobs to finish and click okMine did throw a warning about being unable to check for updates, I am not entirely sure what that is as they can get access to the Internet when checking via SSHThen click Infrastructure/Repositories/Add Repository/Hardened RepositoryAdd a display name and a description, then click NextUse the drop down to select the repository we just addedThere should only be one volume, for the LVM created on the repository server for your data, select that and click NextLeave the location as the default, ensure XFS fast clones is checked, set the immutability period, I recommend lining this up with your daily backup retention, just ensure you dont

Veeam Immutable Repository Configuration ContinuedPress Enter on Mode, the default is Round Robin, there are two choices that fit most environmentsXOR, select this for a port channel/LAG, in static/passive mode 802.3ad, select this for an LACP enable port channel/lagI am using XOR in my instance, just because I always have issues with LACP in active mode, press Enter on your selectionScroll down and press Enter on the IPv4 configuration, the default is automatic, and press Enter on ManualPress Enter on ShowWe will now have all the IPv4 info configuration, for the Addresses part, press Enter on AddEnter the IP address in CIDR format, add the gateway and press Enter on Add by DNS serversEnter your DNS server, you can use Add for multiple, then press Enter on Add by Search DomainsEnter your search domain, and when you are happy, scroll to the button and press Enter on okWe can test the connection with a ping test and it should workWhen you are happy with the networking, press Enter on Qui

Veeam Immutable Repository DeploymentTo get this head here and click Download on the Veeam Software Appliance 13 section, you will need a valid Veeam login for thisScroll down to Additional Downloads and click the download Icon by the Veeam Infrastructure ApplianceWe then need to boot our immutable repository, a physical server, into this ISOThe easiest option is to boot this via your system IPMI, Eg Dell iDRAC or HPE iLOAlternatively you can create a bootable USB using Rufus, just ensure you write the ISO in DD Image Mode, else the installer will failWhen booted it will load this splash screen, select Veeam Hardened Repository and press EnterPress Enter on InstallClick Yes here, and the installer will automatically beginWhen that has installed you will be brought back to the installation screen Veeam Immutable Repository ConfigurationPress Tab to scroll down to I accept and press Enter to accept the EULAEnter a name and press Enter on AcceptWe can then see our network adapters, and th

DellYou will need a RAID array of sorts for this, I recommend the following type due to their better overall resiliency, as this is our backups we need to ensure this is a resilient as is reasonable, from disk failureRAID 6 RAID 60Log into the iDRAC and head to Storage/Overview/Physical disks and click Create Virtual DiskGive a name to the disk and select the layout, I want RAID 6 as this is backup server so resiliency is importantFor advanced settings, make sure Read Ahead is selected for the read policy for a backup server this gives extra performance, and write policy should be write back only if your controller has a battery backup onboard so you dont loose data in the event of a power outage, the Dell H700 series have one by default, and write through if you dontThen click NextSelect all the disks you want in this RAID pool and click NextClick Next hereThen select a time to apply, I am using Apply Now as this is a new server and its not doing anything yetOnce thats applied you wil

Veeam Infrastructure Appliance ConfigurationUse tab to scroll and press Enter on Accept, to accept the EULASet a hostname and press Enter on NextPress Enter on StaticEnter an IPv4 address, subnet mask, gateway and comma separated DNS servers, then press Enter on ApplyWe can then test this with a ping testWhen thats working, press Enter on NextOptionally, press Enter on Edit to change the NTP server menuEnter the NTP server and press EnterYou can use Add for additional NTP servers, if required, when you are happy, press Enter on NextEnter a complex 15 character password, the same requirements as VBR, then press Enter on NextPress Enter to show the QR code for MFAYou can press Enter to dismiss the QR codeEnter the code and press Enter on okThen press Enter on NextOptionally, setup a security officer account, and press Enter on NextWhen you are happy, press Enter on FinishWhen its done, you will see a menu like this Adding The Server To VBRLog into VBR and click Managed Servers/Add Server

WindowsFor this we will want a standard Windows Server 2022/2025 server off domain, the spec depends on the useWe also need the deployment kit installed on the serverWe now need to log into the VBR with the setup veeamadmin account, then head to Infrastructure/Managed Servers and click Add ServerClick Microsoft WindowsEnter the Proxy FQDN, give it a description and click NextSelect Connect using Certificate-Based Authentication and click NextClick NextAnd click FinishWhen its done, click ok LinuxVeeam Infrastructure Appliance DeploymentTo get this head here and click Download on the Veeam Software Appliance 13 section, you will need a valid Veeam login for thisScroll down to Additional Downloads and click the download Icon by the Veeam Infrastructure ApplianceWe then need to boot our VM to this ISOThe guest OS type, if available, needs to be Rocky LinuxWhen booted it will load this splash screen, select Veeam Infrastructure Appliance and press EnterPress Enter on InstallClick Yes here,

Licensing VBRWe will need to add our license before we can setup HA, dont worry if you are planning to use Enterprise Manager for licensingIf you arent setting up HA and want to use Enterprise Manager, skip this sectionWe first need our license, and this can be downloaded from your myveeam page hereThen log into the web portal on the first VBR server, what will be the primary, you cna access this onhttps://fqdnThen log in with the veeamadmin credentials you should see this prompt, click InstallDouble click your license fileYou may see this, click Yes, these are usually just OS security updates, services will be restarted as needed, but as we have no jobs configured, this is fine Installing The Veeam Deployment KitAs we dont want to join servers to AD, the recommended way to add Windows servers is by the Veeam Deployment Kit, this uses certificate based authentication and is the recommended way of adding Windows Servers in VDP 13We first need to create a deployment kit, log into the VBR

Before we start, VBR needs to be able to connect to any Windows servers via the ADMIN$ share, and the default is for the Windows firewall to block itThis is needed for Windows Proxies, as of 13.0.1 in November 2025, the Linux proxies cannot do application aware processing on Windows servers, so a Windows proxy is requiredSearch for and open the Windows defender Firewall With Advanced SecurityRight click Inbound Rules and click New RuleSelect Port and click NextSelect TCP and enter the ports135,137-139,445And click NextMake sure you have Allow The Connection selected and click NextApply this to all and click NextName it, including TCP and click FinishRight click the rule and click PropertiesClick Scope, and under Remote IP addresses check These IP Addresses and click AddAdd the IP address of VBR and all proxies, if you have VBR HA, add both VBR server and the VIP, when we set them up later we can come back and edit the GPO, then click okAnd click ok againRepeat for a new rule but select

Adding A DNS SuffixId recommend adding this to the VBR Management server, but its also required for Veeam ONELog into the management interface on https://fqdn:10443And log in with the veeamadmin accountIf you setup HA later on in this guide, you’ll need to do this on the secondary HA VBR serverClick Network and under Additional DNS Suffixes click ConfigureClick AddEnter the DNS search domain and click AddThen click Apply Installing The Remote ConsoleAs of 13.0.1, not all VBR functionality is available within the WebUI, and the console is required for some configuration, this can be installed on any Windows Server/PC you want to be able to access VBR onWe can find the download link by going to the WebUI for VBR and click the link under the login to download the consoleDouble click the exeYou may need to run this as an administratorAccept the EULA by clicking I AcceptA system configuration check will run, wait for this to finishWhen thats done, click InstallWhen thats done, click FinishT