Blogs and Podcasts

For those looking to set up a straightforward and easily configurable VPN solution for remote access to your NAS or PCs, here's a comprehensive guide on deploying Tailscale, which leverages WireGuard for secure and efficient networking with minimal configuration. Below are some interesting articles on this topic by Luis. Below is an image showing the various prices available on their website. The personal offer is more than suitable as it offers up to 100 device connections without any associated cost.

There has been an increase in interest from our customers and partners in alternative platforms and there’s no shortage of options in the hypervisor and cloud market. While many of the underlying virtualization components like KVM/Qemu/etc might be common to most of the platforms, the storage and management layers can vary quite a bit. Storage choices can affect the ability to take snapshots and capture changed block data between backup points via a host API and each management plane that sits above the compute/storage/networking can expose features and capabilities via the their APIs differently. KVM and Xen are Linux based hypervisor technologies that allow VM processes to access hardware through the host. The virtual disk data can be stored on a large variety of options such as local filesystems and disks, NFS, iSCSI/FC, LVMs, and distributed storage options like CEPH and Gluster or even proprietary options. Platforms can choose which software/hardware components to pair with the

IntroductionIn the first of 4 blog posts of this [Migrate Veeam Infrastructure Off Production Domain series], we described the fundamental security reasons behind moving the Veeam infrastructure components OFF Production domain. In this blog post, we will provide step by step guidance for moving a Veeam Backup and Replication™ (VBR) infrastructure off the Production Domain onto a Backup Workgroup. Disclaimer: This is not intended to be a c

 Hi! I was studying more details about Veeam's Backup as a Service (Baas) service, the Data Cloud for Microsoft 365, and I noticed that Veeam provides, free of charge, a tool that performs a quick assessment in the Microsoft 365 environment and presents information and insights. The tool's name is Veeam Insights for Microsoft 365.The tool can consolidate the number of active and inactive licenses, which allows you to save money by directing inactive licenses to other employees or simply reducing the contracted quantity. Additionally, it provides visibility into overall storage levels, including the number of files in use on OneDrive and Sharepoint, and shows which users are consuming the most storage.It also presents an Outlook activity graph showing the number of messages sent and received. The period for this information can b

If your company is a Value-Added Reseller (VAR) and/or a Managed Service Provider (MSP), I recommend reading the just released “Third Annual Direction of Technology Ecosystem Report” from TD Synnex.This survey was conducted with +1000 Channel Partners from April to June 2024. Five main channel partners´ trends were revealed, and I want to highlight some interesting insights:✅  Channels are prioritizing specific professional skills in their hiring processes: consulting (43%) and managed services (37%).✅ They say the top four solutions they plan to offer include: security (49%), AI/GenAI (44%), hybrid cloud (39%), and networking (38%).✅ AI is reshaping the channel´s offerings; in the next 12 months, more than half expect to offer GenAI (52%) and AI Services (48%). They plan to provide AI/GenAI from 14% in 202

If you are a certified IT pro, trainer or blogger, Veeam is happy to provide you with a FREE NFR license (Not-For-Resale keys).This license allows for non production use of Veeam Availability Suite in your home lab, without any feature limitations for one year and 20 workloads (VMs/Servers/Workstations) or of Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365 in your home lab without any feature limitations for up to 10 users.Here is a list of IT members eligible for a free Veeam NFR license key:Veeam Certified Engineers (VMCEs) AWS Heroes AWS Community Builders AWS Heroes AWS Certified Pros Google Cloud Developer Advocates VMware vExperts VMware Certified Professionals (VCPs) VMware Certified Advanced Professionals (VCAPs) Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals

In my continuation from my first blog post which can be found here - Cybersecurity Month - Blog #1 I now present blog #2 which deals with the same Synology C2 Object Storage but this time using it with Veeam B&R for offiste.Synology C2 Object Storage with Veeam Backup Synology C2 Object Storage with Veeam Backup This will be my second article in the continuation of Cyber Security Month. This one uses Synolo

Hello, everyone,Taking up the excellent guide on Veeam Plugi-SQL by @leduardoserrano    I share with you the anatomy of installing and configuring and restoring an MSSQL Database in Always On mode. Installing and using the Veeam Plug-in for SQL Server | Veeam Community Resource Hub​Veeam Plug-in for Microsoft SQL ServerVeeam Plug-in for Microsoft SQL Server - Veeam Plug-ins for Enterprise ApplicationsHow Veeam Plug-in for Microsoft SQL Server Works

The Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV backup products now has support for Nutanix AOS 6.10. Please read the KB article below for more details. The VBN AHV user guide has also been update. The link is also listed below. One known is is also highlighted below.😀Release Information for Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV 6.1https://www.veeam.com/kb4668Known IssuesWhen using Instant Recovery to restore a VM to Nutanix AOS 6.10, it may fail to boot if the VM's Guest OS utilized UEFI. To resolve this, modify the Instant Recovered VM to enable UEFI boot at the VM level, as documented in the "Acropol

I have decided to share this link to my article on how to “Install Splunk and Veeam App on Windows Server to monitor VBR”. This guide is comprehensive and it outlines the detailed steps to create a VM on Hyper-V, install the Windows Server OS, steps to specify syslog parameters on the Veeam Backup & Replication (VBR) server, install Splunk and the Veeam App.Because this article is lengthy, Here is the link: https://techdirectarchive.com/2024/05/06/install-splunk-and-veeam-app-on-windows-server-to-monitor-vbr/It thoroughly describes every step and addresses potential issues you may encounter while setting up Splunk Enterprise in your environment. Here are some advanced guides by my peers on this topic as well.

The Knowledge Base article for using Backup for Microsoft 365 v8 has been updated for creating a backup to Wasabi. The new/updated article is available here - https://docs.wasabi.com/docs/create-a-backup-to-wasabi-on-veeam-backup-for-microsoft-365-v8

When I try to upgrade Veeam, or when I try to apply a new license, I get a prompt about my server being managed by a Veeam Enterprise Manager server like the prompt below. But I don't have one? How can I fix this? This is a question that comes up from time-to-time here in the Community Hub as well as the Veeam Subreddit. Generally, the subject, me in today's example, has a VBR server in place, and previously had a Veeam Enterprise Manager server as well, but VEM server since been removed and VBR doesn't know it because there's still an entry referencing VEM in the VBR configuration database. Enterp

As a Domain Administrator, it's likely you've never performed a KRBTGT password reset. Especially since the account appears disabled when viewed in Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC). However, the KRBTGT account is not disabled. This is misleading due to the special nature of the KRBTGT account. This is because it operates under special security permissions and restrictions that prevent its normal use. Such as interactive logon or enabling or disabling the account actions. The disabled icon or status is simply an indication that it cannot be used for normal operations This critical account is automatically created when a Domain Controller (DC) is provisioned and is used by the Key Distribution Center (KDC) to issue and sign Kerberos tickets, which are essential for Kerberos authentication.In this article “

Veeam Plug-in restore a SQL Server database to an alternate server Frequently, the DBA must restore a database backed up from one server to a different server. To restore a SQL Server database backed up with the Veeam plug-in, there are a couple of key steps to follow. This example uses simple configuration. There are 2 SQL Server hosts with several databases on each. Backup has been performed on both SQL1 and its related server, SQL2. The goal is to restore a single database backed up on SQL2 to the server SQL1. Pre-requisite configuration The correct repository must be in place for restore to occur. The two servers being used may have been storing data to different repositories. The first step is to verify the appropriate repository where the backup data exists to the server where the restore is to occur. Change the configuration if necessary. Restore

 What is Scan Backup?Scan Backup is a feature introduced in Veeam Backup & Replication v12.1 that focuses on early threat detection by scanning restore points for potential malware or other cyber threats. This functionality enhances data security by allowing administrators to identify clean restore points after a malware attack.How Does It Work?The Scan Backup process utilizes a rule-based detection approach like antivirus software. Here's how it operates:Restore Point Scanning: You can initiate a Scan Backup session to examine restore points for signs of malware or other threats. Detecting Clean Restore Points: Post-Attack Recovery: If a malware attack is suspected, the scan can identify the last clean restore point, helping you revert to a safe state. Unknown Attack Dates: If the exact date of the malware attac

This is a follow on from the NoSQL - MongoDB blog I posted a few weeks back now - The premise of the above was how to automate the standing up of a 3 node MongoDB replicaset within my vSphere environment to show off the new MongoDB functionality in Veeam Data Platform 12.3. This got me interested in looking back at some previous database functionality we have had in the Veeam Data Platform for a while but also how I could automate the deployment to make this a fast, repeatable process as well as the ability to share with the community. The process for the deployments will be using terraform to stand up the Windows or Linux boxes for the databases we cover and then using Ansible playbooks to install the database software and get things to our desired state. PostgreSQL A lot has been happening with PostgreSQL and Ve

Veeam includes many great options for protecting databases. Here, I will outline the configuration for using Veeam plug-in for Oracle through the managed interface to create a database backup. We will use the Veeam Backup and Replication console to create a backup job that will manage your Oracle database as any DBA would prefer.Create a protection groupThe managed backup feature utilizes protection groups to identify the servers to be protected and create a deployment job which will manage the deployment of the Veeam Oracle Plug-in. Select the ‘Inventory’ tab on the left, then right click the ‘Physical Infrastructure’ option in the inventory list in the upper left area of the VBR console and ‘Add protection group’. The ‘New Protection Group’ dialog will open. New Protection Group

First, we download and install Veeam Agent for Windows on the Windows server where we will install the Agent. After the relevant installation is completed, we create the Job in the following steps. Step 1 - First of all, we enter a name for the Job.Step 2 - In this step, we can take a file backup at the Image level with Entire Computer, or a volume on the server with Volume level backup, or at the File level backup level.Step 3 - Since I chose file backup, I chose an empty file since it was a test.

Comparison in one image 🔎 🤓 Speaking of Virtualization Terms, It's very important to understand the backup strategy that we will be using, then is worth identifying Kasten's key differentiators relative to other offerings, such as Red Hat OpenShift Advanced Data Protection (OADP) that comes built into the various bundles. Generally speaking, OADP may be suitable for smaller environments that don't require advanced data protection features (e.g., application awareness), ransomware protection, or a user interface. 

Hi all,I recently published another blog posted based on my recent attendance at Edge Field Day 3. In this one I looked at VMware’s Edge Cloud Orchestrator, what they are doing and a potential use case that many of us who care about managed services and small business may be interested in. The post can be found at https://www.koolaid.info/vmware-edge-cloud-orchestrator-vmware-for-the-very-small-masses/ if you are interested.

I recently had to cover off a very unique use case, making capacity tier data available for restore after being disconnected. After doing I thought I’d share so here’s a little post I wrote:https://www.koolaid.info/maintaining-recoverability-in-veeam-capacity-tier-migrations/

 10. There is a scenario builder9. Tape is now included8. Select from Data Center, SaaS, Public Cloud and Monitoring7. Immutability is included6. Capacity Tier calculations5. Direct to Object storage option4. The UI is fantastic3. Average write rate when doing CDP calculation can be factored in2. This is an official Veeam Calculator1. The restore simulator is back!Anyone who works in the backup space knows the importance of a good backup calculator. Not only will it save you time it could also save money. To take it a step further a Veeam sizing calculator can also help you understand how to size the Veeam environment, that’s way I am excited when I got the news from @Chas letting everyone know that the new Veeam hosted calculators are available.Before I provide an o

Hi all, just wanted to get this out there in case you hadn’t seen it, my friend, fellow Vanguard and all around good dude Brad Jervis will be presenting with @Rin and @safiya this Thursday at 10 AM EST on archiving M365 data with Veeam Backup for Microsoft365. If you are concerned about compliance and cost management you should definitely tune in!https://www.linkedin.com/events/7243244346731290624

If you wish to explore the capabilities of Veeam Backup and Replication v11A, then you probably upgrade to this version. Kindly visit the following URL for more of these capabilities/features.Here is a link to the complete guide highlighting on all the needed steps.You may be notified if there is an update of the Veeam Backup and Replication. Upon clicking on this notification, you will be redirected to the following KB (download) link.

Every once in a while, someone asks me to protect an Azure workload that does have the most direct approach available for it in a Veeam product. Today I’ll focus on Azure Key Vault, but I’ll see if I can broaden the scope a bit over time with future posts. Why backup Azure Key VaultAzure Key Vault is used as a source to manage anything from encryption scopes on Azure Storage to allowing customer managed keys for services, storing public/private key pairs, custom secrets, and certificates. Losing Azure Key Vault contents could pose a serious problem, but exporting data out for backup purposes could also create quite some risk – thankfully backup jobs allow data encryption. Soft deleteAzure Key Vault comes with soft delete, allowing recovery of deleted vaults an