Blogs and Podcasts

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2025 the latest is CU31 build 14.0.3515.1, which we can get hereFor a list of all updates, Microsofts own KB is out of date listing the March 2025 release as the latest, however this site has a much more up to date list of all patches which is hereIf we scroll down, we can see it in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 Now

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 ONE

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 Conf

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

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

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 Connect

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 rep

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 Finish

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, pres

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 fail

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 Next

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

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 Next

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, ser

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 Next

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 Th

 Veeam Software Appliance ConfigurationWhen the VM or physical server has booted, you’ll need to be able to get to the console From there, press Tab till you land on Accept and hit Enter to accept the EULAEnter a hostname and press Enter on NextOn the adapters screen you likely have just the one, VBR should be a VM, press Enter on StaticIf you are deploying this on a physical server and want network redundancy look at the configuration of the backup repository in section 2.9.3, its the same hereEnter the IPv4 address, subnet mask, then add DNS, comma separated and press Enter on Ap

Veeam Software Appliance Deployment - ISOFor deployments on physical hardware or other hypervisors we will need the ISOTo get this head here and click Download on the Veeam Software Appliance 13 section, you will need a valid Veeam login for thisThen select the Bootable ISO and click DownloadThe VM will need to be specced with whats listed in the overview, the VM compatibility is Rocky Linux and the ISO will need to be mounted to the server, if this is a physical server ensure you burn it with Rufus in DD mode else it will fail to install

Hello my dear Veeam community !Just wanted to share a new article I posted on my blog: “how to recover SharePoint quickly and keep downtime a minimum” using Veeam Data Cloud.The idea is to dig into clever recovery strategies for large-scale SharePoint sites, break down Veeam Data Cloud MBS vs Graph-based backups, and show how using both can help you hit your RTO targets and stay compliant.Here it is : https://home.point4.fr/microsoft-365-rapid-tb-sharepoint-recovery-minimal-downtime-strategies-2/I hope you’ll like ! 🙂

Veeam Data Platform 13 is finally here and fully releasedTo kick things of in my new series of VDP 13 articles, we have the ultimate upgrade guide covering all the major components you will have in your environmentThis guide will cover the upgrade only, keeping VBR/VEM on Windows, I will cover migrating to Linux in a separate article when the process is available to everyoneThe minimum requirements for each component for upgrade isVeeam ONE 12.0.0 VEM 12.3.1 VBR 12.3.1 VRO 7.2.1 Veeam Console 12.3.1Here are some snippets from my article, linked at the bottomVeeam ONE

I had the pleasure to sit down with ​@Geoff Burke to do a Podcast where we talk all things backup and also about my books.  Check it out below.From Help Desk To Architect: Building A Career In Backup, Community, And Resilience

Happy Thursday Community! Thought I'd share another Linux process today – how to resize a Linux volume used as a Veeam Repository in Linux OS, specifically increasing its size. This also is in reference to using an array as your Volume-backed storage. Logical Volume Manager (LVM) processes won't be discussed. Additionally, though there is a process to decrease Volume sizes as well, I also won't be discussing that process either. When wanting to decrease Volume size, I highly recommend creating a new Volume of the desired size, then copy your data to it to prevent potential data corruption.As most of you probably know, increasing Volume sizes within Windows is pretty straight forward → increase LUN storage on your array, then rescan your disks in Windows Disk Manager, then Extend the Volume. It takes a minimal amount of time to perform. Within Linux, there are a few more tasks needing to be performed than in Windows to get your Volume size increased. I'll share exactly wh

I’m really happy to share with the Veeam Community another Open Source Project “vScan Vulnerability Scanner” vScan DashboardThis is an Open-Source project created as a Security scanning tool that integrates with Veeam Backup & Replication to perform vulnerability assessments on backup data without needing a full restore. It leverages Veeam Data Integration API to mount backup content directly to Linux servers and scan them using open-source security tools Trivy and Grype.Why is this solution created? In the event of a disaster or security incident, when the Veeam Admin or the Se

There could potentially be bug in the RTM v13 release for those that have access to it and are MSPs.  After upgrading a test box in my environment, the API/Web Services are not starting for me.I updated from 12.3.2 version and now have a case open.  I know ​@Cragdoo tested in his homelab too and found the same problem.  So wanted to make everyone aware unless you are doing a new install in which case I heard from someone else that it works fine.  I am going to test a new install myself and see if it is just the upgrade which has the problem.I will post an update to this thread once I get more details from Support and possible fixes, etc.

Happy New Year, everyone! Wishing you a successful and resilient 2026!Kicking off the year strong, we continue our “Regkey of the Month” series with a deep dive into a powerful but often overlooked configuration in Veeam Backup & Replication.This month’s focus: optimizing SQL transaction log backups using the SqlTempLogPath registry key.Many environments run into performance bottlenecks or storage issues during SQL log backups simply because Veeam uses a default staging location that isn’t always ideal — especially on servers with small system drives or slower disks. This can lead to:✔ Disk space exhaustion✔ Slower backup performance✔ Backup jobs impacting production workloadsIn the blogpost, I walk you through:What SqlTempLogPath actually does Why the default behavior might be hurting your backups Real-world deployment tips Best practices for choosing the right path Supported envir