I’m really pleased that one of my feature requests got implemented by Veeam.
Out in the field with customers, or in our own demo lab, we keep running into stumbling blocks or things we’d wish worked differently. Veeam’s R&D Forum is where you can submit feature requests like that. Veeam employees look at them directly there, evaluate them, and work on them.
My feature request
I submitted a feature request in the Veeam R&D Forum: an option to skip the update check when adding Managed Servers (Veeam appliances).
Feature request – Veeam Managed Servers – Option to skip update check
The problem
When you add a new Veeam Infrastructure Appliance as a Managed Server in V13, the appliance checks whether updates are available for it. On a standard installation with internet access, you barely notice this.
On a dark site, or when internet access and firewall rules haven’t been configured yet, it’s a different story. For dark sites you should use a local offline repo, and in other environments the necessary access needs to be configured. And we all know how that goes: it can take a while.
Until then, there’s no way out to the repo, and the check runs into a timeout. That timeout is fairly long: for me it was at least 6.5 minutes, sometimes over 25 minutes. With one or two VIAs, that’s no big deal, you grab a coffee or make small talk with the customer. But when you’re building out a larger environment and adding ten or twenty components, you end up spending a significant chunk of time waiting on a check that can’t succeed anyway.
What I proposed
A checkbox or button in the wizard: “Skip update check.” Anyone who knows the environment is offline ticks it, and that’s it.
The follow-up
Veeam responded to my request really fast and asked for a bit more information. Yesterday (09/08/2026) I got word on what the workaround, or rather the solution, looks like and how to apply it.
The solution
The most interesting part, of course, is what the solution actually looks like.
By adding a registry value (for Windows-based backup servers) or adjusting the veeam_backup_and_replication.conf (Veeam Software Appliance), you can skip the automatic update check. (Here’s the link explaining how to adjust the .conf file on the Veeam Software Appliance: https://www.veeam.com/kb4779)
A restart of Veeam Backup & Replication services is not required.
Windows-based Veeam Backup & Replication
Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Veeam\Veeam Backup and Replication
Value Name: SkipInfrastructureApplianceUpdateCheck
Value Type: DWORD (32-Bit) Value
Value Data: 1Veeam Software Appliance:
#config file: /etc/veeam/veeam_backup_and_replication.conf
#add to [root] section
SkipInfrastructureApplianceUpdateCheck=1
What the value does: It’s set on the backup server, not on the VIA. That turns off the update step in the wizard. VBR or the VSA no longer instructs the VIA to check for updates and install them when it’s added. The wizard then completes without waiting on the Veeam Updater.
What the value doesn’t do: It doesn’t disable updates on the appliance altogether. The Veeam Updater stays in place and functional; it’s just not triggered when the Infrastructure Appliance is added as a Managed Server. After that, the normal Veeam Updater rules apply again.
This value only applies from Veeam Backup & Replication version 13.1.0.411 onward.
Conclusion
Many thanks to the Veeam team for listening to my feature request and implementing it.
Original KB:
KB4916: How to Disable the Automatic Installation of Security Updates When Adding a Veeam Infrastructure Appliance to Veeam Backup & Replication
Original Post on my blog:
Veeam: Skip checking for updates for Veeam Managed Server (VIA) when adding it - petersvirtualworld.de
