Feature Request - Add option to be able to backup a single server from a Backup Job

Hi @jgaskin and welcome to the Veeam Community!

Have you taken a look at Quick Backup? With this feature you can create an one-time incremental restore point for systems part of a bigger job.

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backup/vsphere/performing_quick_backup.html?ver=120

Came here to say this, and I’d also add that you can active full or retry a single VM if you need to: [What (else) is new in v12 - IV] Active full/Retry of a single VM of a job | Veeam Community Resource Hub

Hello @jgaskin 

You can use Quick Backup or VeeamZip:

Quick Backup - User Guide for VMware vSphere (veeam.com)

VeeamZIP - User Guide for VMware vSphere

Also, if you need to back up a single server in a backup job you can always create a new backup job with just that server in it for backup.  😉

Can be a one-time run or scheduled job.

I am not sure why you thought the Veeam cannot backup signal server. Might be someone gave you the wrong information. Veeam is not only can backup single vm per job, it also can backup the physical server. Anyway, you did the right thing to join this community, you will get more correct information and meet lots of good friends :).

My understanding is that you can via the PowerShell CLI select a single VM from a backup job and initiate that backup of a VM.  I’ve never tried it, but I seem to remember that from somewhere.

Hi @jgaskin -

I was just following up on your backup question here. Did any of the provided comments answer your question for you? If so, we ask you mark which one helped you as ‘Best Answer’ so others with a similar question who come across your post may benefit.

Thank you!

My organisation’s SOP is to add a new VM to a backup job, run a manual (first) full backup, then leave the job to complete daily incrementals forever.

I’m new to Veeam B&R v12 and am inclined to agree with ​@jgaskin that there is not an option to backup a single server (VM) that has just been added to a job.

From what I can see without a full backup, you cannot run a Quick Backup.

VeeamZip doesn’t achieve what is required as it creates a separate restore point.

You can only start an Active Full backup after the VM has been processed by a job.

Creating another job for just the new VM seems to be a fudge rather than a solution.

​@dloseke mentioned using PowerShell.  If anyone is able to share commands for this it would be appreciated.

If you add it to the job, the next run that VM be backed up with an Active Full.   Additionally,  in the job you can right click any VM in the bottom half of the page, and run an Active full on it at any time by itself.  Once the Active Full is in place, future backups will be incremental. 

For a 1 time or “one off” job, you can run a Veeam Zip on a VM to get a backup, and select how long you would like to retain it. 

Here is the guide for quick backup. Yes, you need to have a backup in place before you can run any type of incremental job, and a Quick Backup is incremental.

Quick Backup - User Guide for VMware vSphere

“Quick backup is an incremental backup task: Veeam Backup & Replication copies only changed data for selected VMs and saves this data to a new restore point in the backup chain. Similar to incremental backup, quick backup can only be run for VMs that have been successfully backed up at least once and have a full restore point. If there is no full restore point for a VM, quick backup cannot be performed.”

Just run the job now and create a active full on that specific VM with incremental on the rest, or wait and it will create the active full at the next scheduled run. 

If you need something ASAP, create a Veeam zip, and remove it after the job runs creating the new full. 

I suppose one way around this as well, though not the prettiest, is to create a new backup job with just that one VM, run the job, and then after it’s complete, use move/migrate the VM restore point to the job where you want it to permanently reside.  Not the most elegant solution though.

Thanks ​@Scott and ​@dloseke.  You’ve both given me some options that can be tried for any newly added servers in a Veeam B&R job.