How to prevent Microsoft SQL Agent backups from locking up the SQL or backups?

I’ve not heard of this before ​@KclsJde . What kind of backups are you running? Veeam Agent for Windows on physical SQL servers? Or, are you using VBR backing up SQL VMs? Can you provide more info?

Thanks.

We are not running the agent as of now.  Through own network team I heard that there is a previously reported problem in doing so.  I am wanting to move that direction rather than relying on backing up Microsoft .BAK’s on the hard disk drive and not knowing if the backups actually ran.

Well...still not entirely sure of the question then ​@KclsJde . The Veeam “agent” is really nothing more than a service which Veeam uses pretty much on all its components → the Veeam Transport Service. I have not heard this service locking SQL services. By SQL backups, are you saying you currently use native SQL tools to backup SQL? Veeam has a SQL plugin you can use on your SQL server which basically just allows you to backup your SQL to a Veeam repository, but while using native SQL backup tools.

If there’s some more specific question you’re looking to get info on, let me know.

Thanks.

Also the Veeam Agent (Windows Agent) if installed should be using VSS for SQL to create backups and not affect it at all.

To me this sounds like something you may want to open a support ticket on to get to the bottom of.

Thanks for the details.

I will gather some data in the near future.

Sure...no problem. Let us know if you need further info.

​@KclsJde  - were you able to find the answer to your question asked and if so please mark the best answer even if it happens to be your own.  This will help other community members who may have the same question.

Locking up you probably means that during backup is database in read-only mode/maintenance mode.

You cannot avoid that, because otherwise you cannot have consistent backup of it.

During creation of snapshot of VM, VSS writers with create snapshot of database and durin g this process is put database into readonly mode to avoid any changes.

If you have clients, which cannot during that time to reach server, I would suggest to increase timeout on application servers side and put schedule of backup time, when is almost not used ...