The easiest way would be configuration backup migration yes.  This will bring over all your settings for jobs but you may need to edit all the tape jobs to redirect them to the new library possibly.  Never really moved any Veeam server with a tape library to a new one personally.  But this is the easiest way unless you don’t have many jobs, etc.

Thanks Chris, that was quick.
Can we then keep the old VBR server operational for a while until the old tapes are expired?

 

Yeah you can keep it operational but I would suggest just disabling backups there so they do not run if you just need things to expire.

Hi Francis,

To get through your questions:

Yes, a config restore should be finde. I’d recommend to completely setup the new server, perform a config restore and “clean up” the config so that you remove old tape libraries and old repos you don’t want to use anymore. 

Please make sure that you use “migrate” within the config restore wizard.

Yes, the old server can remain online for an unspecific time as long as you keep the jobs disabled to not let it interfere with the new VBR server. I see this quite often for restore scenarios in case the customers don’t want to migrate old backups to new servers, all good.

Just as a hint:

You might have to add the new tape drive / library and new media pools based on that first if you want to “re-use” the existing backup and tape jobs since you cannot delete repos (and media pools as far as I know) if there are still jobs pointing to them.

So: add new tape drive, create new media pools, re-configure the jobs and let them point to the new pools, remove the old ones - everything with the new VBR server.

Yes, the new VBR doesn’t have the “old” tapes and pools attached directly but when you perform a config restore you will (about 100% sure) see those pools as config elements even though the tape hardware is not physically attached because it is stored in the config.

Hope that helps!

Best

Lukas

Damn ​@Chris was even quicker...nicely done! :)

Always look up. 

hi ​@frvandun  Lukas & Chris are absolutely right. as I’m more conservative in terms of upgraing , I would reccomend you to read carefuly the relase notes, pay closer attention on what will not be supported anymore and check if you have any workload that will not be supported.

the migration process is quite easy.

The relase notes

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/rn/veeam_backup_12_3_release_notes.html

What’s new

https://www.veeam.com/veeam_backup_12_3_whats_new_wn.pdf

System requirements

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

a quick summary:
 

Summary Checklist:

• Pre-Upgrade:

  • Full backup of Veeam configurations and database.

  • Verify system compatibility (OS, storage, SQL, etc.).

  • Check third-party integrations.

  • Stop active backup jobs before migration.

• Upgrade:

  • Follow official Veeam upgrade guides.

  • Upgrade Veeam components sequentially (server > proxies > repositories).

  • Monitor logs for issues during the upgrade process.

• Post-Upgrade:

  • Test backup jobs and restores.

  • Monitor performance.

  • Verify that all security, encryption, and compliance settings are intact.

  • Perform DR tests to confirm failover and recovery functions.

By following this checklist and ensuring a methodical approach, you’ll be able to migrate smoothly to Veeam v12.3 while minimizing the risks of disruptions or errors in your backup infrastructure.

Thanks a lot everybody, I’m positively amazed with the response speed and clarity.

great, select one answer as a best answer :-)