Step by Step Guide Veeam Agent for Windows

UPDATE 2017-05-11:
Download Veeam Agent for Windows 2.0 : here.
 
UPDATE 2017-04-03:
Guide: Monitor your Veeam Agents in Veeam B&R
 
UPDATE 2017-01-26:
Download Veeam Agent for Windows Beta (build: 2.0.0.594): here.
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This article provides a step by step guide to install Veeam Agent for Windows. New Veeam Agents for Windows and Linux will be supported and licensed per agent. Veeam Agent for Windows will be available soon and Veeam Agent for Linux is already released. There are three editions: “Free“, “Workstation” and “Server” being released that include enterprise features such as Application Aware Processing (VSS), flexible scheduling and retention options all while being able to backup directly to Cloud Connect repositories. The most important here is that this covers physical workloads (physical server) as well by way of the Server version

 

Running the Installer:

Note: It is the same Installer for Free, Workstation and Server editions. When you will add your license file (“About” menu), the Agent unlocks the advanced features. In this demonstration, I will backup my laptop! The installation is very fast and the tool is easy to use.

Veeam Agent for Windows: You have to run the installation file “VeeamAgentWindows_2.0.0.582.exe”.

Installation Wizard:

Once Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows window is opened, accept the terms in the licence agreement and click on “Install” button.

Veeam files

The install take about few minutes to complete:

Veeam files

Veeam files

Veeam files

Next, a screen will appear and propose you to insert backup target as USB drive etc. If you need to backup your workstation or server on USB drive, you can plug it now. If you want to backup your data to a Veeam Repository, a NAS, Cloud Repository or other you should check “Skip this, I will configure backup later” box. Click on “Next” button.

Veeam Wizard

My USB drive is connected:

You can check “Yes” button if you want Veeam Agent changes the power plan settings to allow daily backup to wake up the computer from sleep. The computer (workstation or server) will execute the backup in any state.

Veeam Wizard

Veeam Agent for Windows Install is completed, a prompt appeared to finalize the installation. I recommend you to create a Veeam Recovery Media will allow you to boot into the recovery environment and initiate so-called Bare Metal Restore. Very useful you can even include device drivers and network settings from your computer into the image. Check “Run Veeam Recovery Media creation wizard” box and click on “Finish” button.

Veeam Recovery Media Creation Wizard:

Then the wizard is detecting available media:

Veeam Wizard

You can specify bare metal recovery media options. I select an image type “ISO image file” as available bootable media and I check “Include network connections settings from this computer (recommended)” and “Include hardware drivers from this computer (recommended) to include drivers and network connections settings. Click on “Next” button.

Veeam Wizard

Specify where you want yo save the created ISO file by browsing the path target. Here I select my USB drive. Click on “Next” button.

Veeam Wizard

Veeam Recovery Media configuration is completed, a prompt appeared to finalize the installation. Click on “Create” button.

This may take a moment:

When the Recovery Media has been created, click on “Finish” button.

The size of my ISO file is 562 Mo.

Veeam Agent interface:

Veeam Agent icon will stay pin on the taskbar of your computer.

You should execute a right click on Veeam Agent icon and select “Control Panel” to access advanced configuration.

Upon opening Veeam Agent, you can perceive the user-friendly interface. Click on “ABOUT” tab.

You can check the version of your Veeam agent for Windows and the edition, here “Free” Edition. You can also check if your version is up to date. If you need to change the edition (Free to Workstation or Free to Server), click on “Update license to get additional features”.

A prompt will appear, click on “Install” button to add the license file. I will add a license for Server edition to unlock the advanced features. Note in Server edition: there is full server support via application-aware processing (VSS) and job scheduler.

Veeam Wizard

The mode is now on Server edition:

Veeam Wizard

Configuration backup:

Then you can create a backup job. Since the main interface, click on “Configuration backup” menu.

Once the wizard is launched, select the backup mode and click on “Next” button. I recommend you to select “Entire computer” mode to backup your entire computer image. Basically, it will depend on you backup plan and backup strategy. If you are an IT department and you have to back up many workstations, maybe the strategy will be different than backup two standalone servers! 😉

Veeam Wizard

Choose where you want to backup your data. So I don’t recommend you storing your backups on the same computer that you are protecting (local drive)! The tool is flexible, you can backup to a locally attached storage device such as USB, eSATA external hard drive etc. You can also choose “Shared folder “option to backup to a CIFS share such as NAS device or on a regular file server. Then, you can choose “Veeam backup repository” option to backup the data to Veeam Backup and Replication environment (Veeam Backup Server). Profit: backup of all workstations and servers is centralized. Note: Your Veeam Backup Server has to be on version 9.5 Update 1 or later (mandatory). Finally, you can choose “Veeam Cloud Connect repository” to backup the data to a cloud repository managed by Veeam Cloud Connect service provider. You can contact me if you need a Service Provider certified!

I select “Local storage” to back up my data on the USB drive. Click on “Next” button.

Veeam Wizard

Choose locally attached drive to backup to USB drive and the path folder. You can setting up the restore points to keep on disk like in Veeam B&R environment. Here: 14 points. Click on “Advanced” button.

Veeam Wizard

Like in Veeam B&R, you can configure synthetic full backup and active full backup. Veeam Agent for Windows lets you create active full backups and schedule creation of synthetic full backups on specific days. The active full backup produces a full backup of your computer, just as if you run the backup job for the first time. Veeam Agent retrieves data for the whole computer from the source, compresses and deduplicates it and stores it to the full backup file — VBK. In terms of data, the synthetic full backup is identical to a regular full backup. Synthetic full backup produces a VBK file that contains data of the whole computer. The difference between active and synthetic full backup lies in the way how computer data is retrieved. When you perform a synthetic full backup, Veeam Agent for Windows does not retrieve computer (workstation or server) data from the source volume. Instead, it synthesizes a full backup of data you already have on the backup destination (USB drive, NAS etc.). Veeam Agent accesses the previous full backup file and a chain of subsequent incremental backup files on the backup destination consolidates computer data from these files and writes consolidated data into a new full backup file. As a result, the created synthetic full backup file contains the same data you would have if you created an active full backup.

Basically, it will depend on you backup plan and backup strategy such GFS (Grandfather, Father and Son) retention: Daily backup, weekly backup, and monthly backup.

In this example, I configure synthetic full backup each Saturday. Click on “OK” and on “Next” button.

Veeam Wizard

If you backup a Windows Server (Server edition) especially with a database, you should check “Enable application-aware processing” option. Microsoft’s Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is Windows’ built-in infrastructure for application backups. As a native Windows service, VSS facilitates creating a consistent view of application data during the course of a backup. VSS relies on coordination between VSS requestors, writers, and providers for quiescence, or “to make quiet,” a disk volume so that a backup can be successfully obtained without data corruption. This option detects and prepares applications for consistent backup, performs transaction logs processing, and configures the OS to perform required application restore steps upon first boot.

You can also check “Enable file system indexing” to create an index of files and folders on the computer during backup. Guest file indexing allows you to search for individual files inside computer backups and perform a 1-click restore in. Click on “Next” button.

Veeam Wizard

Choose when you want backup job to be started automatically. Here I run the job from Monday to Friday at 11:00 AM. Click on “Apply” and on “Finish” button.

Veeam Wizard

Check “Run the job when I click Finish” box and click on “Finish” button.

Veeam Wizard

The first backup job is in progress, you can click on the graph to show backup details:

Veeam Wizard

Backup performance is impressive (source: flash disk and target: local USB 3.0 drive):

Veeam Wizard

Like Veeam B&R, Veeam Agent creates a .VBM file for the catalog and .VBK file for the full backup. It’s really clean as with Veeam Backup Server!

Veeam Wizard

You can execute a second manual backup by clicking “Backup now”:

Veeam Wizard

Veeam Wizard

Veeam Wizard

Veeam Agent for Windows create .VIB file for the incremental backup:

Veeam Wizard

Restore Individual files:

I created a file named “Toto.txt” before last incremental backup. Now, I delete it.

Veeam Wizard

Veeam Wizard

You should execute a right click on Veeam Agent icon and select “Restore” tab then click on “Individual files”:

Veeam Wizard

A File Level Restore wizard is launched. First, you can select the restore point needed and click on “Next” button. I select the last restore point.

Veeam Wizard

Then, click on “Open” button.

Veeam Wizard

Veeam Agent is importing backup file:

Veeam Wizard

Veeam Agent will mount your volumes in the wizard:

Veeam Wizard

Select the target folder in the backup browser:

Veeam Wizard

Execute a right click on a deleted file (here “Toto.txt”) and select “Restore” then “Keep”. You can choose “Overwrite” if you want to erase an existing corrupted file.

Veeam Wizard

Veeam Wizard

Finally, You can check the folder. Veeam Agent added a prefix “RESTORED-” before the file name.

Veeam Wizard

 

Differences between editions:

Free
• Windows Server 2016 support
• Source-side encryption
• Optional periodic Active Full backup
• Configurable compression and block size
• Improved backup performance for file level backup mode
• Option to skip bad blocks enabled by default

Workstation (in addition to Free)
• 24.7.365 support
• Backup cache for mobile users
• Backup directly to Veeam Cloud Connect
• Remote management and configuration API
• Optional periodic synthetic full backup

Server (in addition to Workstation)
• Application-aware processing engine (same functionality as in Veeam Backup & Replication 9.5)
• File system indexing (including the integration with Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager catalog search and 1-Click FLR)
• Server-focused job scheduler (same as in Veeam Backup & Replication 9.5)

 

Hope this guide will help you! Veeam Agents (Windows and Linux) are powerful. They can allow you to backup your physical workloads and workstations. Veeam will release Veeam Availability Console, a new tool allows to manage and monitor your Veeam Backup and Replication environment and the whole of your workstations and standalone servers since only one interface! As usual, Veeam components are easy to use so Veeam should become a strong editor in workstation backup! Don’t hesitate to contact me if you need a certified integrator to assist you in your backup project!

 

Need to deploy Veeam B&R 9.5 Update1? Follow this guide!

You can learn more about Veeam Backup & Replication 9.5 here.

 

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