Taking app aware backups on veeam

[mikiz]

Hi everyone,

I migrated my VMs from Vmware to Proxmox.I use Veaam as backup app.I backed up regular vm on proxmox without problem using Veeam.I want to take a backup SQL VM and take tlog backup using Veeam.There is way to take app aware backup now?

 

[LnxBil]

I migrated my VMs from Vmware to Proxmox.I use Veaam as backup app.I backed up regular vm on proxmox without problem using Veeam.I want to take a backup SQL VM and take tlog backup using Veeam.There is way to take app aware backup now?

Please ask Veeam, it's their product that does the backup.

 

[bishoptf]

Hi everyone,

I migrated my VMs from Vmware to Proxmox.I use Veaam as backup app.I backed up regular vm on proxmox without problem using Veeam.I want to take a backup SQL VM and take tlog backup using Veeam.There is way to take app aware backup now?

The current veeam integration with Proxmox does not have application aware processing, they state that it is coming in a future release. If you need or want application aware processing then they recommend loading the agent on the VM and processing it that way which will provide stateful backups.

 

[Johannes S]

If you need or want application aware processing then they recommend loading the agent on the VM and processing it that way which will provide stateful backups.

If one consider switching to PBS ( which doesn't support application-aware backups either) this might be an approach worth to checkout: Use one backup tool for the VMs ( be it PBS, Veeam or something else ) and another one ( Veeam Agent, mysqldump, pg_dump ... (1)) for the applications.
Depending on the used combinations of backup Software and subscription/licensing costs that might be a worthy effort in saving costs.

(1) I mentioned the native sqldump Tools since Veeams backup Support for MySQL and Postgres doesn't support Clustering while they do

 

[LnxBil]

AFAIK, you can install qemu agent and hook into its freeze/thaw process in order to get application aware backups. I haven't done this of windows stuff, yet for Linux it works great. Maybe that can mitigate the problem for you?

 

[JBW]

AFAIK, you can install qemu agent and hook into its freeze/thaw process in order to get application aware backups. I haven't done this of windows stuff, yet for Linux it works great. Maybe that can mitigate the problem for you?

Freeze/thaw via qemu agent will never be the same as Application Aware in Veeam for VMware/HyperV. It also frequently generate SQLWriter/VDI errors on Windows VM with SQL Server.

 

[_gabriel]

Freeze/thaw via qemu agent will never be the same as Application Aware in Veeam for VMware/HyperV

Freeze/thaw invokes same VSS writers within Windows Guest, same as Veeam or others backups vendors.
Just set VSS_BT_COPY into Registry , if chained/differentials SQL backups exist within Windows Guest, to prevent breaking the "LSN chain".

I

Post in thread 'PBS breaking customer SQL backups. Backups without FS-Freeze?'

Jul 5, 2024

Ok, found it:

VSS-Options

Implementation, put the desired backup type number inside Regkey value
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\QEMU Guest Agent VSS
Provider\VssOption, so that the program can query the desired backup type.

VSS backup types:
number   type
1        VSS_BT_FULL
2        VSS_BT_INCREMENTAL
3        VSS_BT_DIFFERENTIAL
4        VSS_BT_LOG
5        VSS_BT_COPY

• ITT

• 

generate SQLWriter/VDI errors

afaik, it's only cosmetic.

 

[bishoptf]

Freeze/thaw invokes same VSS writers within Windows Guest, same as Veeam or others backups vendors.
Just set VSS_BT_COPY into Registry , if chained/differentials SQL backups exist within Windows Guest, to prevent breaking the "LSN chain".

I

Post in thread 'PBS breaking customer SQL backups. Backups without FS-Freeze?'

Jul 5, 2024

Ok, found it:

VSS-Options

Implementation, put the desired backup type number inside Regkey value
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\QEMU Guest Agent VSS
Provider\VssOption, so that the program can query the desired backup type.

VSS backup types:
number   type
1        VSS_BT_FULL
2        VSS_BT_INCREMENTAL
3        VSS_BT_DIFFERENTIAL
4        VSS_BT_LOG
5        VSS_BT_COPY

• ITT

• 

afaik, it's only cosmetic.

Agree, this is one of the references I used that does a good job of explaining things - https://blog.datact.ch/backup-mssql-server-with-proxmox

 

[JBW]

Freeze/thaw in Proxmox does the same as VMware Tools Quiescing during snapshot, which also calls VSS but is a fallback option in Veeam Backup.
AAP in Veeam is much more precise and open the way to transaction log backups and granular applications (not just files) restore.
But yes, sure, it is a welcome option and after long wait it has the VSS COPY flag (guest side)

 

[_gabriel]

AAP in Veeam [...] granular application (not just files) restore

+1 , like other backup vendor which runs "within" guest.

 

[LnxBil]

Freeze/thaw via qemu agent will never be the same as Application Aware in Veeam for VMware/HyperV.

Why not? You just need to run the same stuff that the Veeam does. I implemented a couple of script to hook e.g. into databases and activate the backup mode of them, then the qemu snapshot, exit backup mode and then the backup runs on the frozen DB. This was not only on PVE, but also on other agents that support hook scripts. I think this is very common in all backup agents.