how to enable concurrent pbs backups?

Jan 3, 2026
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1
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Running PBS 4.1 and PVE 9.1.4

Trying to run concurrent pbs backup, modified jobs.cfg and added max-workers 3 and it doesn't seem to work, is there something I am doing wrong with config?

vzdump: backup-6c806b74-4e9f
schedule */4:00
enabled 1
fleecing 0
max-workers 3
mode snapshot
notes-template {{cluster}}, {{guestname}}, {{node}}, {{vmid}}
notification-mode notification-system
storage pbs-backup
vmid 120,101,1808,104,105,107,1809,1810,1811,1900,1800,2000,1802,1803,1804,1805,1806,1807,106,102,103
 
Trying to run concurrent pbs backup
AFAIK that is not possible.

max-workers 3
That is about IO workers, not about how many VMs are backed up simultaneously.

Why would you want to do multiple backups at the same time anyway?
If you have a performance bottleneck, running multiple backups at the same time would make it even worse.
 
AFAIK that is not possible.


That is about IO workers, not about how many VMs are backed up simultaneously.

Why would you want to do multiple backups at the same time anyway?
If you have a performance bottleneck, running multiple backups at the same time would make it even worse.
I just needed clarification, I am coming from years working with Nakivo, running concurrent backups of VMs, first on VMware and now on PVE, but now looking at PBS...and what's wrong with concurrent backups?
 
I just needed clarification
Someone else has to chime in. I simply assume it is not possible, since there is no option in the gui or cli or anything written in the docs about concurrent backups AFAIK. IO workers is, well about IO workers (webGUI shows me default of 16 for me), not about how many backup task can run concurrently.
and what's wrong with concurrent backups?
Whats wrong with doing one after another?

I don't see any benefit in doing so.
I see a small negative in the higher downtime doing so (could be wrong on that one, currently trying to figure that on out in another thread).
 
Last edited:
Someone else has to chime in. I simply assume it is not possible, since there is no option in the gui or cli or anything written in the docs about concurrent backups AFAIK. IO workers is, well about IO workers (webGUI shows me default of 16 for me), not about how many backup task can run concurrently.

Whats wrong with doing one after another?

I don't see any benefit in doing so.
I see a small negative in the higher downtime doing so (could be wrong on that one, currently trying to figure that on out in another thread).
That's all I needed to know, PBS doesn't do concurrent backups and that's fair and acceptable.
 
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