As of Veeam version v10, there is the option to expand and promote Linux machines to work as Veeam backup proxies. This allows to add more backup proxies along Microsoft Windows based machines. Al together they help increasing the performances during the backup jobs by running parallel jobs or tasks and limiting the OS licensing only to specific machines. This is exactly what this article is covering by presenting a quick view on how to install a Veeam Backup Linux Proxy. In this occasion the Ubuntu 20.04 Server is used. Similar steps are also valid for other Linux distributions and excluding the ones which require a separate license (eg. RedHat and SUSE) there are still plenty of other distros out there that can easily accomplish this task. Even better with the announced Veeam v11 release on the 24th of February, Veeam is even showing more Linux Love! v11 will expands and support even more functionalities. More on these later in dedicated articles.
Veeam employs supported Linux OSes to run as Backup Proxies. A Veeam Linux Backup Proxy uses the Hot-Add mode to mount the content from a vmdk disk to run the backup from. It works exactly in the same way as a Windows Backup Proxy in this context. Veeam v11 will further expand the functionalities! The step to add a Veeam Linux Backup proxy are very simple and straight forward. No command line knowledge needed and everything as per usual is done through the Veeam console. Of course there is also the ability to use PowerShell commands and Rest APIs for the scripting die-hard out there! First step is to add the Linux server as a Veeam managed server. Next to promote the server to a Veeam Backup Proxy. In this article a Ubuntu 20.04 Server is used and performances are pretty much comparable to a Windows based backup proxy. Same CPU and Memory considerations apply to both a Windows or Veeam Linux Backup Proxy.
Veeam Linux Backup Proxy
The first step to prepare a Veeam Linux Backup Proxy is to add the Linux machine on the list of Veeam Managed Servers. This is done from the Console > Inventory > Add server which brings to the wizard below and select Linux.
Next is to specify the IP Address or even better the Hostname for the Linux machine. FQDN name resolution working both ways is highly recommended. Likewise populating the Linux configuration file pointing at the desired DNS to resolve the Veeam Backup Server name.
At this point next step is to create/add the Linux credentials with a local user on the Linux machine.
By default the wizard assumes the standard port 22 to connect via SSH to the Linux machine. Depending on Linux OS and local security policies it might be to adjust the settings as per screenshot below. In the case of Ubuntu Linux the checkbox to elevate account privileges automatically is sufficient. Of course this happens only to add the Linux machine to the list of Veeam managed Servers. Standard users will remain regular users.
If the connection is successful and the SSH fingerprint is not known yet it will present the option to review and eventually trust this server. Yes to continue!
Upon verification of the connection with the Linux server, which only takes a few moments, the final screen to review and amend changes in the Summary.
At this point while browsing the list of Veeam Managed servers the newly added Linux server ProxyU20 appears in the list and ready to be used.
Edit VM configuration parameters
Before proceeding with the rest of the configuration, it is necessary to add a configuration parameter if the Linux Server is running as a Virtual Machine. And this is exactly the case for this VMware based homelab. It is just a matter to shut down the Linux Server VM and add the following advanced configuration parameter:
- disk.EnableUUID=TRUE
Backup proxy final steps
Now everything is ready to add a new Veeam Linux Backup Proxy to protect the VMware environment. From the usual menu in the Backup Infrastructure > Backup Proxies > Add VMware Backup Proxy will present the following wizard. From here in the drop down now the Linux managed server appears in the list. From here the ability to choose how many concurrent tasks Veeam will run during backup and restore jobs. The wizard automatically detects the number of CPUs and adjusts the number accordingly. The rule is to keep a number lower than the “physical” CPUs and try not to go over 1:1 ratio. A task corresponds to the processing of vmdk virtual disks for the VMs on the VMware infrastructure.
Next is also possible to throttle and add encryption to the network connection between Veeam components without touching the actual network infrastructure.
At this point Veeam has all the info to proceed with the configuration which takes only a few moments to complete.
And a final summary informing the newly Veeam Linux Backup Proxy is created successfully.
When browsing the Backup Infrastructure > Backup Proxies section it shows the new Veeam Linux Backup Proxy and ready to use. This proxy can be used for both existing and new backup jobs.
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