Veeam Backup as a Service (VSPC)
⏱️ Estimated reading time: 20 minutes
Overview
Veeam Backup as a Service provides enterprise-grade backup solutions for any Windows or Linux server or workstation, whether hosted in our cloud, on-premises, or with other providers.
This service is available for:
- ✅ On-premises servers
- ✅ Servers hosted in any cloud provider
- ✅ Physical and virtual machines
- ✅ Windows and Linux environments
- Universal Compatibility: Works with any infrastructure
- Enterprise Features: Application-aware backups, encryption, deduplication
- Centralized Management: Single console for all backup operations
- Flexible Recovery: File-level, volume-level, or complete system restore
- Compliance Ready: Meet regulatory requirements with GFS retention
Quick Start Guide
Prerequisites
Before starting, ensure you have:
- Access to Cloud Management Portal
- Administrator access to target servers
- Network connectivity (Port 6160) from servers to Backup Infrastructure
- Minimum system requirements met
Section 1: Purchase & Account Management
1.1 Purchasing Veeam Backup Service
- 1. Access Portal
- 2. Select Service
- 3. Configure
- 4. Complete Purchase
Login to StackConsole Portal
- Navigate to your Cloud Management Portal
- Enter your credentials
- Access the main dashboard
Navigate to Veeam Backup
-
Go to Veeam Backup
-
Review available plans:
Plan Feature Starter Professional Enterprise Storage 500 GB 2 TB 10 TB+ Servers Up to 5 Up to 25 Unlimited Retention 30 days 90 days Custom Support Standard Priority 24/7 -
Click "Select Plan" for your choice
Configure Your Service
-
Specify Requirements:
- Number of servers to protect
- Estimated storage needed
- Preferred backup location/region
-
Choose Billing:
- Monthly (flexible)
- Annual
-
Review order summary
Finalize Your Order
- Accept terms of service
- Select payment method
- Click "Confirm Purchase"
You'll receive an email within 15 minutes containing:
- VSPC URL and login credentials
- Quick start guide
- Support contact information
1.2 Managing Your Account
- View Service
- Upgrade Plan
- Billing & Reports
Access Service Dashboard
- Login to Cloud Management Portal
- Navigate to My Services → Active Services
- Click on Veeam Backup Service
Available Information:
- Current usage statistics
- Number of protected servers
- Storage consumption
- Backup success rate
Upgrade Your Service
-
From service dashboard, click "Upgrade Plan"
-
Select upgrade options:
- Add Storage: Increase backup capacity
- Add Servers: Protect more systems
- Enhance Features: Add advanced options
-
Review pricing changes
-
Confirm upgrade (changes apply immediately)
Manage Billing
- View invoices and payment history
- Download usage reports
- Update payment methods
- Configure billing alerts
Section 2: Initial Backup Setup
2.1 First Login
Change your temporary password immediately upon first login
-
Check your email for VSPC credentials
-
Navigate to VSPC URL:
https://baas.iaas-hosting.com:1280
-
Login with:
- Username: (from email)
- Temporary password: (from email)
- Company/Tenant ID: (from email)
-
Set new password meeting requirements:
- Minimum 12 characters
- Mixed case letters
- Numbers and special characters
-
Configure 2FA (highly recommended)
2.2 Dashboard Overview
Upon login, you'll see:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ VSPC Dashboard │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Protected Servers: 0/10 │
│ Storage Used: 0 GB/2 TB │
│ Last Backup: Not yet run │
│ Active Alerts: None │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
Section 3: Agent Deployment
3.1 Windows Server Agent
- Prerequisites
- Download
- Install
- Verify
Windows Requirements:
- Windows Server 2012 R2 or later
- Administrator access
- .NET Framework 4.7.2+
- 5 GB free disk space
- Port 6160 open in firewall
Download Agent:
- In VSPC, go to Infrastructure → Agent Management
- Click "Download Agents"
- Select "Windows Agent"
- Save
VeeamAgent_Windows_x.x.x.exe
Installation Steps:
-
Run installer as Administrator
-
Installation Wizard:
- Accept license agreement
- Keep default installation path
- Select "Managed by Service Provider"
-
Configure Connection:
Server URL: [Your VSPC URL]
Port: 6160
Company: [Your Company Name]
Token: [Get from VSPC Settings → Tokens] -
Complete installation
-
Verify agent icon in system tray shows "Connected"
Verify Installation:
# Check service status
Get-Service VeeamEndpointBackupSvc
# Test connectivity
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName XXXXXXXX.iaas-hosting.com -Port 6160
# View logs if needed
Get-Content "C:\ProgramData\Veeam\Endpoint\Logs\*.log" -Tail 50
3.2 Linux Server Agent
- Prerequisites
- Ubuntu/Debian
- RHEL/CentOS
- Verify
Linux Requirements:
- Supported OS:
- RHEL/CentOS 7.x, 8.x, 9.x
- Ubuntu 18.04, 20.04, 22.04 LTS
- Debian 9, 10, 11
- SLES 12 SP3+, 15
- Root or sudo access
- 2 GB free disk space
- Port 6160 open
Install on Ubuntu/Debian:
# Download agent
wget https://xxxxxxx.iaas-hosting.com/agents/veeam-agent-linux_x.x.x_amd64.deb
# Install package
sudo dpkg -i veeam-agent-linux_x.x.x_amd64.deb
# Fix dependencies if needed
sudo apt-get -f install
# Configure managed mode
sudo veeamconfig mode set --managed
# Register with VSPC
sudo veeamconfig vbrserver set \
--server vspc.iaas-hosting.com \
--port 6160 \
--company "YourCompanyName" \
--token "YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
# Start service
sudo systemctl start veeamservice
sudo systemctl enable veeamservice
# Verify connection
sudo veeamconfig vbrserver info
Install on RHEL/CentOS:
# Download agent
wget https://xxxxxxxx.iaas-hosting.com/agents/veeam-agent-linux-x.x.x.x86_64.rpm
# Install package
sudo yum install veeam-agent-linux-x.x.x.x86_64.rpm
# Configure managed mode
sudo veeamconfig mode set --managed
# Register with VSPC
sudo veeamconfig vbrserver set \
--server xxxxxxxx.iaas-hosting.com \
--port 6160 \
--company "YourCompanyName" \
--token "YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
# Start service
sudo systemctl start veeamservice
sudo systemctl enable veeamservice
# Verify connection
sudo veeamconfig vbrserver info
Verify Installation:
# Check service status
systemctl status veeamservice
# Test connectivity
nc -zv xxxxxxxx.iaas-hosting.com 6160
# View logs
tail -f /var/log/veeam/veeam.log
# Check agent version
veeamconfig --version
Section 4: Backup Policy Configuration
4.1 Creating Windows Backup Policy
- Basic Settings
- Backup Scope
- Schedule
- Retention
- Advanced
Create New Policy:
- Navigate to Management → Backup Policies
- Click "New Policy" → "Windows Policy"
- Configure:
- Name:
Production_Windows_Daily
- Description: Daily backup for production servers
- Priority: Normal
- Name:
Select What to Backup:
Choose backup mode:
Mode | Use Case | What's Included |
---|---|---|
Entire Computer | Full protection | System, applications, data |
Volume Level | Specific drives | Selected volumes only |
File Level | Specific data | Selected folders/files |
Recommended Exclusions:
C:\Windows\Temp\*
*.tmp
pagefile.sys
hiberfil.sys
Configure Backup Schedule:
Schedule Type: Daily
Time: 02:00 AM
Retry Failed: Yes (3 attempts)
Backup Window:
Start: 12:00 AM
End: 6:00 AM
Bandwidth Limit:
Business Hours: 10 Mbps
After Hours: Unlimited
Set Retention Policy:
Grandfather-Father-Son provides long-term retention:
- Daily: 7 restore points
- Weekly: 4 restore points (Sundays)
- Monthly: 12 restore points (First Sunday)
- Yearly: 5 restore points (Optional)
Total storage estimate: ~3x size of protected data
Advanced Settings:
Application-Aware Processing:
- ✅ Enable VSS
- ✅ Process transaction logs (SQL)
- ✅ Truncate logs after backup
Security:
- ✅ Enable encryption (AES-256)
- Set encryption password
Performance:
- Compression: Optimal
- Deduplication: Enabled
- Changed Block Tracking: Enabled
4.2 Creating Linux Backup Policy
- Basic Settings
- Backup Scope
- Pre/Post Scripts
- Assign Servers
Create New Policy:
- Navigate to Management → Backup Policies
- Click "New Policy" → "Linux Policy"
- Configure:
- Name:
Production_Linux_Daily
- Description: Daily backup for Linux servers
- Name:
Select Mount Points:
Common selections:
/
(root filesystem)/home
/var
/opt
- Custom application directories
Standard Exclusions:
/tmp/*
/proc/*
/sys/*
/dev/*
/run/*
/mnt/*
/media/*
Optional Backup Scripts:
Pre-backup script:
#!/bin/bash
# Stop application services
systemctl stop myapp.service
# Flush database
mysqldump --all-databases > /backup/pre-backup.sql
# Create application snapshot
/opt/myapp/create-snapshot.sh
Post-backup script:
#!/bin/bash
# Restart services
systemctl start myapp.service
# Clean temporary files
rm -f /backup/pre-backup.sql
# Send notification
/opt/scripts/notify-backup-complete.sh
Assign Policy to Servers:
- Click "Add Computers"
- Select Linux servers from list
- Verify all show "Online" status
- Click "Apply"
- Choose initial backup:
- Run now
- Wait for schedule
Section 5: Monitoring & Management
5.1 Real-time Monitoring
- Dashboard View
- Active Jobs
- Job History
Main Dashboard Widgets:
┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┐
│ Success Rate │ Storage Usage │
│ 98.5% │ 1.2TB/2TB │
├─────────────────┼─────────────────┤
│ Protected │ Recent Jobs │
│ 15/20 │ ✓ Server1 2:15 │
│ Servers │ ✓ Server2 2:45 │
└─────────────────┴─────────────────┘
Monitor Running Backups:
Navigate to Monitoring → Jobs
View for each job:
- Progress bar and percentage
- Transfer rate (MB/s)
- Data processed/remaining
- Estimated completion time
- Warnings/errors in real-time
Review Past Jobs:
-
Go to Reports → Job History
-
Filter options:
- Date range
- Server name
- Status (Success/Warning/Failed)
- Policy name
-
Export options:
- CSV for analysis
- PDF for reporting
5.2 Restore Operations
- File-Level Restore
- Volume Restore
- Full System Restore
Restore Specific Files:
- Navigate to Recovery → File Restore
- Select server and restore point
- Browse backup contents
- Select files/folders
- Choose restore options:
Destination:
- Original location (overwrite)
- Original location (keep both)
- Different location
- Download to local
Permissions:
- Preserve original
- Inherit from parent
Attributes:
- Keep original dates
- Set current date
Restore Entire Volumes:
- Go to Recovery → Volume Restore
- Select server and restore point
- Choose volumes to restore
- Map to destination:
- Same volume (overwrite)
- Different volume
- New disk
Volume restore will overwrite existing data. Ensure you have confirmed the correct target.
Complete System Recovery:
- Navigate to Recovery → Entire Machine
- Select server and restore point
- Choose restore type:
Type | Use Case | Downtime |
---|---|---|
Instant Recovery | Quick RTO | Minutes |
Restore to Original | Same hardware | 1-2 hours |
Restore to New | Hardware change | 2-4 hours |
Restore to Cloud | DR scenario | Varies |
Section 6: Alerts & Notifications
6.1 Email Notifications
- SMTP Setup
- Alert Rules
- Webhooks
Configure Email Settings:
- Go to Configuration → Notifications
- Enter SMTP settings:
SMTP Server: mail.yourdomain.com
Port: 587
Security: TLS
Authentication: Required
Username: backup-alerts@yourdomain.com
From Address: backup-alerts@yourdomain.com
- Test configuration
- Save settings
Create Notification Rules:
- Navigate to Configuration → Notification Rules
- Click "New Rule"
- Configure triggers:
Event | Priority | Send To |
---|---|---|
Job Failed | High | admins@, oncall@ |
Job Warning | Medium | admins@ |
Storage >80% | High | admins@, finance@ |
License Expiry | High | admins@, procurement@ |
Job Success | Low | reports@ (daily digest) |
Webhook Integration:
{
"endpoint": "https://api.yourdomain.com/webhook",
"events": ["backup.failed", "backup.warning", "storage.threshold"],
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN",
"Content-Type": "application/json"
},
"retry": {
"attempts": 3,
"interval": 300
}
}
Section 7: Best Practices
7.1 Backup Strategy
- 3 copies of important data
- 2 different storage media
- 1 offsite backup
- Scheduling
- Testing
- Security
Optimal Backup Windows:
Server Type | Frequency | Time Window | Retention |
---|---|---|---|
Production DB | 4x Daily | 12AM,6AM,12PM,6PM | 30 days |
Application | Daily | 2-4 AM | 14 days |
File Server | Daily | 1-3 AM | 30 days |
Development | Weekly | Saturday 2 AM | 7 days |
Archive | Monthly | 1st Sunday | 1 year |
Regular Testing Schedule:
Monthly Tests:
- Random file restore (5 files)
- Service restart verification
- Alert system test
Quarterly Tests:
- Full VM restore to isolated network
- Application functionality test
- RTO/RPO validation
Annual Tests:
- Complete DR simulation
- Bare metal recovery test
- Documentation review
Security Best Practices:
-
Encryption
- Always enable for sensitive data
- Use strong passwords (20+ characters)
- Store passwords in vault
-
Access Control
- Implement RBAC
- Regular access audits
- Enable 2FA for all users
-
Network Security
- Use VPN for remote sites
- Implement firewall rules
- Monitor unusual activity
7.2 Performance Optimization
- Network
- Storage
- Server Resources
Network Optimization:
Bandwidth Management:
Business Hours (9AM-6PM):
Max Speed: 20 Mbps
Priority: Low
After Hours:
Max Speed: Unlimited
Priority: High
Compression:
LAN: None (fast network)
WAN: High (save bandwidth)
Parallel Processing:
Streams: 4 (default)
Adjust based on network capacity
Storage Optimization:
Feature | Savings | Impact |
---|---|---|
Deduplication | 30-50% | Moderate CPU |
Compression | 40-60% | Low-Medium CPU |
Incremental | 80-90% | Minimal |
Synthetic Full | 50-70% | Storage I/O |
Recommendations:
- Enable dedup for similar systems
- Use compression "Optimal" setting
- Schedule synthetic fulls weekly
Resource Allocation:
Windows Servers:
- Reserve 512MB RAM for agent
- Limit CPU to 25% during business hours
- Use VSS for application consistency
Linux Servers:
- Reserve 256MB RAM for agent
- Nice level 10 for backup process
- Consider snapshot method for busy systems
Section 8: Troubleshooting
Common Issues & Solutions
- Connection Issues
- Backup Failures
- Restore Problems
Agent Not Connecting:
Windows Troubleshooting:
# Check firewall
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Veeam VSPC" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 6160 -Protocol TCP -Action Allow
# Restart service
Restart-Service VeeamEndpointBackupSvc
# Re-register agent
cd "C:\Program Files\Veeam\Endpoint Backup"
.\Veeam.Agent.Configurator.exe -resetconfig
Linux Troubleshooting:
# Check connectivity
telnet xxxxxxxx.iaas-hosting.com 6160
# Check service
systemctl status veeamservice
journalctl -u veeamservice -n 50
# Re-register
sudo veeamconfig vbrserver set --reset
sudo veeamconfig vbrserver set --server xxxxxxxx.iaas-hosting.com --port 6160 --company "YourCompany" --token "TOKEN"
Common Failure Causes:
Error | Cause | Solution |
---|---|---|
VSS Error | Windows VSS writers failing | Restart VSS service, check disk space |
Insufficient Space | Target storage full | Increase storage or adjust retention |
Network Timeout | Connection interrupted | Check bandwidth, adjust timeout |
Permission Denied | Insufficient privileges | Verify service account permissions |
Snapshot Failed | VMware/Hyper-V issue | Check hypervisor logs, restart services |
Generic Troubleshooting:
- Review job logs in VSPC
- Check server event logs
- Verify network connectivity
- Test with smaller backup scope
- Contact support if persistent
Restore Troubleshooting:
Slow Restore:
- Check network bandwidth
- Verify storage performance
- Consider Instant Recovery option
- Use multiple streams if available
Restore Failures:
# Verify backup integrity
veeamconfig backup check --id <backup-id>
# Check available space
df -h /restore/location
# Test with single file first
veeamconfig file restore --id <backup-id> --targetdir /tmp/test
# Review permissions
ls -la /restore/location
Section 9: Support & Resources
Getting Help
- Support Channels
- Information to Provide
- Resources
Available Support Options:
Priority | Response Time | Use Case |
---|---|---|
P1 - Critical | 1 hour | Production down, data loss risk |
P2 - High | 4 hours | Production impaired, workaround available |
P3 - Medium | 24 hours | Non-critical issues, questions |
P4 - Low | 48 hours | Feature requests, general inquiries |
When Contacting Support:
Please provide:
1. Company/Tenant Name: ___________
2. Affected Servers: _______________
3. Error Message: _________________
4. Time of Occurrence: ____________
5. Job/Policy Name: _______________
6. Screenshots: [Attach if applicable]
7. Log Files: [Attach from agent/VSPC]
8. Steps to Reproduce: ____________
9. Business Impact: _______________
10. Attempted Solutions: __________
Documentation & Training:
Documentation:
Training:
- Monthly webinars
- On-demand video tutorials
- Veeam certification paths
Community:
- Veeam Forums
- Reddit r/Veeam
- Veeam Vanguard program
Appendix
A. System Requirements
- Windows
- Linux
- Network
Windows Agent Requirements:
Component | Minimum | Recommended |
---|---|---|
OS | Server 2012 R2 | Server 2019/2022 |
RAM | 2 GB | 4 GB |
CPU | 1 GHz | 2+ GHz multi-core |
Disk | 5 GB free | 10 GB free |
.NET | 4.7.2 | Latest version |
Network | 1 Mbps | 10+ Mbps |
Linux Agent Requirements:
Component | Requirement |
---|---|
Distributions | RHEL 7+, Ubuntu 18.04+, Debian 9+, SLES 12+ |
Kernel | 2.6.32 or later |
Architecture | x86_64 only |
RAM | 1 GB minimum |
Disk | 2 GB free space |
Packages | perl, dmidecode |
Network Requirements:
Required Ports:
Agent → VSPC:
- TCP 6160 (Control)
- TCP 6162 (Data transfer)
VSPC → Repository:
- TCP 2500-3300 (Data)
Web Console:
- TCP 443 (HTTPS)
Bandwidth Requirements:
Minimum: 1 Mbps per server
Recommended: 10 Mbps per server
Latency:
Maximum: 100ms (300ms for remote sites)
B. Glossary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
CBT | Changed Block Tracking - Technology to track only modified data blocks |
GFS | Grandfather-Father-Son - Backup rotation scheme for long-term retention |
RPO | Recovery Point Objective - Maximum acceptable data loss (time) |
RTO | Recovery Time Objective - Maximum acceptable downtime |
VSPC | Veeam Service Provider Console - Management platform |
VSS | Volume Shadow Copy Service - Windows snapshot technology |
Synthetic Full | Full backup created from existing incremental backups |
Instant Recovery | Boot VM directly from backup files without restoration |
Deduplication | Eliminating duplicate data blocks to save storage |
Quick Reference
Command Cheat Sheet
- Windows
- Linux
# Service Management
Get-Service VeeamEndpoint*
Restart-Service VeeamEndpointBackupSvc
# Check Status
Get-EventLog -LogName "Veeam Agent" -Newest 20
# Firewall Rules
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "*Veeam*"
# Registry Settings
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Veeam\Veeam Agent for Windows"
# Service Management
systemctl status veeamservice
systemctl restart veeamservice
# Configuration
veeamconfig mode show
veeamconfig vbrserver info
# Backup Operations
veeamconfig backup list
veeamconfig backup show --id <backup-id>
# Job Management
veeamconfig job list
veeamconfig job info --name <job-name>
# Logs
tail -f /var/log/veeam/veeam.log
journalctl -u veeamservice -f
You now have everything needed to implement Veeam Backup as a Service! For additional assistance, contact our support team.
Document Version: 2.0