Backup Copy Job¶

A Backup Copy Job creates an additional copy of an existing backup and stores it in the Cloud4You Cloud Repository.

A typical scenario looks like this:

Production environment
        │
        ▼
Local backup
        │
        ▼
Backup Copy Job
        │
        ▼
Cloud4You Cloud Repository

This keeps a copy of the data outside the local infrastructure so it can be used for recovery in the event of a failure, loss of the local repository, or a security incident.

Compatible with the 3-2-1 rule

A Backup Copy Job to the Cloud Repository can be one element of a 3-2-1 strategy by maintaining an additional copy of data outside the primary location.

Requirements¶

Before creating a Backup Copy Job, make sure that:

Cloud4You has been added as a Service Provider,
the Cloud Repository is visible in the Veeam console,
you have a working source backup,
sufficient free space is available in the Cloud Repository,
the Veeam server can connect to the Cloud Gateway.

If the Cloud Repository is not yet visible, see:

Cloud Repository

1. Start the Backup Copy Job wizard¶

In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, go to:

Home

On the ribbon, select:

Backup Copy
└── Image-level backup

This starts the:

New Backup Copy Job

wizard.

2. Name the job¶

In the Name step, enter a name for the job.

Example:

Backup Copy - Cloud4You

Optionally, add a description, for example:

Backup copy to Cloud4You Cloud Repository

Tip

Veeam recommends using job names no longer than 50 characters to reduce the risk of path length issues.

3. Select the copy mode¶

Veeam provides two basic Backup Copy Job modes:

Immediate copy¶

Immediate copy

A new restore point is copied to the Cloud Repository as soon as possible after it appears in the source repository.

Flow:

Local backup completed
        ↓
New restore point
        ↓
Backup Copy Job
        ↓
Copy to Cloud4You

This mode is recommended when you want an off-site copy to be created as quickly as possible.

Periodic copy¶

Periodic copy

The Backup Copy Job runs according to the configured schedule and copies the latest available restore point.

Example:

Local backup:       daily at 22:00
Backup Copy Job:    daily at 02:00

This mode is useful when transfers to the Cloud Repository should take place at specific times.

Info

In Immediate copy mode, you can also configure a time window during which data transfer is suspended.

Select the appropriate mode and click:

Next

4. Select backups to copy¶

In the Objects step, specify which backups should be copied to the Cloud Repository.

Click:

Add

Veeam allows you to select, among other options:

From jobs

or:

From repositories

From jobs¶

This lets you select existing backup jobs.

Example:

Backup - Production VMs

After selecting the job, Veeam will copy restore points for the machines included in that backup.

From repositories¶

This lets you select a repository containing backups that should be included in the Backup Copy Job.

5. Optionally exclude selected machines¶

If not all machines in the selected job should be copied to Cloud4You, use:

Exclusions

This allows you to include only selected systems in the Backup Copy Job.

Example:

Backup - Production VMs
├── DC01       → copy
├── ERP01      → copy
├── FILE01     → copy
└── TEST01     → exclude

6. Copying transaction logs¶

If you use:

Immediate copy

and the source job backs up database transaction logs, Veeam can also copy them to the Cloud Repository.

In that case, the following option is available:

Include database transaction log backups

Enable it only if transaction log backup is configured in the source job and should also be retained in the Cloud Repository.

Click:

Next

7. Select the Cloud Repository¶

In the Target step, open the:

Backup repository

list and select the Cloud Repository provided by Cloud4You.

Example:

Cloud4You Cloud Repository

Check available space

Before starting the job, verify that the allocated Cloud Repository quota is sufficient for the planned number of restore points.

8. Configure retention¶

In the same step, configure how many restore points should be retained in the Cloud Repository.

For example:

7 restore points
14 restore points
30 restore points

When selecting retention, consider:

backup frequency,
available Cloud Repository capacity,
required data retention period,
organizational or legal requirements.

Info

Longer retention may require more Cloud Repository capacity.

More information:

Retention

9. Optionally configure GFS retention¶

If you want to retain selected full backups for a longer period, enable GFS — Grandfather-Father-Son retention.

In the Target step, select:

Keep certain full backups longer for archival purposes

Then click:

Configure

You can configure long-term retention of full backups, for example:

Weekly
Monthly
Yearly

Example:

Operational restore points  → 14
Weekly                      → 4 weeks
Monthly                     → 12 months
Yearly                      → 5 years

Note

GFS uses additional Cloud Repository space. Before enabling long-term retention, check the available capacity limit.

10. Backup encryption¶

In the job settings, you can configure encryption for the copy stored in the Cloud Repository.

If the backup contains sensitive or business data, we recommend using encryption.

Encryption password

Store the password or key used for encryption in a secure location. Losing the data required to decrypt the backup may make future recovery impossible.

11. Select the data transfer path¶

In the Data Transfer step, select how data should be transferred.

If the Cloud Repository does not use WAN Accelerator, select:

Direct

Data will be transferred directly through the Veeam Cloud Connect infrastructure.

If the service uses WAN Accelerator, the following option may be available:

Through built-in WAN accelerators

together with:

Source WAN accelerator

Info

If Cloud4You has not provided information about using WAN Accelerator, keep direct transfer according to the service configuration.

Click:

Next

12. Configure the schedule¶

Schedule configuration depends on the mode selected earlier.

Immediate copy¶

For Immediate copy, you can define a time window during which the Backup Copy Job should not transfer data over the network.

This may be useful if you want to reduce bandwidth usage during working hours.

Example:

08:00–16:00
transfer disabled

16:00–08:00
transfer allowed

Periodic copy¶

For Periodic copy, select:

Run the job automatically

and configure the schedule.

For example:

Daily at 02:00

If automatic execution is not enabled, the job must be started manually.

13. Finish the wizard¶

In the Summary step, review the job configuration.

For Immediate copy, you can select:

Enable the job when I click Finish

For Periodic copy, you can select:

Run the job when I click Finish

Then click:

Finish

The Backup Copy Job will be created.

14. Run the first Backup Copy Job¶

If the job did not start automatically, go to:

Home
└── Jobs

Find the created Backup Copy Job.

Right-click it and select:

Start

The first run may take significantly longer than subsequent sessions because Veeam must create the initial copy of the data in the Cloud Repository.

The first transfer duration depends on:

backup size,
Internet connection bandwidth,
amount of source data,
local repository performance,
current infrastructure load.

How does a Backup Copy Job work?¶

Veeam does not simply copy backup files between repositories.

During a Backup Copy Job, Veeam reads the data blocks required to create the appropriate restore point and transfers them to the target repository.

An independent backup chain is created in the Cloud Repository.

The first restore point requires a full copy, while subsequent restore points are created incrementally.

Flow:

Cloud Repository

Full
 │
 ├── Incremental
 │
 ├── Incremental
 │
 ├── Incremental
 │
 └── Incremental

Checking job status¶

After starting the Backup Copy Job, monitor its status in the Veeam console.

Go to:

Home
└── Jobs

and:

Home
└── Last 24 Hours

A successfully completed session should have the status:

Success

After the copy is created, also check:

Home
└── Backups
    └── Cloud

The backup should be visible in the Cloud Repository.

Recommendations¶

For a typical environment, we recommend:

creating the primary backup locally,
creating an additional copy in the Cloud Repository,
using backup encryption,
selecting retention appropriate to the available quota,
monitoring Cloud Repository usage,
performing periodic restore tests.

Important

A backup should only be considered verified after successful data recovery has been confirmed. A job status of Success does not replace periodic restore testing.

Common issues¶

Cloud Repository is not available in the list¶

Check:

whether the Cloud4You Service Provider is connected,
whether the Cloud Repository is visible in Backup Infrastructure,
whether the account has an assigned quota,
whether a Service Provider Rescan has been performed.

More information:

Cloud Repository

The job does not start transferring data¶

Check:

whether a new restore point exists in the source backup,
whether the job is enabled,
whether the schedule currently allows transfer,
whether the source backup completed successfully,
whether the Veeam server can connect to the Cloud Gateway.

No space in the Cloud Repository¶

Check:

current quota usage,
number of retained restore points,
GFS retention,
size of the protected data.

If necessary, contact Cloud4You Support to increase service capacity.

Summary¶

A correctly configured Backup Copy Job should meet the following conditions:

[x] the source backup works correctly,
[x] the Cloud Repository is available,
[x] the appropriate Immediate or Periodic mode has been selected,
[x] the correct retention has been configured,
[x] the schedule has been configured,
[x] the first session completed successfully,
[x] the backup is visible under Backups → Cloud.

What next?¶

After creating the Backup Copy Job, verify that the first copy has been transferred correctly to the Cloud Repository and perform a restore test.