Veeam Backup for Nutanix

AHV

Version 7
User Guide
January, 2025
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Read the End User Software License Agreement before using the accompanying software programs. Using
any part of the software indicates that you accept the terms of the End User Software License Agreement.

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Contents
CONTACTING VEEAM SOF TWARE ................................ ................................ ........................... 7
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 8
OVERVIEW ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................... 9
Solution Architecture .......................................................................................................................... 10
Prism Central Deployment Scenario ............................................................................................ 11
Standalone Cluster Deployment Scenario .................................................................................... 13
VM Back up .......................................................................................................................................... 15
Backup Chain ............................................................................................................................. 17
Backup Methods ....................................................................................................................... 20
Active Full Backup .................................................................................................................... 22
Synthetic Full Backup ................................................................................................................ 23
Snapshot Chain ......................................................................................................................... 24
VM Restore ........................................................................................................................................ 27
Entire VM Restore ..................................................................................................................... 28
Disk Restore ............................................................................................................................. 29
File-Level Recovery .................................................................................................................. 30
Retention Policies ................................................................................................................................ 31
PLANNING AND P REPARATION ................................ ................................ ............................. 32
System Requirements ......................................................................................................................... 33
Permissions ........................................................................................................................................ 35
Ports .................................................................................................................................................. 39
Sizing Guidelines ................................................................................................................................ 49
LICENSING ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 51
DEPLOY MENT ................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 52
Installing Nutanix AHV Plug-In Manually.............................................................................................. 53
Installing Plug -In in Unattended Mode ....................................................................................... 55
Upgrading to Veeam Backup for Nuta nix AHV 7 .................................................................................... 58
Uninstalling Nuta nix AHV Plug -In ........................................................................................................ 59
CONFIGURING BACKUP INFRASTRUCTURE ................................ ................................ .............. 60
Configuring Backup Repositories ..........................................................................................................61
Connecting Nutanix AHV Server .......................................................................................................... 62
Adding Nutanix AHV Server ....................................................................................................... 63
Editing Nutanix AHV Server Properties ....................................................................................... 72
Rescanning Nuta nix AHV Server ................................................................................................. 73
Removing Nutanix AHV Server ................................................................................................... 74
Accessing Nutanix AHV Server Console ...................................................................................... 75
Managing Backup Appliances .............................................................................................................. 77

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 Deploying New Backup Appliance .............................................................................................. 78
Connecting Existing Backup Appliance ....................................................................................... 89
Editing Backup Appliance .......................................................................................................... 99
Rescanning Back up Appliance ................................................................................................... 101
Removing Back up Appliance .....................................................................................................102
Migrating Backup Appliance .................................................................................................... 104
Troubleshooting Backup Appliance ...........................................................................................105
Managing Workers ............................................................................................................................ 106
Adding Workers .......................................................................................................................107
Enabling and Disabling Workers .................................................................................................113
Editing Workers ....................................................................................................................... 114
Testing Workers ........................................................................................................................115
Disabling Automatic Worker Updates ........................................................................................ 116
Removing Workers ....................................................................................................................117
ACCESSING BACKUP APPLIANCE ................................ ................................ .......................... 118
Changing Password ............................................................................................................................120
CONFIGURING VEE AM BACKUP FOR NUTANIX AHV ................................ ................................ .... 121
Managing Users ................................................................................................................................. 122
Adding User Accounts .............................................................................................................. 124
Editing User Account Settings .................................................................................................. 125
Changing User Passwords ......................................................................................................... 126
Configuring Multi-Factor Authentication ................................................................................... 127
Enabling SSH on Back up Appliance ..................................................................................................... 129
Viewing Network Settings ..................................................................................................................130
Configuring Time Synchronization Settings ..........................................................................................131
Configuring Email Notification Settings............................................................................................... 132
Configuring Notifications ................................................................................................................... 135
Performing Configuration Backup and Restore .................................................................................... 136
Backing Up Configuration Settings Manually ............................................................................. 137
Backing Up Configuration Settings Automatically ...................................................................... 139
Restoring Configuration Settings .............................................................................................. 141
VIEWING AVAILABLE RESOURCES ................................ ................................ ......................... 152
Adding VMs to Job............................................................................................................................. 153
PERFORMING BACKUP ................................ ................................ ................................ ..... 154
Creating Backup Jobs ......................................................................................................................... 155
Before Y ou Begin ..................................................................................................................... 156
Creating Backup Jobs Using Backup Appliance Web Console ...................................................... 157
Creating Backup Jobs Using Veeam Backup & Replication Console .............................................. 174
Creating Snapshot Jobs ......................................................................................................................210
Before Y ou Begin ......................................................................................................................211

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 Creating Snapshot Jobs Using Back up Appliance Web Console ................................................... 212
Creating Snapshot Jobs Using Veeam Backup & Replication Console .......................................... 220
Creating Protection Domain Snapshot Jobs ........................................................................................ 228
Before Y ou Begin .................................................................................................................... 229
Creating PD Snapshot Jobs Using Backup Appliance Web Console ............................................. 230
Creating PD Snapshot Jobs Using Veeam Backup & Replication Console ..................................... 238
Analyzing Performa nce Bottlenecks................................................................................................... 247
Cloning Jobs..................................................................................................................................... 249
Starting and Stopping Jobs ............................................................................................................... 250
Retrying Jobs .................................................................................................................................... 251
Editing Job Settings ...........................................................................................................................252
Enabling and Disabling Jobs ...............................................................................................................253
Deleting Jobs ................................................................................................................................... 254
Creating Active Full Backup ................................................................................................................255
Creating VeeamZIP Backups .............................................................................................................. 256
MANAGING BACKUPS AND SNAPSHOTS ................................ ................................ ................. 257
Viewing Back up Properties ................................................................................................................ 258
Rescanning Back ups.......................................................................................................................... 259
Verifying Backups ............................................................................................................................. 260
Exporting Backups ............................................................................................................................. 261
Copying Backups .............................................................................................................................. 262
Copying Backups to Tapes ................................................................................................................. 263
Deleting Backups .............................................................................................................................. 264
Deleting Snapshots ........................................................................................................................... 265
PERFORMING RESTORE ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 266
Performing VM Restore ..................................................................................................................... 267
Restoring VMs Using Veeam Backup & Replication Console ....................................................... 268
Restoring VMs Using Backup Appliance Web Console ................................................................ 278
Performing Disk Restore ................................................................................................................... 289
Step 1. La unch Virtual Disk Restore Wizard ............................................................................... 290
Step 2. Select Restore P oint ..................................................................................................... 291
Step 3. Choose Restore Mode .................................................................................................. 293
Step 4. Specify Target Cluster.................................................................................................. 294
Step 5. Configure Mapping Settings ......................................................................................... 295
Step 6. Specify Reason for Restore .......................................................................................... 296
Step 7. Finish Working with Wizard .......................................................................................... 297
Instant Recovery ............................................................................................................................... 298
Performing Instant Recovery of Workloads to Nuta nix AHV ....................................................... 299
Performing Instant Recovery of Workloads to VMware vSp here .................................................. 312
Performing Instant Recovery of Workloads to Hyper-V .............................................................. 313

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 Publishing Disks ................................................................................................................................ 314
Performing File -Level Restore ............................................................................................................ 315
Performing Application Item Restore .................................................................................................. 316
Exporting Disks ................................................................................................................................. 318
Performing VM Restore to Amazon Web Services ................................................................................ 319
Performing VM Restore to Microsoft Azure ........................................................................................ 320
Performing VM Restore to Google Cloud ............................................................................................. 321
VIEWING SESSION STATISTICS ................................ ................................ ............................ 322
REVIEWING DASHBOARD ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 323
UPDATING BACKUP APPLIANCE ................................ ................................ .......................... 325
Configuring Web Proxy ..................................................................................................................... 326
Checking for Updates.........................................................................................................................327
Installing Updates ............................................................................................................................ 328
Viewing Update History ..................................................................................................................... 331
GETTING TECHNICAL SUPPORT................................ ................................ ........................... 332
Viewing Product Details .....................................................................................................................333
Exporting Logs Using Backup Appliance Web Console ........................................................................ 334
Exporting Logs Using Veeam Backup & Replication Console .................................................................335
APPENDICES................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 336
Appendix A. Custom Script Samples ....................................................................................................337
Appendix B. Installing Custom Certificate .......................................................................................... 356
Appendix C. Configuring Bus Type Restore Priority ..............................................................................357
Appendix D. Config uring Multiple Networks ....................................................................................... 359

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Contacting Veeam Software
At Veeam Software we value feedback from our customers. It is important not only to help you quickly with your
technical issues, but it is our mission to listen to your input and build products that incorporate your
suggestions.

Customer Support
Should you have a technical concern, suggestion or question, visit the Veeam Customer Support Portal to open a
case, search our knowledge base, reference documentation, manage your license or obtain the latest product
release.

Company Contacts
For the most up-to-date information about company contacts and office locations, visit the Veeam Contacts
Webpage.

Online Support
If you have any questions about Veeam products, you can use the following resources:

• Full documentation set: veeam.com/documentation-guides-datasheets.html

• Veeam R&D Forums: forums.veeam.com

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About This Document
This guide is designed for IT professionals who plan to use Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV. The guide includes
system requirements, licensing information and step-by-step deployment instructions. It also provides a
comprehensive set of features to ensure easy execution of protection and disaster recovery tasks in Nutanix
AHV environments.

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Overview
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV is a solution developed for data protection and disaster recovery tasks for the
Nutanix AHV environment. With Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV, you can perform the following operations:

• Create backups of Nutanix AHV VMs and store them in backup repositories.

• Create snapshots of Nutanix AHV VMs and protection domains.

• Create VeeamZIP backups of Nutanix AHV VMs.

• Create several instances (copies) of the same backed-up data in different locations.

• Restore VMs from Nutanix AHV backups and snapshots to the original Nutanix AHV environment.

• Restore VMs from VMware ESXi and Microsoft Hyper-V to the Nutanix AHV environment.

• Restore VMs from oVirt KVM and Proxmox VE backups to the Nutanix AHV environment.

• Restore VMs from Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud backups to the Nutanix
AHV environment.

• Restore physical machines from backups created by Veeam Ag ents to the Nutanix AHV environment.

• Restore VMs from Nutanix AHV backups to Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google
Cloud environments.

• Restore VMs from Nutanix AHV backups to VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper -V environments.

• Perform Instant Recovery of VMs and physical machines to Nutanix AHV, VMware vSphere and Microsoft
Hyper-V environments.

• Restore files and folders of Nutanix AHV VM guest OSes.

• Restore application items (such as Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SharePoint,
Oracle Database and Microsoft SQL Server).

• Restore Nutanix AHV VM disks and attach them to VMs running in Nutanix AHV clusters.

• Export disks of backed-up Nutanix AHV VMs to VMDK, VHD and VHDX formats.

• Mount disks of backed-up Nutanix AHV VMs to any server and access data in the read -only mode.

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Solution Architecture
Starting from version 6.0, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV supports 2 deployment scenarios:

• Prism Central deployment scenario allows you to protect workloads that reside in multiple clusters
registered with a Prism Central.

This scenario provides a centralized web console that allows you to manage backup and restore operations
performed for workloads in all the registered clusters. Therefore, it reduces time required to install,
configure and maintain Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV,

• Standalone cluster deployment scenario allows you to protect workloads that reside in a specific cluster.

Even if you add multiple clusters to the backup infrastructure, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will treat
each cluster as a dedicated virtual environment. Therefore, backup and restore operations performed for
workloads in each cluster will be managed separately.

You can also combine these scenarios to support your own data protection strategy. However, keep in mind that
you cannot add to the backup infrastructure both a Prism Central and a standalone Nutanix AHV cluster that is
registered with this Prism Central.

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Prism Central Deployment Scenario
In the Prism Central deployment scenario, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV architecture comprises the following
set of components:

• Nutanix AHV Prism Central

• Nutanix AHV clusters

• Backup server

• Backup appliance

• Nutanix AHV Plug-in

• Backup repositories

• Workers

Nutanix AHV Prism Central

The Prism Central is a software appliance that provides a centralized interface for managing multiple clusters in
the Nutanix hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) environment. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses the Prism
Central to access all the registered clusters.

Nutanix AHV Clusters

A Nutanix AHV cluster is a logical group of Nutanix HCI nodes managed by Nutanix Controller VMs (CVMs).
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV accesses cluster resources (such as VMs, volume groups, protection domains,
storage containers and networks) to perform backup and restore operations.

Backup Server
The backup server is a Windows-based physical or virtual machine on which Veeam Backup & Replication is
installed. The backup server is the configuration, administration and management core of the backup
infrastructure. It coordinates backup and restore operations, controls job scheduling and manages resource
allocation.

Backup Appliance
The backup appliance is an architecture component that sits logically between the backup server and other
components of the backup infrastructure. While the backup server administers tasks, the backup appliance
performs management operations, processes jobs and delivers backup traffic. The backup appliance is a Linux-
based VM that resides in one of the Prism Central Nutanix AHV clusters and includes the following components:

• Ba ckup Appliance Web Console is an interface that allows you to manage backup and restore operations,
and to configure settings of the Nutanix AHV backup appliance.

• Veeam Updater is a service that is responsible for installing and scheduling updates for the backup
appliance.

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Nutanix AHV Plug-in
Nutanix AHV Plug-in is an architecture component that enables integration between the backup server and the
backup appliance. Nutanix AHV Plug-in also allows the backup server to deploy and manage the backup
appliance.

Backup Repositories
A backup repository is a storage location where Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV stores backups of protected
Nutanix AHV VMs.

To communicate with backup repositories, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses Veeam Data Mover — the service
that is responsible for data processing and transfer. By default, Veeam Data Mover runs on the repositorie s
themselves. If a repository cannot host Veeam Data Mover, it starts on a gateway server — a dedicated
component that “bridges” the backup server and workers. For more information, see the Veeam Backup &
Replication User Guide, section Gateway Server.

Workers
A worker is an auxiliary Linux-based VM instance that is responsible for the interaction between the backup
appliance and other components of the backup infrastructure. Workers process backup workload and distribute
backup traffic when transferring data to and from backup repositories.

The backup appliance comes with a preconfigured embedded worker that can be used in small virtual
environments. In large environments, it is recommended to deploy dedicated workers that are distributed
among the cluster hosts (nodes) and are automatically launched for the duration of a backup or restore process.
For more information on deployment sizing considerations, see Sizing Guidelines.

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Standalone Cluster Deployment Scenario
In the standalone cluster deployment scenario, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV architecture comprises the
following set of components:

• Nutanix AHV cluster

• Backup server

• Backup appliance

• Nutanix AHV Plug-in

• Backup repositories

• Workers

Nutanix AHV Cluster

The Nutanix AHV cluster is a logical group of Nutanix HCI nodes managed by Nutanix Controller VMs (CVMs).
While performing backup and restore operations, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses the Nutanix AHV cluster
to access Nutanix AHV resources such as VMs, volume groups, storage containers and networks.

Backup Server
The backup server is a Windows-based physical or virtual machine on which Veeam Backup & Replication is
installed. The backup server is the configuration, administration and management core of the backup
infrastructure. It coordinates backup and restore operations, controls job scheduling and manages resource
allocation.

Backup Appliance
The backup appliance is an architecture component that sits logically between the backup server and other
components of the backup infrastructure. While the backup server administers tasks, the backup appliance
performs management operations, processes jobs and delivers backup traffic. The backup app liance is a Linux-
based VM that resides in the Nutanix AHV cluster and includes the following components:

• Ba ckup Appliance Web Console is an interface that allows you to manage backup and restore operations,
and to configure settings of the Nutanix AHV backup appliance.

• Veeam Updater is a service that is responsible for installing and scheduling updates for the backup
appliance.

Nutanix AHV Plug-in

Nutanix AHV Plug-in is an architecture component that enables integration between the backup server and the
backup appliance. Nutanix AHV Plug-in also allows the backup server to deploy and manage the backup
appliance.

Backup Repositories
A backup repository is a storage location where Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV stores backups of protected
Nutanix AHV VMs.

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To communicate with backup repositories, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses Veeam Data Mover — the service
that is responsible for data processing and transfer. By default, Veeam Data Mover runs on the repositories
themselves. If a repository cannot host Veeam Data Mover, it starts on a gateway server — a dedicated
component that “bridges” the backup server and workers. For more information, see the Veeam Backup &
Replication User Guide, section Gateway Server.

Workers
A worker is an auxiliary Linux-based VM instance that is responsible for the interaction between the backup
appliance and other components of the backup infrastructure. Workers process backup workload a nd distribute
backup traffic when transferring data to and from backup repositories.

The backup appliance comes with a preconfigured embedded worker that can be used in small virtual
environments. In large environments, it is recommended to deploy dedicated workers that are distributed
among the cluster hosts (nodes) and are automatically launched for the duration of a backup or restore process.
For more information on deployment sizing considerations, see Sizing Guidelines.

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VM Backup
To produce backups of VMs, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV runs backup jobs. A backup job is a collection of
settings that define the way backup operations are performed: what data to back up, where to store backups,
when to start the backup process, and so on.

While creating image-level backups, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV does not install agent software inside VMs
to retrieve data. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses native Nutanix AHV capabilities instead. During every
backup session, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a Nutanix AHV live snapshot of each VM added to a
backup job. The snapshot is further used to create a VM backup.

How to Protect VMs

1. Check system requirements and account permissions.

2. Add backup repositories.

3. Connect the Nutanix AHV server.

4. Deploy a Nutanix AHV backup appliance.

5. Configure worker settings.

6. Complete the New Backup Job wizard.

How VM Backup Works

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV performs VM backup in the following way:

1. Connects to the Nutanix AHV server (Prism Central or Nutanix AHV cluster) over Nutanix REST API and
creates a backup snapshot of the processed VM or a protection domain to which the VM belongs.

2. Launches a worker on the same host where the processed VM resides.

If no worker is deployed on the host, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV launches a worker that is deployed
on any other host connected to the Nutanix AHV server; if no workers are deployed on hosts, the
embedded worker is used instead.

3. Re-creates VM disks from the snapshot created at step 1, adds them to a temporary volume group and
attaches it to the worker.

4. Uses the worker to read data from disks of the volume group, transfers the data to the target repository
and stores it in the native Veeam format.

To reduce the amount of data read from snapshots, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses the changed
block tracking (CBT) mechanism: during incremental backup sessions, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
compares the new snapshot with the previous one and reads only those data blocks that have changed
since the previous backup session. If CBT cannot be used, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV reads all data
from the snapshot. For more information, see Changed Block Tracking.

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV compresses and deduplicates data saved to repositories.

5. Suspends the worker when the backup session completes.

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 NOTE

To limit the impact of backup tasks on network performance, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV applies
network traffic throttling rules that prevent jobs from utilizing the entire bandwidth available in your
environment.

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Backup Chain
When running a backup job, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a new backup file in a backup repository
during every backup session. A sequence of backup files created during a set of backup sessions makes up a
backup chain. Each backup chain contains data for one VM only. If a backup job includes several VMs, Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV creates one backup chain for each VM processed by the job.

The backup chain includes backup files of the following types:

• VBK — a full backup file stores a copy of the full VM image.

• VIB — incremental backup files store incremental changes of the VM image.

• VBM — backup metadata files store information about the backup job, VMs processed by the backup job,
number and structure of backup files, restore points, and so on. Metadata files facilitate import of
backups, backup mapping and other operations.

Full and incremental backup files act as restore points for backed -up VMs that let you roll back VM data to the
necessary state. To recover a VM to a specific point in time, the chain of backup files created for the VM must
contain a full backup file and a set of incremental backup files dependent on the full backup file.

If some file in the backup chain is missing, you will not be able to roll back to the necessary state. For this
reason, you must not delete individual backup files from the backup repository manually. Instead, you must
specify retention policy settings that will let you maintain the necessary number of backup files in the backup
repository.For more information, see Backup Retention.

Changed Block Tracking

The changed block tracking (CBT) mechanism allows Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to increase the speed and
efficiency of incremental backups:

• During a full backup session Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV reads only written data blocks, while
unallocated data blocks are filtered out.

• During an incremental backup session, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV reads only those data blocks that
have changed since the previous backup session.

To detect unallocated and changed data blocks, CBT relies on the Nutanix AHV REST API:

1. During the first (full) backup session, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a snapshot of a VM using
native Nutanix AHV capabilities. To do that, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV sends API requests to access
the content of the snapshot and to detect unallocated data blocks.

2. During subsequent sessions, new snapshots are created. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV sends API
requests to access and to compare the content of the snapshot created during the previous backup session
and the snapshot created during the current backup session. This allows Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
to detect data blocks that have changed since the previous backup session.

Limitations for Changed Block Tracking

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV does not use CBT for backup jobs which include a protection domain with
consistency groups that contain two or more entities. If CBT cannot be used, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
reads the whole content of processed disks and compares it with backed -up data that already exists in the
backup repository. In this case, the completion time of incremental backups may occur to grow.

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Backup Retention
For image-level backups, you can specify retention policy in days or restore points. Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV retains the number of latest restore points defined in job scheduling settings as described in section
Creating Backup Jobs. For backup chains created by jobs without scheduled active or synthetic full backups,
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV applies forever forward incremental backup retention policy. For backup chains
created by jobs that regularly produce active or synthetic full backups, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV applies
forward incremental backup retention policy.

NOTE

For backup chains created by jobs that no longer exist, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV applies a separate
retention mechanism as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Background
Retention.

Forever Forward Incremental Backup Retention Policy

To track and remove redundant restore points from a forever forward incremental backup chain, Veeam Backup
for Nutanix AHV performs the following actions at the end of each backup session:

1. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV checks the configuration database to detect backup chains that contain
redundant restore points:

o If retention policy is specified in days, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV detects backup chains with
restore points that are older than the specified time limit.

o If retention policy is specified in restore points, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV detects backup chains
where the number of allowed restore points is exceeded.

2. If a redundant restore point exists in a backup chain, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV transforms the
backup chain in the following way:

a. Rebuilds the full backup to include there data of the incremental backup that follows the full backup.
To do that, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV injects into the full backup data blocks from the earliest
incremental backup in the chain. This way, the full backup ‘moves’ forward in the standard backup
chain.

b. Removes the earliest incremental backup from the chain as redundant — this data has already been
injected into the full backup.

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 3. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV repeats step 2 for all other redundant restore points found in the backup
chain until all the restore points are removed. As data from multiple restore points is injected into the
rebuilt full backup, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV ensures that the backup chain is not broken and that
you will be able to recover your data when needed.

Forward Incremental Backup Retention Policy

To track and remove redundant restore points from a forward incremental backup chain, Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV performs the following actions at the end of each backup session:

1. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV checks the configuration database to detect forward incremental backup
chains where a new full backup has been created (which starts a new backup chain fragment).

2. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV checks the following:

o If retention policy is specified in days, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV checks whether the period to
keep restore points in the new chain fragment has reached the allowed time limit.

o If retention policy is specified in restore points, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV checks whether the
number of restore points in the new chain fragment has reached the number of allowed restore
points.

3. If the new backup chain fragment has reached the limit of allowed restore points, Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV removes all restore points of the older backup chain fragment.

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Backup Methods
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV provides the following methods for creating backup chains:

• Forever forward incremental

When the forever forward incremental backup method is used, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a
backup chain that consists of the first full backup file (VBK) and a set of forward incremental backup files
(VIBs) following it. For more information, see Forever Forward Incremental Backup.

This backup method helps you save space on the backup storage because Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
stores only one full backup file and removes incremental backup files once the retention period is
exceeded.

• Forward incremental

When the forward incremental backup method is used, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a backup
chain that consists of multiple full backup files (VBKs) and sets of forward incremental backup files (VIBs)
following each full backup file. Full backups created using the synthetic full or active full method split the
backup chain into shorter series. This lowers the chances of losing the backup chain completely and makes
this backup method the most reliable. For more information, see Forward Incremental Backup.

This backup method requires more storage space than other methods because the backup chains contains
multiple full backup files and sometimes Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV stores more restore points than
specified in the retention policy settings due to the specifics of the forward incremental retention policy.

Forever Forward Incremental Backup

To create a backup chain for a VM protected by a backup job without a full backup schedule, Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV implements the forever forward incremental backup:

1. During the first (full) backup session, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV copies the full VM image and creates
a full backup file in the backup repository. The full backup file becomes a starting point in the backup
chain.

2. During subsequent backup sessions, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV copies only those data blocks that
have changed since the previous backup session, and stores these data blocks to incremental backup files
in the backup repository. The content of each incremental backup file depends on the content of the full
backup file and the preceding incremental backup files in the backup chain.

Forward Incremental Backup

To create a backup chain for a VM protected by a backup job with scheduled full backups, Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV implements the forward incremental backup method:

1. During the first (full) backup session, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV copies the full VM image and creates
a full backup file in the backup repository. The full backup file becomes a starting point in the backup
chain.

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 2. During subsequent backup sessions, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV copies only those data blocks that
have changed since the previous backup session, and stores these data blocks to incremental backup files
in the backup repository. The content of each incremental backup file depends on the content of the full
backup file and the preceding incremental backup files in the backup chain.

3. On a day when the synthetic full or active full backup is scheduled, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates
a full backup file and adds it to the backup chain. Incremental restore points produced after this full
backup file use it as a new starting point.

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Active Full Backup
In some cases, you may need to regularly create full backups. For example, your corporate backup policy may
require that you create full backups on weekends and run incremental backups on work days. To let you
conform to these requirements, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to create active full backups (either
manually or automatically according to a specific schedule).

To create an active full backup Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV retrieves VM data from the source cluster where
the VM resides, compresses and deduplicates it and writes it to the VBK file in the backup repository. When
creating an active full backup, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV starts a new backup chain for the VM. All further
created incremental backups use the latest active full backup file as a new starting point. The old full backup file
from the old backup chain remains on disk until it is automatically deleted according to the retention policy.

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV triggers a backup job to create an active full backup even if a regular backup
session is not scheduled on this day. The active full backup session starts at the same time when the backup job
is scheduled. For example, if you schedule the backup job to run at 12:00 AM Sunday through Friday, and
schedule active full backup to be created on Saturday, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will start a backup job
session that will produce an active full backup at 12:00 AM on Saturday.

If the backup job is not scheduled to run automatically or is disabled, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will not
perform active full backup. If a regular backup session and an active full backup session are scheduled on the
same day, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will produce an active full backup onl y. However, if you run the
backup job again on the same day manually, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will perform incremental backup in
a regular manner.

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Synthetic Full Backup
In some situations, running active full backups periodically may not be an option. Active full backups are
resource-intensive and consume considerable amount of network bandwidth. As an alternative, you can create
synthetic full backups that also produce VBK files and contain data of the whole VM. However, while creating
synthetic full backups, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV connects to the cluster to retrieve only VM data that has
changed since recent backup and processes it with the data that is already stored in the backup repository.

To create a synthetic full backup, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV performs the following operations:

1. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a regular incremental backup and adds it to the backup chain.

2. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a new synthetic full backup using backup files that are already
available in the backup chain, including the newly created incremental backup file.

3. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV deletes the created incremental backup as its data is already incorporated
in the synthetic full backup.

When creating a synthetic full backup, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV starts a new backup chain for the VM. All
further created incremental backups use the latest full backup file as a new starting point. The old full backup
file from the old backup chain remains on disk until it is automatically deleted according to the retention policy.

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV triggers a backup job to create a synthetic full backup even if a regular backup
session is not scheduled on this day. For example, if you schedule the backup job to run at 12:00 AM Sunday
through Friday, and schedule synthetic full backup to be created on Saturday, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
will start a backup job session that will produce a synthetic full backup at 12:00 AM on Saturday.

If the backup job is not scheduled or is disabled, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will not perform synthetic full
backup automatically. If a regular backup session and a synthetic full backup session are scheduled on the same
day, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will produce a synthetic full back up only. However, if you run the backup
job again on the same day manually, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will perform incremental backup in a
regular manner.

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Snapshot Chain
During every backup session, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a snapshot for ea ch VM added to the
snapshot job or a protection domain snapshot if it is added to a protection domain snapshot job. The snapshot
itself is a collection of point-in-time snapshots that Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV takes using native Nutanix
AHV capabilities.

A sequence of Nutanix AHV snapshots created during a set of backup sessions makes up a snapshot chain.
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates the snapshot chain in the following way:

1. During the first backup session, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a snapshot that contains all VM
data and saves it in the Nutanix AHV cluster where the processed VM resides. This snapshot becomes a
starting point in the snapshot chain.

2. During subsequent backup sessions, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates snapshots that contain only
those data blocks that have changed since the previous backup session.

Each Nutanix AHV snapshot in the snapshot chain contains metadata. Metadata stores information about the
protected instance and the job that created the snapshot. Veea m Backup for Nutanix AHV uses metadata to
identify snapshots created by the Veeam backup service, to detect outdated snapshots, and to load the
configuration of source VMs during recovery operations, and so on.

In Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV, snapshots act as independent restore points for backed-up instances. If you
remove any snapshot, it will not break the snapshot chain — Nutanix AHV will include data of the deleted
snapshot to a following snapshot. Therefore, you will still be able to roll back instance data to any existing
restore point. Note that while removing a protection domain snapshot, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV deletes
data of all VMs and volume groups included in the domain.

The number of snapshots kept in the snapshot chain is defined by retention policy settings. For more
information, see Snapshot Retention.

Related Topics
• Creating Snapshot Jobs

• Creating Protection Domain Snapshot Jobs

Snapshot Types
In terms of data protection, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to create the following types of
snapshots:

• Ba ckup snapshots

A backup snapshot is a VM snapshot created by a backup job. Backup snapshots are displayed both in the
Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console and in the Veeam Backup & Replication console, and can be
used to perform entire VM restore and disk restore.

Backup snapshots allow Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to use the CBT mechanism while creating backups
and to speed up the restore process (in comparison to restore from image-level backups).

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 • Sna pshots

A snapshot is a VM snapshot created by a snapshot job or taken manually in the Prism Element or Prism
Central console. Snapshots are displayed both in the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console and in
the Veeam Backup & Replication console. You can use snapshots to restore VMs to the original Nutanix
AHV environment.

While taking VM snapshots, Nutanix AHV captures data residing on virtual disks attached to the VMs. To
protect data residing on volume groups that are attached to the VMs, volume group ( VG) snapshots or
protection domain (PD) snapshots are created. VG snapshots capture data of volume groups only, whereas
PD snapshots capture data of consistency groups that include VMs and volume groups attached to them.

• Sna pshots on Replica Sites

[Applies only to the Prism Central deployment] A snapshot on a replica site is a VM snapshot created and
replicated by a Prism Central protection policy. Snapshots on replica sites are displayed neither in the
Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console nor in the Veeam Backup & Replication console — these
snapshots can be only be found in the Prism Central console.

Snapshots on replica sites allow Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to reduce the backup load on the
production environment. However, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV can use these snapshots only if the
following requirements are met for each VM included into the backup scope:

o No volume groups are attached to the VM.

o At least one VM snapshot has been replicated to a remote location since the most recent backup was
created.

o The VM disk configuration has not changed since the most recent snapshot was replicated to a remote
location.

o Guest processing is disabled for the backup job.

If any of those conditions are not met, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV performs backup using VM
snapshots created by backup jobs in the main site.

• VG snapshots

A VG snapshot is a volume group snapshot created by a backup job to produce VM backups. Veeam Backup
for Nutanix AHV takes VG snapshots only if the backup scope includes individual virtual machines (not
protection domains) with volume groups attached.

VG snapshots are displayed neither in the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console nor in the Veeam
Backup & Replication console. VG snapshots allow Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to us e the CBT
mechanism while creating backups and to restore VMs with volume groups.

• P D snapshots
A PD snapshot is a protection domain snapshot created by a PD snapshot job or a backup job to protect
data of consistency groups (VMs and volume groups) included into a protection domain. PD snapshots
guarantee the consistency of VM and volume group data. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV takes PD
snapshots only if application-aware processing is disabled in job settings and the following requirements
are met for each protection domain included into the backup scope:

o The protection domain does not contain multiple VMs with the same name.

o VMs and their volume groups belong to the same protection domain.

o VMs and their volume groups are included into one consistency group of the protection domain.

o CHAP authentication is disabled for the volume groups.

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 o [Applies to backup jobs only] At least one consistency group of the protection domain contains more
than one VM or volume group.

o [Applies to backup jobs only] Guest processing is disabled for the job.

PD snapshots are displayed both in the Nutanix AHV b ackup appliance web console and in the Veeam
Backup & Replication console. You can use PD snapshots to restore VMs to the original Nutanix AHV
environment.

NOTE

Recovery points created manually in the Prism Central console cannot be used to protect and recover
Nutanix AHV resources with Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV.

In terms of data consistency, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to create the following types of
snapshots:

• Crash-consistent snapshots

A crash-consistent snapshot contains the data of virtual disks and volume groups attached to a VM.

• Ap p lication-consistent snapshots

An application-consistent snapshot contains not only the data of virtual disks and volume groups attached
to a VM, but also the data of applications (such as Microsoft Active Directory, Microsof t SQL Server,
Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Exchange and Oracle) running in the VM guest OS, which allows you to
restore the applications without data loss and corruption.

By default, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV always tries to create an application-consistent snapshot using
Nutanix Guest Tools when processing a VM. However, if the requirements for application-consistent snapshots
are not met, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a crash-consistent snapshot instead.

Snapshot Retention
For Nutanix AHV native snapshots, you specify retention policy restore points. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
retains the number of latest restore points defined in job scheduling settings as described in sections Creating
Snapshot Jobs and Creating Protection Domain Snapshots Jobs.

During every successful backup session, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a new restore point. If Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV detects that the number of restore points in the snapshot chain exceeds the retention
limit, it removes the earliest restore point from the chain.

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VM Restore
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV offers the following restore options:

• Entire VM Restore — restores an entire VM from a backup. You can restore one or more VMs at a time, to
the original location or to a new location.

• Disk Restore — restores persistent disks attached to a VM from a snapshot or an image-level backup. You
can restore persistent disks to the original location or to a new location.

• File-level recovery — recovers individual VM files and folders from a backup. You can download the
necessary files and folders to a local machine, or restore the files and folders of the source VM to the
original location.

You can restore VM data to the most recent state or to any available restore point.

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Entire VM Restore
To restore a VM, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV performs the following steps:

1. [Applies only if you perform restore to the original location where the source VM is still present] Connects
to the Nutanix AHV server over REST API to power off and remove the source VM.

2. Launches a worker on same host where the processed VM resides.

If no worker is deployed on the host, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV launches a worker that is deployed
on any other host connected to the Nutanix AHV server; if no workers are deployed on hosts, the
embedded worker is used instead.

3. Connects to the target Nutanix AHV server over REST API and creates a VM in the target location.

4. Creates empty virtual disks in the target location. The number of empty disks equals the number of disks
attached to the source VM.

5. Connects to the backup repository and restores backed-up data to the empty disks.

If multiple disks are attached to the source VM, the Nutanix AHV backup appliance restores these disks
sequentially, one disk at a time.

6. Attaches the created disks with the restored data to the target VM disk nodes using their original bus.

The maximum number of disk nodes available on Nutanix AHV VMs for each bus type is limited. Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV can attach to a VM up to 6 SATA, 256 SCSI, 4 IDE and 7 PCI disks. If you restore a
VM that has more disks of any of those bus types, Nutanix AHV will attach the disks to remaining nodes of
other bus types in the default priority: SATA, SCSI, IDE, PCI. You can modify the backup appliance
configuration, to instruct Nutanix AHV to ignore original bus types and to use a specific order of bus types.

7. [Applies only if the VM has volume groups attached] Creates a new volume group with empty disks.

8. [Applies only if the VM has volume groups attached] Connects to the backup repository and restores
backed-up data to the empty disks of the volume group.

9. [Applies only if the VM has volume groups attached and you perform restore to the original location
where the source VM is still present] Removes the volume group that was attached to the source VM.

10. [Applies only if the VM has volume groups attached] Attaches the created volume group with the restored
data to the target VM.

NOTE

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV prioritizes restore tasks higher than other tasks. If multiple VMs are added
to the restore session, these VMs are processed in parallel.

To learn how to restore an entire VM, see Performing VM Restore.

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Disk Restore
To restore a VM disk, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV performs the following steps:

1. Connects to the Nutanix AHV server over REST API to to power off the target VM.

2. Launches a worker on same host where the target VM resides.

If no worker is deployed on the host, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV launches a worker that is deployed
on any other host connected to the Nutanix AHV server; if no workers are deployed on hosts, the
embedded worker is used instead.

3. Creates empty virtual disks in the Nutanix AHV infrastructure.

4. Connects to the backup repository and restores backed -up data to the empty disks.

5. [Applies only if you restore the disks to the original VM and if you choose to replace the existing disks]
Detaches the original disks from the VM and removes them from the Nutanix AHV infrastructure.

6. Attaches the created disks with the restored data to the target VM.

To learn how to restore a VM disk, see Performing Disk Restore.

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File-Level Recovery
To recover VM files and folders from a backup, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV performs the following steps:

1. [Applies only if you perform restore of a VM with an operation system other than Microsoft Windows]
Deploys a helper appliance in the Nutanix AHV cluster.

2. Mounts disks of the VM to either of the following instances:

o To the backup server or a mount server — if the VM guest OS is Microsoft Windows.

o To the helper appliance — if the VM guest OS is a Linux-based operating system.

3. Launches the Veeam Backup Browser.

The Veeam Backup Browser displays the file system tree of the backed -up VM. In the browser, you select
the necessary files and folders to restore.

4. Restores the selected files and folders to the original location or to a new location.

5. Detaches the disks from the backup server, mount server or helper appliance.

6. [Applies only if you perform restore of a VM with an operation system other than Microsoft Windows]
Removes the helper appliance.

To recover VM files and folders from a backup snapshot, snapshot or PD snapshot, Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV performs the following steps:

1. Deploys a helper appliance in the Nutanix AHV cluster.

2. [Applies only if you perform restore from a snapshot or PD snapshot] Creates a temporary VM on the
Nutanix AHV cluster.

3. Creates a volume group using disks of the original VM (for a backup snapshot) or of the temporary VM (for
a snapshot or PD snapshot).

4. Attaches the volume group to the helper appliance.

5. [Applies only if you perform restore from a snapshot or PD snapshot] Deletes the temporary VM.

6. Launches the Veeam Backup Browser.

The Veeam Backup Browser displays the file system tree of the backed -up VM. In the browser, you select
the necessary files and folders to restore.

7. Restores the selected files and folders to the original location or to a new location.

8. Detaches the volume group from the helper appliance.

9. Deletes the volume group and removes the helper appliance.

To learn how to recover individual VM files and folders, see Performing File-Level Restore.

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Retention Policies
Snapshots and image-level backups created by jobs are not kept forever — they are removed according to
retention policy settings specified while creating the jobs.

Depending on the data protection scenario, retention policy can be specified:

• In d ays — for image-level backups.

Restore points in the backup chain can be stored only for the allowed period of time. If a restore point i s
older than the specified time limit, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV removes it from the backup chain.
Since for retention policy specified in days, the backup chain must contain at least 3 restore points, Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV may retain restore points for a longer period than configured in the retention
policy settings. For more information, see Backup Retention and Snapshot Retention.

• In restore p oints — for image-level backups and snapshots.

The chain can contain only the allowed number of restore points. If the number of allowed restore points
is exceeded, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV removes the earliest restore point from the chain. For more
information, see Backup Retention and Snapshot Retention.

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Planning and Preparation
Before you start deploying Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV, check supported virtualization platforms, system
requirements, permissions and network ports used for data transmission.

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System Requirements
Before you start deploying Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV, make sure the Nutanix AHV cluster and the backup
infrastructure components meet the following requirements.

Sp ecification Requirement

• Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV is compatible with Nutanix AOS versions 6.5.x - 6.7.x,
Virtualization
6.10.x, 7.0 and Prism Central version pc.2022.6 (or later).
Platform
• An IP address of the cluster and the iSCSI Data Service must be configured in Nutanix
AHV cluster settings. For more information, see Nutanix documentation.
• UEFI boot must be supported in the Nutanix AHV environment. For more information,
see Nutanix documentation.
• Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV supports Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) used for
hybrid multi-cloud deployment.

• Veeam Backup & Replication version 12.3.0.310 (or later) with Nutanix AHV Plug -in
Veeam
Software version 12.7.0.172 (or later) must be deployed on the backup server.
• Microsoft .NET Core Runtime 8.0 and Microsoft ASP.NET Core Shared Framework 8.0
must be installed on the backup server.

Nutanix AHV The Nutanix AHV backup appliance performs management operations and handles backup
Backup and restore tasks (if the embedded worker is enabled). If you deploy Veeam Backup for
Appliance Nutanix AHV using the default configuration, the following compute resources will be
allocated to the Nutanix AHV backup appliance:
• CPU: 6 vCPU
• Memory: 6 GB RAM
• Disk Space: 100 GB for product installation, internal database files and logs

With the default configuration, the Nutanix AHV backup appliance can perform management
operations in a cluster with less than 1000 VMs and process less than 100 jobs, and handle
up to 4 concurrent backup and restore tasks. While deploying a new Nutanix AHV backup
appliance or editing settings of an existing one, you can adjust compute resources allocated
to it according to the recommendations described in section Sizing Guidelines.

Workers Dedicated workers process backup workload and distribute backup traffic when transferring
data to and from backup repositories. If you deploy a worker using the default configuration,
the following compute resources will be allocated to the worker VM:
• CPU: 6 vCPU
• Memory: 6 GB RAM
• Disk Space: 100 GB for product installation and logs

With the default configuration, the worker can handle up to 4 concurrent backup and restore
tasks in parallel. While deploying a new worker or ed iting settings of an existing one, you
can change the maximum number of concurrent tasks. To do that, adjust compute resources
allocated to the worker VM according to the recommendations described in section Sizing
Guidelines.

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 IMP ORTANT

The Nutanix AHV backup appliance and workers are deployed as backup infrastructure components
preconfigured for optimal performance. That is why you must not install any software on VMs running as
the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and workers or make any configuration changes to them unless you are
requested by Veeam Customer Support.

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Permissions
The accounts used to deploy and administer backup infrastructure components must have the following
permissions.

Backup Server Windows Account

The Windows account used to install Veeam Backup & Replication and Nutanix AHV Plug -in on the backup
server must have the following permissions.

Account Required P ermission

Setup Account The account used to install Veeam Backup & Replication and Nutanix AHV Plug-in must
have the Local Administrator permissions on the backup server.

Veeam Backup & The account used to run Veeam Backup & Replication services must be a LocalSystem
Replication User account or must have the Local Administrator permissions on the backup server.
Account

Nutanix AHV Cluster Administrator Account

The Nutanix AHV administrator account that Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses to access the cluster must
have privileges of the Prism Admin role or higher. For more information on user access control, see Nutanix
documentation.

Performing Guest Processing

To use guest OS processing (application-aware processing, pre-freeze and post-thaw scripts, transaction log
processing, guest file indexing and file exclusions), make sure to configure your accounts according to the
requirements listed in this section. For more information on guest processing, see Guest Processing.

All user accounts used for guest processing of Windows VMs must have the following permissions:

• Logon as a batch job granted.

• Deny logon as a batch job not set.

If Veeam Backup & Replication fails to use the Log on as a batch job policy, Interactive Logon is used.

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Other permissions depend on applications that you back up. You can find permissions for backup operations in
the following table. For restore operation permissions, see P ermissions sections in the Veeam Explorers User
Guide.

Ap p lication Required P ermission

Microsoft SQL To back up Microsoft SQL Server data, the user whose account you plan to use must
Server be:
• Local Administrator on the target VM.
• System administrator (has the Sysadmin role) on the target Microsoft SQL
Server.

If you need to provide minimal permissions, the account must be assigned the
following roles and permissions:
• SQL Server instance-level role: public and dbcreator.
• Database-level roles and roles for the model system database:
db_backupoperator , db_denydatareader , public;
for the master system database — db_backupoperator , db_datareader , public;
for the msdb system database — db_backupoperator , db_datareader , public,
db_datawriter .
• Securables: view any definition, view server state, connect SQL .

If the account does not have enough rights, Veeam Backup & Replication tries to
truncate logs using the local SYSTEM account for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and
2008 R2. For other Microsoft SQL Server versions, Veeam Backup & Replication uses
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM account.

Microsoft Active To back up Microsoft Active Directory data, the account must be a member of the
Directory built-in Administrators group.

Microsoft To back up Microsoft Exchange data, the account must have the local Administrator
E x change permissions on the machine where Microsoft Exchange is installed.

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 Ap p lication Required P ermission

Ora cle The account specified at the Guest Processing step must be configured in the following
way:

• For a Windows-based VM, the account must be a member of both the Local
Administrator group and the ORA_DBA group (if OS authentication is used). In
addition, if ASM is used, then such an account must be a member of the
ORA_ASMADMIN group (for Oracle 12 and higher).
• For a Linux-based VM, the account must be a Linux user elevated to root. The
account must have the home directory created.

To back up Oracle databases, you can specify the following options at the Oracle tab:

• Oracle account with SYSDBA privileges.

You can use, for example, the SYS Oracle account or any other Oracle account
that has been granted SYSDBA privileges.
• Account specified for guest processing. That is, the Use g uest credentials option
selected.

In this case, the account that was specified at the Guest Processing step must be
a member of the ORA_DBA group for a Windows-based VM and OSASM, OSDBA
and OINSTALL groups for a Linux-based VM.

To perform guest processing for Oracle databases on Linux servers, make sure that the
/tmp directory is mounted with the exec option. Otherwise, you will get an error with
the permission denial.

Microsoft To back up Microsoft SharePoint server, the account must have the Farm Administrator
Sha rePoint role.

To back up Microsoft SQL databases of the Microsoft SharePoint Server, the account
must have the same privileges as that of Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL Server.

P ostgreSQL The account specified at the Guest Processing step must be a Linux user elevated to
root. The account must have the home directory created.

To back up PostgreSQL instances, the account must have the superuser privileges for
the PostgreSQL instance. For more information, see PostgreSQL documentation.

Consider the following general requirements when choosing a user account:

• [For guest OS file indexing] For Windows-based workloads, choose an account that has administrator
privileges. For Linux-based workloads, choose an account of a root user or user elevated to root.

• [If you plan to use guest processing over network for workloads without listed applications] For Windows -
based workloads, choose an account that has administrator privileges. For Linux -based workloads, choose
an account of a root user or user elevated to root.

• When using Active Directory accounts, make sure to provide an account in the DOMAIN\Username format.

• When using local user accounts, make sure to provide an account in the Username or HOST\Username
format.

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 • To process a Domain Controller server, make sure that you are using an account that is a member of the
DOMAIN\Administrators group.

• To back up a Read-Only Domain controller, a delegated RODC administrator account is sufficient. For more
information, see Microsoft Docs.

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Ports
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV automatically creates firewall rules for the ports required to allow
communication between the Nutanix AHV backup appliance, workers and the backup server.

IMP ORTANT

Some Linux distributions require manual configuration of firewall rules. For more information, see this
Veeam KB article.

Backup Appliance
The following table describes network ports that must be opened to ensure proper communication of the
Nutanix AHV backup appliance with other backup infrastructure components.

From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Workstation Nutanix AHV backup TCP/HTTPS 443 Used to access the Nutanix AHV
web appliance backup appliance web console.
browser

Nutanix Nutanix REST API TCP/HTTPS 9440 Used to communicate with Nutanix
AHV backup AHV REST API.
appliance

Backup server TCP 10006 Used to connect to Veeam Backup

& Replication.

Backup server TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

3300 malware detection metadata
transfer.

Workers TCP 19000 Used to communicate with workers.

Nutanix AHV server TCP/iSCSI 3205, Used to access disks attached to

(Cluster Virtual IP, Cluster 3260 Nutanix AHV VMs.
iSCSI Data Services IP,
Cluster CVM IPs)

Veeam backup repository TCP 2500- Default range of ports used as

(or gateway server) 3300 transmission channels for jobs and
restore sessions. For every TCP
connection that a job uses, one port
from this range is assigned.

Mail server SMTP 25 Used to send email notifications.

The port number can be changed.

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 From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Rocky Linux repositories TCP/HTTP(S) 80 (443) Used to get OS security updates,

.NET Core updates and PostgreSQL
(mirrors.rockylinux.org, update packages.
mirrors.fedoraproject.org,
rockylinux.map.fastly.net) The listed mirror URLs are used to
get actual URLs that will be used to
obtain updates.

Veeam Update Repository TCP/HTTPS 443 Used to download Nutanix AHV

(repository.veeam.com) backup appliance update packages.

Amazon CloudFront Note: Veeam Update Repository

(cloudfront.net, uses the Amazon CloudFront
amazonaws.com) service to distribute traffic when
downloading product updates.

Nginx repository TCP/HTTPS 443 Used to download Nginx packages

required for Nutanix AHV backup
(nginx.org/packages/, appliance web console updates.
nginx.org/packages/keys/)

Workers
The following table describes network ports that must be opened to ensure proper communication of workers
with other backup infrastructure components.

From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Worker Nutanix REST API TCP/HTTPS 9440 Used to communicate with Nutanix
AHV REST API.

Backup server TCP 10006 Used to connect to Veeam Backup &

Replication.

Backup server TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

3300 malware detection metadata transfer.

Backup appliance TCP 19001 Used to communicate with the backup

appliance.

Nutanix AHV server TCP/iSCSI 3205, Used to access disks attached to

(Cluster Virtual IP, Cluster 3260 Nutanix AHV VMs.
iSCSI Data Services IP,
Cluster CVM IPs)

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 From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Veeam backup repository TCP 2500- Default range of ports used as

(or gateway server) 3300 transmission channels for jobs and
restore sessions. For every TCP
connection that a job uses, one port
from this range is assigned.

Rocky Linux repositories TCP/HTTP(S) 80 Used to get OS security updates, .NET

(443) Core updates and PostgreSQL update
(mirrors.rockylinux.org, packages.
mirrors.fedoraproject.org,
rockylinux.map.fastly.net) Note: The listed mirror URLs are used
to get actual URLs that will be used to
obtain updates.

Veeam Update Repository TCP/HTTPS 443 Used to download Nutanix AHV

(repository.veeam.com) backup appliance update packages.

Amazon CloudFront Note: Veeam Update Repository uses

(cloudfront.net, the Amazon CloudFront service to
amazonaws.com) distribute traffic when downloading
product updates.

Nginx repository TCP/HTTPS 443 Used to download Nginx update

packages.
(nginx.org/packages/,
nginx.org/packages/keys/)

Backup Server
The following table describes network ports that must be opened to ensure proper communication of the
backup server with other backup infrastructure components.

From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Veeam Backup server TCP/HTTPS 8543 Used to communicate with the Platform
Backup & Service REST API.
Replication
console

and Veeam
ONE server

FLR helper Backup server TCP 2500 Used to connect to the backup server
appliance during file-level restore.

Mount Backup server TCP 9401 Used to connect to the backup server
Service during file-level restore.

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 From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Backup FLR helper TCP 22 Used to connect to the helper appliance

server appliance during file-level restore. For the full list
2500 of ports used for connections to the FLR
helper appliance, see the Veeam Backup
& Replication User Guide, section Used
Ports.

Backup server TCP/HTTPS 6172 Used by the AHV Platform Service to

enable communication with the Veeam
Backup & Replication database.

Nutanix AHV TCP/HTTPS 9440 Used by the AHV Platform Service to

cluster connect to an Nutanix AHV cluster.

Nutanix AHV TCP/HTTPS 443 Used by the AHV Platform Service to

backup connect to Nutanix AHV backup
appliance appliance.

NOTE

For the list of ports used by the backup server to communicate with backup repositories, see the Veeam
Backup & Replication User Guide, section Used Ports.

vPower NFS Service

The vPower NFS Service is a Microsoft Windows service that runs on a Microsoft Windows machine and enables
this machine to act as an NFS server. The vPower NFS Service is required to perform such operations as file -level
restore and Instant Recovery.

NOTE

For the full list of ports required for Performing File-Level Restore, see the Veeam Backup & Replication
User Guide, section Used Ports.

From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Nutanix AHV Microsoft TCP 111 Used by the Port Mapper service.
cluster Windows
server with UDP

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 From To P rotocol P ort Notes

the mount
server role TCP 1058+ or Used as default mount port. The number
running 1063+ of port depends on where the vPower
UDP NFS Service is located:
vPower NFS
Service • 1058+: If the vPower NFS Service
is located on the backup server.
• 1063+: If the vPower NFS Service
is located on a separate Microsoft
Windows machine.

If port 1058/1063 is occupied, the

succeeding port numbers will be used.

TCP 2049+ Used as NFS port. If port 2049 is

occupied, the succeeding port numbers
UDP will be used.

Guest Processing Components

The following tables describe network ports that must be opened to ensure proper communication of the
backup server and backup infrastructure components with the non-persistent runtime components deployed
inside the VM guest OS for application-aware processing and indexing.

From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Backup server VM guest TCP 22 Default SSH port used as a control channel.
OS (Linux)

TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used as transmission

3300 channels for log shipping.

Guest TCP 6190 Used for communication with the guest

interaction interaction proxy.
proxy

TCP 6290 Used as a control channel for

communication with the guest interaction
proxy.

TCP 445 Port used as a transmission channel.

Guest VM guest TCP 445 Required to deploy the runtime

interaction OS 135 coordination process on the VM guest OS.
proxy (Microsoft
Windows)
TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used as transmission
3300 channels for log shipping.

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 From To P rotocol P ort Notes

TCP 49152 to Dynamic RPC port range for Microsoft

65535 Windows 2008 and later. For more
information, see this Microsoft KB article.

Used by the runtime process deployed

inside the VM for guest OS interaction.

Note: If you use default Microsoft Windows

firewall settings, you do not need to
configure dynamic RPC ports. During setup,
Veeam Backup & Replication automatically
creates a firewall rule for the runtime
process. If you use firewall settings other
than default ones or application-aware
processing fails with the "RPC function call
failed" error, you need to configure dynamic
RPC ports. For more information on how to
configure RPC dynamic port allocation to
work with firewalls, see this Microsoft KB
article.

VM guest OS Guest TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used as transmission

interaction 3300 channels for log shipping.
proxy
or
backup
server

Log Shipping Components

The following tables describe network ports that must be opened to ensure proper communication between log
shipping components.

• Log Shipping Server Connections

• MS SQL Guest OS Connections

• Oracle Guest OS Connections

• PostgreSQL Guest OS Connections

Log Shipping Server Connections

From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Backup server TCP 445 Required for deploying Veeam Backup &
135 Replication components.

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 From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Log TCP 6160 Default port used by Veeam Installer

shipping Service.
server

TCP 6162 Default port used by Veeam Data Mover

Service.

TCP 49152 to Dynamic RPC port range for Microsoft

65535 Windows 2008 and later. For more
information, see this Microsoft KB article.

Note: If you use default Microsoft Windows

firewall settings, you do not need to
configure dynamic RPC ports. During setup,
Veeam Backup & Replication automatically
creates a firewall rule for the runtime
process. If you use firewall settings other
than default ones or application-aware
processing fails with the "RPC function call
failed" error, you need to configure dynamic
RPC ports. For more information on how to
configure RPC dynamic port allocation to
work with firewalls, see this Microsoft KB
article.

Log shipping Backup TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for
server repository 3300 communication with a backup repository
and transfer log backups.

MS SQL Guest OS Connections

From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Guest MS SQL VM TCP 445 Required for deploying Veeam Backup &
interaction guest OS 135 Replication components including Veeam
proxy Log Shipper runtime component.

TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

3300 communication with a guest OS.

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 From To P rotocol P ort Notes

TCP 49152 to Dynamic RPC port range for Microsoft

65535 Windows 2008 and later. For more
information, see this Microsoft KB article.

Note: If you use default Microsoft Windows

firewall settings, you do not need to
configure dynamic RPC ports. During setup,
Veeam Backup & Replication automatically
creates a firewall rule for the runtime
process. If you use firewall settings other
than default ones or application-aware
processing fails with the "RPC function call
failed" error, you need to configure dynamic
RPC ports. For more information on how to
configure RPC dynamic port allocation to
work with firewalls, see this Microsoft KB
article.

TCP 6167 Used by the Veeam Log Shipping Service for

preparing the database and taking logs.

MS SQL VM Guest TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

guest OS interaction 3300 communication with a guest interaction
proxy proxy.

MS SQL VM Backup TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

guest OS repository 3300 communication with a backup repository
and transfer log backups. Should be opened
if log shipping servers are not used in the
infrastructure and the MS SQL server has a
direct connection to the backup repository.

MS SQL VM Log TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

guest OS shipping 3300 communication with a log shipping server
server and transfer log backups.

Oracle Guest OS Connections

From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Guest Oracle VM TCP 445 Required for deploying Veeam Backup &
interaction guest OS 135 Replication components including Veeam
proxy (Microsoft Log Shipper runtime component.
Windows)

TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

3300 communication with a guest OS.

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 From To P rotocol P ort Notes

TCP 49152 to Dynamic RPC port range for Microsoft

65535 Windows 2008 and later. For more
information, see this Microsoft KB article.

Note: If you use default Microsoft Windows

firewall settings, you do not need to
configure dynamic RPC ports. During setup,
Veeam Backup & Replication automatically
creates a firewall rule for the runtime
process. If you use firewall settings other
than default ones or application-aware
processing fails with the "RPC function call
failed" error, you need to configure dynamic
RPC ports. For more information on how to
configure RPC dynamic port allocation to
work with firewalls, see this Microsoft KB
article.

TCP 6167 Used by the Veeam Log Shipping Service for

preparing the database and taking logs.

Backup server Oracle VM TCP 22 Default SSH port used as a control channel.
guest OS
(Linux)
TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for
3300 communication with a guest OS.

Oracle VM Guest TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

guest OS interaction 3300 communication with a guest interaction
proxy or proxy.
backup
server

Oracle VM Backup TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

guest OS repository 3300 communication with a backup repository
and transfer log backups. Should be opened
if log shipping servers are not used in the
infrastructure and the Oracle server has a
direct connection to the backup repository.

Oracle VM Log TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

guest OS shipping 3300 communication with a log shipping server
server and transfer log backups.

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PostgreSQL Guest OS Connections

From To P rotocol P ort Notes

Backup server PostgreSQL TCP 22 Default SSH port used as a control channel.
VM guest
OS
TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for
3300 communication with a guest OS.

PostgreSQL Backup TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

VM guest OS server 3300 communication with a guest interaction
proxy.

PostgreSQL Backup TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

VM guest OS repository 3300 communication with a backup repository
and transfer log backups. Should be opened
if log shipping servers are not used in the
infrastructure and the PostgreSQL server
has a direct connection to the backup
repository.

PostgreSQL Log TCP 2500 to Default range of ports used for

VM guest OS shipping 3300 communication with a log shipping server
server and transfer log backups.

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Sizing Guidelines
This section is intended for professionals who search for a best practice answer to sizing -related issues, and
assumes you have already read the whole Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV User Guide.

Be aware that a best practice is not the only answer available. It will fit in the majority of cases but can also be
totally wrong under different circumstances. Make sure you understand the implications of the recommended
practices, or request assistance. If in doubt, reach out to Veeam professionals on Veeam R&D Forums.

Backup Appliance
While allocating compute resources to the Nutanix AHV backup appliance, consider the following
recommendations:

Numb er of VMs in Numb er of Jobs Resources for Management Resources for Embedded
Cluster Ta sks W orker

< 1000 < 100 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM for each
concurrent task

> 1000 >100 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM It is not recommended to use

the embedded worker for
large deployments. Disable
3 vCPU, 3 GB RAM the embedded worker and use
> 5000 > 300
dedicated workers instead.

If you plan to use dedicated workers, it is recommended that you modify the backup appliance settings as
follows:

• Set the maximum number of concurrent tasks to 0.

• Allocate resources to the backup appliance that are sufficient for management tasks.

IMP ORTANT

To modify the backup appliance settings, use the Veeam Backup & Replication console as described in
section Editing Backup Appliance. Allocating resources to the VM running as the backup appliance in the
Nutanix Prism console may cause technical issues.

Workers
While adding a dedicated worker to the backup infrastructure, consider the following:

• [Applies only to the Prism Central deployment] It is recommended that workers are deployed in each
cluster registered with the Prism Central. If no worker is deployed in the cluster, performance of backup
operations will be affected as Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will use the embedded worker or a worker
deployed in another cluster.

• It is recommended that the number of configured workers does not exceed the number of hosts in the
Nutanix AHV cluster.

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 • Each worker must be provided with sufficient compute resources to handle backup and restore tasks in
parallel. The maximum number of concurrent tasks is configured in worker settings — if this number is
exceeded, the worker will not start a new task until one of the current tasks finishes.

• It is recommended the total number of concurrent tasks configured for all workers deployed in the cluster
does not exceed the number of physical disks added to the cluster. You can change the maximum number
of concurrent tasks (the best practice is to allocate 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM for each additional task) while
deploying a new worker or editing settings of an existing one.

IMP ORTANT

To modify the worker settings, use the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV web console as described in section
Disabling Automatic Worker Updates. Allocating resources to the VM running as a worker in the Nutanix
Prism console may cause technical issues.

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Licensing
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV is licensed by the number of protected Nutanix AHV VMs. Each Nutanix AHV VM
protected with backups consumes one Veeam Universal License instance from the license scope. A Nutanix AHV
VM is considered protected if it has a restore point created during the past 31 days. If a Nutanix AHV VM is
protected with snapshots only, no license is consumed.

By default, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV automatically revokes a license instance from a protected VM if no
new restore points have been created during the past 31 days. However, you can manually revoke l icense
instances from protected VMs as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Revoking
License.

Obtaining New License

You can obtain the following types of licenses for Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV:

• E valuation license is a free license that can be used for product evaluation. The license is valid for 30 days
from the moment of the product download.

To obtain this license, request a trial key on the Veeam downloads page as described in the Veeam Backup
& Replication User Guide, section Obtaining and Renewing License.

• Sub scription license is a paid license with a limited subscription term. The expiration date of the
Subscription license is set to the end of the subscription term. The Subscription license term is normally 1–
5 years from the license issue date.

To obtain this license, choose the required subscription term on the Veeam Backup & Replication Pricing
page and contact the Veeam Sales Team.

• P erpetual license is a paid license without an expiration date. The Perpetual license typically includes one
year period of basic support and maintenance that can be extended.

To obtain this license, contact a reseller in your region.

After you obtain a license, install it on the backup server as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User
Guide, section Installing License.

Using Existing License

If you already use Veeam Backup & Replication and you have spare Veeam Universal License instances on your
backup server, they can be used to protect Nutanix AHV VMs. You can check the number of available license
instances in the Veeam Backup & Replication console as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User
Guide, section Viewing License Information.

If you have a legacy perpetual per-socket license, you must obtain Veeam Universal License instances and
merge them with the existing perpetual socket license as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User
Guide, section Merging Licenses.

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Deployment
Starting from version 12.2, the Veeam Backup & Replication solution comes with a plug -in that allows you to
add Nutanix AHV servers to the backup infrastructure, and to manage data protection and recovery operations
for Nutanix AHV workloads from a single console.

To access the Nutanix AHV Plug-in functionality, you can either deploy a new backup server as described in the
Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide or use a backup server that already exists in your backup infrastructure
if it meets the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV system requirements.

Related Topics
• Installing Nutanix AHV Plug-in Manually

• Uninstalling Nutanix AHV Plug-in Manually

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Installing Nutanix AHV Plug-In Manually
The plug-in that allows you to protect Nutanix AHV resources comes pre-installed with the default installation
package of Veeam Backup & Replication. However, you may require to install a new plug -in version on the
backup server manually if some updates or patches become available.

NOTE

If you use a remote Veeam Backup & Replication console, you do not need to install Nutanix AHV Plug-in
on the workstation where the remote Veeam Backup & Replication console is deployed.

To install Nutanix AHV Plug-in, do the following:

1. Log in to the backup server using an account with the local Administrator permissions.

2. Download the product installation file NutanixAHVPlugin_12.7.0.172_AHV_7.0.0.241.zip from

the Veeam downloads page.

3. Open the downloaded archive file and launch the

NutanixAHVPlugin_12.7.0.172_AHV_7.0.0.241.exe installation file.

Before proceeding with installation, the installer will check whether you have Microsoft .NET Core
Runtime installed on the backup server. In case the required version is missing, the installer will offer to
install it automatically. To do that, click OK.

4. At the License Agreement step of the Nuta nix AHV Plug-In for Veeam Backup & Replication Setup wizard,
read and accept the Veeam license agreement, licensing policy, the 3rd party components and required
software license agreement. If you reject the agreements, you will not be able to continue installation.

To read the terms of a license agreement, click View.

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 5. At the Installation path step of the wizard, you can change the installation directory if necessary.

6. Click Install to begin installation.

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Installing Plug-In in Unattended Mode
You can install Nutanix AHV Plug-in in the unattended mode using the command line interface. The unattended
installation mode does not require user interaction — the installation runs automatically in the background, and
you do not have to respond to the installation wizard prompts. You can use the unattended installation mode to
automate the Nutanix AHV Plug-in installation process in large-scale environments.

To install Nutanix AHV Plug-in in the unattended mode, use either of the following options:

• If Nutanix AHV Plug-in is a part of Veeam Backup & Replication installation package, follow the
instructions provided in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Installing Veeam Backup &
Replication in Unattended Mode.

• If Nutanix AHV Plug-in is delivered as a separate .EXE file, follow the instructions provided in this section.

Before You Begin

Before you start unattended installation, do the following:

1. Download the NutanixAHVPlugin_12.7.0.172_AHV_7.0.0.241.EXE file as described in section

Installing Nutanix AHV Plug-In Manually (steps 1-3).

2. Check compatibility of the Nutanix AHV Plug-in and Veeam Backup & Replication versions. For more
information, see System Requirements.

Installation Command-Line Syntax

Open the command prompt and run the .EXE file using the following parameters:

%path% /silent /accepteula /acceptthirdpartylicenses /acceptlicensingpolicy /ac

ceptrequiredsoftware

The following command-line parameters are used to run the setup file:

P a rameter Required Description

%path% Yes Specifies a path to the installation .EXE file on the

backup server or in a network shared folder.

/silent Yes Sets the user interface level to None, which means no
user interaction is needed during installation.

/accepteula Yes Confirms that you accept the terms of the Veeam license
agreement.

/acceptthirdpartylicenses Yes Confirms that you accept the license agreement for 3rd
party components that Veeam incorporates.

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 P a rameter Required Description

/acceptlicensingpolicy Yes Confirms that you accept the Veeam licensing policy.

/acceptrequiredsoftware Yes Confirms that you accept the license agreements for
each required software that Veeam will install.

/uninstall No Uninstalls the plug-in.

/repair No Replaces missing files and firewall rules.

Examples
The following command installs Nutanix AHV Plug-in:

NutanixAHVPlugin_12.7.0.172_AHV_7.0.0.241.exe /silent /accepteula /acceptthirdp

artylicenses /acceptlicensingpolicy /acceptrequiredsoftware

The following command repairs Nutanix AHV Plug-in:

NutanixAHVPlugin_12.7.0.172_AHV_7.0.0.241.exe /silent /accepteula /acceptthirdp

artylicenses /acceptlicensingpolicy /acceptrequiredsoftware /repair

The following command uninstalls Nutanix AHV Plug-in:

NutanixAHVPlugin_12.7.0.172_AHV_7.0.0.241.exe /silent /accepteula /acceptthirdp

artylicenses /acceptlicensingpolicy /acceptrequiredsoftware /uninstall

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV provides the following status codes to report about the installation result:

Cod e Description

0 Nutanix AHV Plug-in installation has successfully completed.

1603 Nutanix AHV Plug-in installation has failed.

Nutanix AHV Plug-in installation has successfully completed. The backup

3010
server requires rebooting.

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 TIP

For detailed logs of Nutanix AHV Plug-in installation, navigate to the Program
Data\Veeam\Setup\Temp\ folder on the backup server and view the following files:

• VeeamPluginBootstrap.log
• NutanixAHVPlugin.log
• NutanixAHVPluginUI.log
• NutanixAHVPluginProxy.log

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Upgrading to Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV 7
You can upgrade Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV from version 4.0, 4a, 5.0, 5.1, 6 and 6.1 to 7.

Before you start the upgrade process, do the following:

• Download Veeam Backup & Replication version 12.3 from the Veeam downloads page.

• Plan a maintenance period. Typically, the upgrade process takes up to one hour. Make sure there are no
jobs currently running or scheduled to run during this period. Wait for the jobs to complete or disable the
jobs manually before you start upgrading Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV.

• Make sure the Nutanix AHV backup appliance is powered on.

• Back up the configuration database of the Nutanix AHV backup appliance. For more information, see the
following sections:

o For Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV version 4.0 and 4a, see Backup for Nutanix AHV 4.0 User Guide,
section Backing Up Configuration Settings Manually.

o For Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV version 5.0 and 5.1, see Backup for Nutanix AHV 5 User Guide,
section Performing Configuration Backup Manually.

o For Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV version 6 and 6.1, see Backup for Nutanix AHV 6 User Guide,
section Performing Configuration Backup Manually.

To upgrade Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to version 7, do the following:

1. Upgrade your Veeam Backup & Replication server to version 12.3 as described in the Veeam Backup &
Replication User Guide, section Upgrading to Veeam Backup & Replication 12. Then, complete the
Comp onents Update wizard as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Server
Components Upgrade.

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will be upgraded to version 7.

2. [Applies only to the Prism Central deployment] If Nutanix AHV clusters are registered with a Prism
Central, add the Prism Central to the backup infrastructure as described in section Adding Nutanix AHV
Server.

While connecting the Prism Central, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will prompt you to select a backup
appliance that will be upgraded and automatically configured to manage all the jobs that are currently
managed by dedicated backup appliances in the clusters.

3. [Applies only to the standalone cluster deployment] Upgrade the Nutanix AHV backup appliance to
version 7. To do that:

a. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

b. Navigate to Ba ck up Proxies > Out of Date.

c. Select the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and click Up g rade Proxy on the ribbon.

d. In the Components Update window, click Ap p ly.

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Uninstalling Nutanix AHV Plug-In
Before you uninstall Nutanix AHV Plug-in, it is recommended to remove all connected backup appliances from
the backup infrastructure. If you keep the backup appliances in the backup infrastructure, the following will
happen:

• You will be able to see information on snapshots in the Veeam Backup & Replication console. However,
you will not be able to perform any operations with these snapshots.

• You will be able to see information on image-level backups of VMs and perform data recovery operations
using these backups. However, you will not be able to perform entire VM restore to Nutanix AHV.

• You will be able to see information on jobs. However, you will only be able to remove these jobs from the
Veeam Backup & Replication console.

To uninstall Nutanix AHV Plug-in, do the following:

1. Log in to the backup server using an account with the Local Administrator permissions.

2. Open the Sta rt menu and click the Control Panel icon.

3. In the Settings window, navigate to Sy stem > Ap ps and Features.

4. In the program list, select Nutanix AHV Plug-in for Veeam Backup & Replication. Then, click Uninstall.

5. In the opened window, click Remove.

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Configuring Backup Infrastructure
To start working with Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV, perform a number of steps for its configuration:

1. Configure backup repositories where Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will store backups of Nutanix AHV
VMs.

2. Add to the backup infrastructure the Nutanix AHV cluster or Prism Central that administers Nutanix AHV
resources you want to protect.

3. Deploy a Nutanix AHV backup appliance that will process backup and restore operations.

4. Deploy workers that will transfer backup traffic.

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Configuring Backup Repositories
A backup repository is a storage location where Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV keeps backup files. By default,
the backup server performs the role of a backup repository. To keep your backups in another storage location,
you can configure the following types of repositories:

• Direct attached storage: Microsoft Windows and Linux virtual and physical machines. Hardened
repositories based on Linux servers are supported.

• Network attached storage: CIFS (SMB) shares and NFS shares.

• Ded uplicating storage appliances: ExaGrid, Quantum DXi, Dell Data Domain, HPE StoreOnce, Fujitsu
ETERNUS, Infinidat InfiniGuard.

• Cloud object storage: 11:11 Cloud Object Storage, Amazon S3, S3 compatible, Google Cloud, Wasabi Cloud
Storage, Veeam Data Cloud Vault, IBM Cloud and Microsoft Azure Blob .

To combine repositories of different types in one repository, you can configure a scale-out backup repository
and add any of supported repositories to its performance tier.

For Linux server, Microsoft Windows server, SMB share, ExaGrid, Quantum DXi, Fujitsu ETERNUS and Infinidat
InfiniGuard repositories, you can enable the Fast Clone technology that increases the speed of synthetic backup
creation and transformation, reduces disk space requirements and decreases the load on storage devices. With
this technology, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV references ex isting data blocks on volumes instead of copying
data blocks between files. Data blocks are copied only when files are modified. To learn how to configure a
repository to enable this functionality, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Fast Clone.

IMP ORTANT
• Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV does not support storing backups in Veeam Cloud Connect and HPE
Cloud Bank Storage repositories. However, you can use them for storing copies of backups created
with Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV.
• [For scale-out backup repositories] Due to specifics of backup jobs for Nutanix AHV VMs, Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV always creates a separate backup chain for each VM added to a backup job.
Thus, even if you clear the Use per-VM backup files check box in the advanced settings of a scale-
out backup repository, backups of multiple Nutanix AHV VMs are not stored in a single backup file.

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Connecting Nutanix AHV Server
The Nutanix AHV server (a Prism Central or standalone cluster) allows the backup server to access Nutanix AHV
resources such as VMs, storage containers and networks. After you add the Nutanix AHV cluster to the backup
infrastructure, you will be able to deploy a Nutanix AHV backup appliance and to manage data protection tasks
for Nutanix AHV VMs and protection domains.

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Adding Nutanix AHV Server
To add a Nutanix AHV cluster or Prism Central to the backup infrastructure, do the following:

1. Launch the New Nutanix AHV Server wizard.

2. Specify the Nutanix AHV server domain name or IP address.

3. Enter credentials to access the Nutanix AHV cluster.

4. Configure helper appliance settings.

5. Choose a backup appliance.

6. Apply Nutanix AHV server settings.

7. Finish working with the wizard.

Considerations and Limitations

After you add a Prism Central to the backup infrastructure, consider the following:

• If you register a new cluster with the Prism Central, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will automatically add
it to the backup infrastructure and you will be able to protect resources in this cluster. For more
information, see sections Performing Backup and Performing Restore.

• If you unregister an existing cluster from the Prism Central, you will not be able to protect resources in
this cluster anymore. To protect these resources, you can add the cluster to the backup infrastructure as a
standalone cluster. For more information, see Solution Architecture.

IMP ORTANT

If you unregister the cluster where the backup appliance resides from the Prism Central, you will not be
able to protect resources in all clusters managed by the Prism Central. If you still want to unregister this
cluster, you must first back up the appliance configuration, then remove the appliance from the backup
infrastructure, deploy a new appliance in another cluster registered with the Prism Central — and restore
the backed-up configuration to the new appliance.

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Step 1. Launch New Nutanix AHV Server Wizard
To launch the New Nutanix AHV Server wizard, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ma naged Servers.

3. On the ribbon, click Ad d Server.

4. In the Ad d Server window, select Virtualization Platforms.

5. In the Virtualization Platforms window,select Nuta nix AHV to launch the New Nutanix AHV Server wizard.

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Step 2. Specify Cluster Domain Name or Address
At the Na me step of the wizard, do the following:

1. In the DNS name or IP address field, enter the FQDN or IP address of the Nutanix AHV standalone cluster
or Prism Central .

2. In the Description field, provide a description for future reference. The field already contains a default
description with information about the user who added the cluster or Prism Central, date and time when it
was added.

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Step 3. Specify Credentials
At the Credentials step of the wizard, do the following specify credentials for an administrator account with the
Prism Admin role that is used to access the cluster or Prism Central. For more information on Nutanix AHV
system administrator roles, see Nutanix documentation.

For credentials to be displayed in the Credentials list, they must be added to the Credentials Manager as
described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Standard Accounts. If you have not added the
necessary credentials to the Credentials Manager beforehand, you can do this without closing the New Nutanix
AHV Sever wizard. To add an account, do the following:

1. Click Ad d .

2. In the Credentials window, specify a user name and password for the account.

3. Click OK.

The backup server will connect to the Nutanix AHV cluster or Prism Central and check its TLS certificate. If the
certificate is not trusted, the Certificate Security Alert Window will display a warning notifying that secure
communication cannot be guaranteed. To allow the backup server to connect to the Nutanix AHV cluster or
Prism Central using the certificate, click Continue.

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Step 4. Configure Helper Appliance Settings
To restore guest OS files or application items, Veeam Backup & Replication deploys on the AHV cluster a helper
appliance. The helper appliance is a VM running the Linux operating system with a minimal set of components.
The helper appliance occupies 50 MB of storage space and requires 3072 MB RAM.

At the FLR Helper Appliance step of the wizard, do the following:

1. [Applies only if you connect a Prism Central] Select the cluster whose helper appliance settings you want
to modify and click E d it.

2. Click Choose next to the Storage Container field, and specify a storage container where helper appliance
system files will be stored in the Select Storage Container window.

For a container to be displayed in the list of the available containers, it must be configured in the Nutanix
AHV cluster as described in Prism Element documentation or in the Nutanix AHV Prism Central as
described in Prism Central documentation.

3. Click Choose next to the Network field, and specify a network to which the helper appliance will be
connected.

For a network to be displayed in the list of the available networks, it must be configured in the Nutanix
AHV cluster as described in Prism Element documentation or in the Nutanix AHV Prism Central as
described in Prism Central documentation.

3. If DHCP is enabled for the selected network, the IP address and DNS settings of the helper appliance can
be obtained automatically.

If DHCP is disabled for the selected network, or you want to specify an IP address and configure DNS
settings manually, select the Use the following IP address option and enter the helper appliance IP
address, subnet mask and default gateway. If you select this option, you will be able to perform only one
guest OS file restore or application items restore session at a time.

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 4. To enable FTP access to the helper appliance, select the E nable FTP server on appliance (advanced) check
box.

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Step 5. Choose Backup Appliance
[This step applies only if you connect a Prism Central that manages at least one cluster with a backup appli ance
already added to the backup infrastructure]

At the Ba ckup Appliance step of the wizard, select the backup appliance that will be used in the Prism Central
deployment. This backup appliance will be automatically configured to manage all the jobs that are currently
managed by dedicated backup appliances in the clusters.

NOTE

While connecting the Prism Central, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will remove the other backup
appliances and will deploy dedicated workers instead of them. The configuration of existing workers will
be retained.

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Step 6. Apply Settings
At the Ap p ly step of the wizard, wait until the cluster or Prism Central is added to the backup infrastructure and
then click Nex t.

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Step 7. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, check that the cluster or Prism Central has been successfully added and click
Finish.

TIP

You can review details of the cluster or Prism Central registration session in system logs as described in the
Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Viewing History Statistics.

After you complete the wizard, it is required that you configure an Nutanix AHV backup appliance. You can
proceed to the New Nutanix AHV Backup Appliance wizard immediately, or launch the wizard later as described
in section Managing Backup Appliances.

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Editing Nutanix AHV Server Properties
To edit properties of the Prism Central or Nutanix AHV cluster added to the backup infrastructure, do the
following:

1. Open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ma naged Servers > Nutanix AHV.

3. In the working area, select the Prism Central or Nutanix AHV cluster and click E d it on the ribbon, or right-
click the Nutanix AHV cluster and select P roperties.

4. Complete the E d it Nutanix AHV Cluster wizard as described in section Adding Nutanix AHV Server.

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Rescanning Nutanix AHV Server
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV retrieves information about the Nutanix AHV resources from the Prism Central
or Nutanix AHV cluster. However, the data synchronization process may take some time to complete. If you
make any changes to the Nutanix AHV environment and want both the Veeam Backup & Replication console and
the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console to display the changes immediately, you can rescan the Prism
Central or Nutanix AHV cluster manually.

To rescan the Prism Central or Nutanix AHV cluster, do the following:

1. Open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ma naged Servers > Nutanix AHV.

3. In the working area, select the Nutanix AHV cluster and click Rescan on the ribbon, or right-click the
Nutanix AHV cluster and select Rescan.

TIP

In the Sy stem window, you can track the progress of the rescan session. You can close the window and
check session details later as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Viewing
History Statistics..

TIP

Alternatively, in the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console, click Configuration at the top right corner
of the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console, select Infrastructure and click Rescan.

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Removing Nutanix AHV Server
If you do not want to protect resources managed by the connected Prism Central or Nutanix AHV cluster
anymore, you can remove it from the backup infrastructure.

IMP ORTANT

Before you remove the Prism Central or Nutanix AHV cluster, you must remove the Nutanix AHV backup
appliance that processes protection jobs for the resources managed by the Prism Central or Nutanix AHV
cluster.

To remove the Prism Central or Nutanix AHV cluster from the backup infrastructure:

1. Open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ma naged Servers > Nutanix AHV.

3. In the working area, select the Prism Central or Nutanix AHV cluster and click Remove on the ribbon, or
right-click the Prism Central or Nutanix AHV cluster and select Remove.

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Accessing Nutanix AHV Server Console
If you want to check the configuration of your Nutanix AHV infrastructure, you can use Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV to launch the Prism Central console or the Prism Element console.

To access the Prism Central console, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ma naged Servers.

3. Select the Prism Central and click Op en Console on the ribbon, or right-click the Prism Central and select
Op en Console.

TIP

You can also open the console using the web console. To do that, switch to the Configuration page,
navigate to Infrastructure, select the Prism Central and click Op en Nutanix Console.

To access the Prism Element console, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ma naged Servers.

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 3. Select a standalone cluster or a cluster registered with the Prism Central and click Op en Console on the
ribbon, or right-click a cluster and select Op en Console.

TIP

You can also open the console using the web console. To do that, switch to the Configuration page,
navigate to Infrastructure, select a cluster and click Op en Nutanix Console.

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Managing Backup Appliances
To be able to back up VMs residing in a standalone cluster or clusters managed by a Prism Central, you must add
to the backup infrastructure a Nutanix AHV backup appliance that will process backup jobs and deliver backup
traffic to backup repositories.

To add a Nutanix AHV backup appliance, you can either deploy a new Nutanix AHV backup appliance or connect
an existing one. Note that you can add only one Nutanix AHV backup appliance for each Prism Central or
standalone cluster.

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Deploying New Backup Appliance
To deploy an Nutanix AHV backup appliance and to add it to the backup infrastructure, do the following:

1. Launch the New Nutanix AHV Backup Appliance wizard.

2. Select the backup appliance deployment mode.

3. Specify backup appliance VM configuration.

4. Specify credentials for the backup appliance account.

5. Specify backup appliance network settings.

6. Grant permissions to the backup appliance.

7. Apply backup appliance settings.

8. Finish working with wizard.

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Step 1. Launch New Nutanix Proxy Wizard
To launch the New Nutanix AHV Backup Appliance wizard, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckup Proxies.

3. On the ribbon, select Ad d P roxy.

4. Click Nutanix AHV backup proxy.

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Step 2. Select Deployment Mode
At the Dep loyment Mode step of the wizard, select the Dep loy a new proxy option.

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Step 3. Specify VM Configuration
At the Virtual Machine step of the wizard, do the following:

1. Click Choose next to the Cluster field, and specify a Nutanix AHV cluster where the Nutanix AHV backup
appliance will be deployed in the Select Cluster window.

For a cluster to be displayed in the list of the available clusters, it must be added to the backup
infrastructure as described in section Adding Nutanix AHV Server.

NOTE

In the Prism Central deployment, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV requires one backup appliance deployed
in any cluster registered with the Prism Central.

2. In the Na me field, specify a hostname (with domain name excluded) that will be assigned to the Nutanix
AHV backup appliance.

The maximum length of the hostname is 63 characters. The hyphen-minus character (-) is supported, but
you cannot use it as the first or the last character of the name.

3. [Applies only to the Standalone Cluster deployment] Click Choose next to the Storage Container field, and
specify a storage container where Nutanix AHV backup appliance system files will be stored in the Select
Storage Container window.

For a container to be displayed in the list of the available containers, it must be configured in the Nutanix
AHV cluster as described in Nutanix documentation.

NOTE

In the Prism Central deployment, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV automatically selects the SelfService
storage container that cannot be changed.

4. In the P roxy description field, provide a description for future reference. The field already contains a
default description with information about the user who added the proxy, date and time when the proxy
was added.

5. In the Ma x concurrent tasks field, specify the number of tasks that the Nutanix AHV backup appliance will
be able to handle in parallel. If this value is exceeded, the backup a ppliance will not start processing a new
task until one of the currently running tasks finishes.

The default number of concurrent tasks is set to 4. When you change this value, the wizard automatically
adjusts the amount of resources that will be allocated to the VM running as the Nutanix AHV backup
appliance. If you want to specify the amount of resources manually, click Ad vanced. Note that you must
take into account the Nutanix AHV backup appliance system requirements.

NOTE

When performing data protection and disaster recovery operations, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
initiates a new task for each VM that is being processed.

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Step 4. Specify Credentials
At the Credentials step of the wizard, select credentials for an account that will be created on the Nutanix AHV
backup appliance for accessing the web console.

IMP ORTANT

Do not select Active Directory accounts – the Nutanix AHV backup appliance does not support LDAP
integration.

For credentials to be displayed in the Credentials list, they must be added to the Credentials Manager as
described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Standard Accounts. If you have not added the
necessary credentials to the Credentials Manager beforehand, you can do this without closing the New Nutanix
AHV Ba ckup Appliance wizard. To add credentials, do the following:

1. Click Ad d .

2. In the Credentials window, specify a user name and password for the account.

The user name must start with a lowercase Latin letter and must not match Linux system user names (such
as root, daemon). The name can contain only lowercase Latin letters, numeric characters, underscores and
dashes. The maximum length of the name is 32 characters.

3. Click OK.

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Step 5. Specify Network Settings
At the Networks step of the wizard, do the following:

1. Click Ad d to configure backup appliance network interfaces:

a. From the Network drop-down list, select a network to which the Nutanix AHV backup appliance
network interface will be connected.

For best performance, choose the network that is used for Nutanix Controller VM (CVM). For a
network to be displayed in the list of the available networks, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV
cluster as described in Nutanix documentation.

b. In the Description filed, provide a network interface description for future reference.

c. If DHCP is enabled in the selected network, the IP address of the Nutanix AHV backup appliance can
be obtained automatically.

If DHCP is disabled in the selected network, or you want to specify an IP address, select the Use the
following IP address option and enter the worker IP address, subnet mask and default gateway.

To add more network interfaces, repeat the step and specify the network order using the Up and Down
buttons. For more information on multi-network configuration, see section Appendix D. Configuring
Multiple Networks.

2. If DHCP is enabled in any network to which the Nutanix AHV backup appliance will be connected, DNS
settings of the Nutanix AHV backup appliance can be obtained automatically. To configure DNS settings
manually, click Ob tain automatically and do the following in the DNS Server Settings window:

a. Select the Use the following DNS server address check box.

b. Enter the IP addresses of the preferred and alternate DNS servers.

c. Click OK.

Since the backup appliance are Linux-based VMs, they have the same limitations that apply to machines
running the Rocky Linux operating system. That is, DNS settings cannot be configured separately for each
network added to the backup appliance.

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 IMP ORTANT

If you specified the Nutanix AHV server domain name while adding it to the backup infrastructure, ensure
that the appliance is able to resolve the name to the cluster IP address.

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Step 6. Grant Permissions
At the Access P ermissions step of the wizard, do the following:

• Select the Allow access to all backup repositories option if you want the Nutanix AHV backup appliance to
have access to all backup repositories added to the backup infrastructure.

• Select the Allow access to the following backup repositories option if you want the Nutanix AHV backup
appliance to have access to specific backup repositories only.

If you select the Allow access to the following backup repositories option, you must also specify backup
repositories to which the Nutanix AHV backup appliance will have access. For a backup repository to be
displayed in the Rep ository list, it must be added to the backup infrastructure as described in the Veeam
Backup & Replication User Guide, section Backup Repository.

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Step 7. Apply Settings
At the Ap p ly step of the wizard, wait for the Nutanix AHV backup appliance to be added to the backup
infrastructure and then click Nex t.

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Step 8. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish. To open the Nutanix AHV
backup appliance web console in your web browser, click W eb Console.

TIP

You can review details of the deployment session in system logs as described in the Veeam Backup &
Replication User Guide, section Viewing History Statistics.

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Connecting Existing Backup Appliance
If you have a Nutanix AHV backup appliance that has already been deployed but was removed from the backup
infrastructure, you can connect it to the backup server. You may also want to connect an existing Nutanix AHV
backup appliance in the following situations:

• To upgrade a Nutanix AHV backup appliance from version 4.0, 4a, 5.0, 5.1, 6 and 6.1 to 7.

• To connect a Nutanix AHV backup appliance that was previously connected to another backup server.

To add an existing Nutanix AHV backup appliance to the backup infrastructure, do the following:

1. Launch the New Nutanix AHV Backup Appliance wizard.

2. Select the proxy deployment mode.

3. Specify proxy VM configuration.

4. Enter credentials for the proxy account.

5. Check network settings.

6. Grant permissions to the proxy.

7. Apply proxy settings.

8. Finish working with wizard.

After you connect the Nutanix AHV backup appliance, the backup server will retrieve information about all jobs
the appliance has ever processed. If the backup server configuration database contains records about Nutanix
AHV VM backups and if the backup files are still available in repositories, they will be imported to the Nutanix
AHV backup appliance automatically and you will be able to use them to restore entire VMs and VM disks.

NOTE

If you connect a Nutanix AHV backup appliance migrated from another cluster to protect VMs migrated
from the same cluster, you will need to reconfigure backup jobs. UUIDs of migrated VMs change, therefore,
you will need to re-add VMs to a backup job that will start new backup chains for them.

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Step 1. Launch New Nutanix Proxy Wizard
To launch the New Nutanix AHV Backup Appliance wizard, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckup Proxies.

3. On the ribbon, select Ad d P roxy.

4. Click Nutanix AHV backup proxy.

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Step 2. Select Deployment Mode
At the Dep loyment Mode step, select the Connect to an existing proxy option.

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Step 3. Specify VM Configuration
At the Virtual Machine step of the wizard, do the following:

1. Click Choose next to the Cluster field, and specify a Nutanix AHV cluster where the Nutanix AHV backup
appliance is deployed in the Select Cluster window.

For a cluster to be displayed in the list of the available clusters, it must be added to the backup
infrastructure as described in section Adding Nutanix AHV Server.

2. Click Choose next to the Na me field, and specify the VM running as the Nutanix AHV backup appliance in
the Select Virtual Machine window.

NOTE

You cannot change the storage container – it is automatically populated when you select the VM.

3. In the P roxy description field, provide a description for future reference. The field already contains a
default description with information about the user who added the proxy, date and time when the proxy
was added.

4. In the Ma x concurrent tasks field, specify the number of tasks that the Nutanix AHV backup appliance will
be able to handle in parallel. If this value is exceeded, the backup appliance will not start processing a new
task until one of the currently running tasks finishes. If you change the number of concurrent tasks, the
wizard will automatically adjust the amount of resources allocated to the VM running as the Nutanix AHV
backup appliance.

When you change number of concurrent tasks, the wizard automatically adjusts the amount of resources
that will be allocated to the VM running as the Nutanix AHV backup appliance. If you want to specify the
amount of resources manually, click Ad vanced. Note that you must take into account the Nutanix AHV
backup appliance system requirements.

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 NOTE

When performing data protection and disaster recovery operations, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
initiates a new task for each VM that is being processed.

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Step 4. Enter Credentials
At the Credentials step of the wizard, specify credentials of a Portal Administrator account that you use to
access the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console.

NOTE

The following accounts cannot be used to access the Nutanix AHV backup appliance as Portal
Administrators:

• Accounts for which multi-factor authentication (MFA) is enabled.

• Active Directory accounts since the Nutanix AHV backup appliance does not support LDAP
integration.

For credentials to be displayed in the Credentials list, they must be added to the Credentials Manager as
described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Standard Accounts. If you have not added the
necessary credentials to the Credentials Manager beforehand, you can do this without closing the New Nutanix
AHV Ba ckup Appliance wizard. To add credentials, do the following:

1. Click Ad d .

2. In the Credentials window, specify a user name and password for the account.

The user name must start with a lowercase Latin letter and must not match Linux system user names (such
as root, daemon). The name can contain only lowercase Latin letters, numeric characters, underscores and
dashes. The maximum length of the name is 32 characters.

3. Click OK.

The backup server will connect to the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and check its TLS certificate. If the
certificate is not trusted, the Certificate Security Alert Window will display a warning notifying that secure
communication cannot be guaranteed. To allow the backup server to connect to the Nutanix AHV backup
appliance using the certificate, click Continue.

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Step 5. Check Network Settings
When you connect an existing Nutanix AHV backup appliance, you can change the DNS server settings and the
network to which the Nutanix AHV backup appliance is connected or specify a new IP address for the appliance.
To do that, select a configured network interface and click E d it, or click Ad d to specify settings for a new
network interface. For more information on multi-network configuration, see section Appendix D. Configuring
Multiple Networks.

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Step 6. Grant Permissions
At the Access P ermissions step of the wizard, do the following:

• Select the Allow access to all backup repositories option if you want the Nutanix AHV backup appliance to
have access to all backup repositories added to the backup infrastructure.

• Select the Allow access to the following backup repositories option if you want the Nutanix AHV backup
appliance to have access to specific backup repositories only.

If you select the Allow access to the following backup repositories option, you must also specify backup
repositories to which the Nutanix AHV backup appliance will have access. For a backup repository to be
displayed in the Rep ository list, it must be added to the backup infrastructure as described in the Veeam
Backup & Replication User Guide, section Backup Repository.

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Step 7. Apply Settings
At the Ap p ly step of the wizard, wait for the Nutanix AHV backup appliance to be added to the backup
infrastructure and then click Nex t.

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Step 8. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish. To open the Nutanix AHV
backup appliance web console in your web browser, click W eb Console.

TIP

You can review details of the registration session in system logs as described in the Veeam Backup &
Replication User Guide, section Viewing History Statistics.

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Editing Backup Appliance
You can edit settings of the Nutanix AHV backup appliance that were specified while adding the appliance to the
backup infrastructure.

To edit Nutanix AHV backup appliance settings, do the following:

1. Open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckup Proxies.

3. In the working area, select the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and click E d it Proxy on the ribbon, or right-
click the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and select P roperties.

4. Complete the E d it Nutanix AHV Backup Appliance wizard:

a. To provide a new description for the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and change the number of tasks
that the embedded worker is able to handle in parallel, follow the instructions provided in section
Connecting Existing Backup Appliance (step 3).

b. To change credentials for the account that is used to access the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web
console, follow the instructions provided in section Connecting Existing Backup Appliance (step 4).

c. To change the network to which the Nutanix AHV backup appliance is connected or to specify a new
IP address for the appliance, follow the instructions provided in section Connecting Existing Backup
Appliance (step 5).

d. To specify backup repositories the Nutanix AHV backup appliance can access, follow the instructions
provided in section Connecting Existing Backup Appliance (step 6).

e. To save changes made to the proxy settings, click Finish.

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 IMP ORTANT

It is not recommended that you decrease the amount of allocated resources or modify the network settings
while the embedded or a dedicated worker is currently transferring data. In this case, Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV will terminate the related sessions and restart the appliance to update the settings
immediately.

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Rescanning Backup Appliance
If the Nutanix AHV backup appliance becomes unavailable, you can rescan it to synchronize data with the
backup server. The rescan operation will update the appliance configuration and backup job statistics on the
backup server.

To rescan the Nutanix AHV backup appliance, do the following:

1. Open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckup Proxies > Unavailable.

3. In the working area, select the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and click Rescan Proxy on the ribbon, or
right-click the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and select Rescan.

TIP

In the Sy stem window, you can track the progress of the rescan session. You can close the window and
check session details later as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Viewing
History Statistics..

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Removing Backup Appliance
You can remove the Nutanix AHV backup appliance from the backup infrastructure if you no longer need it and
want to add another appliance to the backup server, or if you want to connect this appliance to another backup
server.

IMP ORTANT

After you remove the Nutanix AHV backup appliance:

• You will not be able to perform VM backup, entire VM restore and VM disk restore operations unless
you deploy a new Nutanix AHV backup appliance. However, you will still be able to manage Nutanix
AHV VM backups and perform all other restore operation described in section Performing Restore.
• Records about all jobs that have been ever processed by the Nutanix AHV backup appliance will be
deleted from the Veeam Backup & Replication configuration database. Backups created by these
jobs are displayed under the Ba ckups > Disk (Orphaned) node in the Home view of the Veeam
Backup & Replication console.

To remove the Nutanix AHV backup appliance, do the following:

1. Open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckup Proxies.

3. In the working area, select the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and click Remove P roxy on the ribbon, or
right-click the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and select Remove.

4. In the Veeam Backup & Replication window, choose whether you want to permanently remove the VM
running as the Nutanix AHV backup appliance.

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 TIP

If you keep the VM, the configuration settings and records about backup jobs ever processed by the
appliance will be retained in the appliance database. This can be helpful if you want to connect the Nutanix
AHV backup appliance to another backup server.

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Migrating Backup Appliance
You can migrate a Nutanix AHV backup appliance to a new backup infrastructure if you want to keep the
specified appliance settings and configured jobs:

1. Add the Prism Central or Nutanix AHV cluster where the Nutanix AHV backup appliance resides to the new
backup infrastructure as described in section Adding Nutanix AHV Server.

2. Remove the Nutanix AHV backup appliance from the old backup infrastructure as described section in
Removing Backup Appliance.

If you do not remove the Nutanix AHV backup appliance, it will not function properly since the old backup
server will try to manage the appliance.

IMP ORTANT

While removing the appliance, do NOT select the P ermanently delete the proxy VM from the cluster and all
of its backup jobs (irreversible) check box. Otherwise, the Nutanix AHV backup appliance VM will be
removed from the cluster.

3. Connect the Nutanix AHV backup appliance to the new backup server as described in section Connecting
Existing Backup Appliance.

4. Specify new backup repositories in the jobs configured on the appliance as described in section Editing Job
Settings.

5. Rescan the Nutanix AHV backup appliance to synchronize data with the backup server as described in
section Rescanning Backup Appliance.

6. Import Nutanix AHV backups from new backup repositories as described in section Rescanning Backups.

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Troubleshooting Backup Appliance
If the Nutanix AHV backup appliance becomes unavailable in the Veeam Backup & Replication console, you can
do the following:

• Review the backup appliance settings to resolve connection issues.

• Rescan the backup appliance to resolve synchronization issues.

If the Nutanix AHV backup appliance remains unavailable, open the web console and switch to the Configuration
page. Then, in the Ad ministration section, check whether the backup appliance is able to connect both to the
backup server and to the Nutanix AHV Prism Central or cluster. If you encounter any connection issues, check
your network configuration — the appliance must be able to resolve the backup server and cluster domain
names to their IP addresses.

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Managing Workers
To perform most data protection and disaster recovery operations (such as creating image -level backups and
restoring backed-up data from them), Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses workers. Workers are Linux -based
VMs that are responsible for the interaction between the backup appliance and other Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV components. Workers process backup workload and distribute backup traffic when transferring data to
backup repositories.

By default, the worker role is assigned to the backup appliance. However, this is sufficient only for small
deployments. For large deployments, it is recommended to deploy dedicated workers as the embedded worker
may not have enough bandwidth to process backup traffic. Deploying dedicated workers allows you to increase
the maximum number of concurrent backup and restore operations, and to avoid high traffic load on the host
running the backup appliance.

Each dedicated worker is launched on a specific host for the duration of a backup or restore operation. While
configuring the worker, you can manually select the host or instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to choose a
host automatically. Manual selection may be helpful if you want to avoid launching workers on specific hosts
(for example, production ones), while automatic selection allows Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to optimize
data transfer and to balance the load on the hosts in the Nutanix AHV cluster. In the latter case, Veeam Backup
for Nutanix AHV uses the AHV affinity functionality to distribute workers among all hosts in the cluster instead
of launching multiple workers on one host.

Worker Lifecycle
When you add a dedicated worker to the backup infrastructure, its configuration is save d to the Veeam Backup
for Nutanix AHV configuration database, but no VM is actually deployed in the cluster unless you choose to test
the configuration. In the latter case, a VM (worker VM) is deployed and shut down after the test operation
completes.

As soon as a backup or restore session starts, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV tries to launch the worker and test
its configuration. If no worker VM has been previously deployed, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV deploys the
VM using the worker configuration saved to the configuration database. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV checks
host affinity settings specified for the worker and chooses a host where the worker VM will run. Then, Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV powers on the worker VM and installs system updates (if ava ilable). When the backup
or restore session completes, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV shuts down the worker VM so that it can be used
for other sessions later.

During the lifecycle, a worker can obtain one of the following statuses:

• Configured — the worker configuration is added to the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV configuration
database.

• Testing — the worker configuration is being tested.

• Up dating — the worker or its configuration is being updated.

• W orking — the worker is processing a backup or restore operation.

• Shut Down — the worker is powered off.

• [Applies only to the embedded worker] Rea dy — the worker is powered on and can be used for data
protection operations.

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Adding Workers
To deploy a worker and add it to the backup infrastructure, do the following:

1. Check prerequisites and limitations.

2. Launch the Add Worker wizard.

3. Specify a worker name.

4. Specify worker VM configuration.

5. Specify worker network settings.

6. Finish working with wizard.

Before You Begin

Before you add a dedicated worker to the backup infrastructure, consider the following:

• [Applies only to the Prism Central deployment] It is recommended that workers are deployed in each
cluster registered with the Prism Central. If no worker is deployed in the cluster, perform ance of backup
operations will be affected as Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will use the embedded worker or a worker
deployed in another cluster. Note that you can enable notifications to get informed when nonoptimal
workers process VMs.

• It is recommended that the number of configured workers does not exceed the number of hosts in the
Nutanix AHV cluster.

• Each worker must be provided with sufficient compute resources to handle backup and restore tasks in
parallel. The maximum number of concurrent tasks is configured in worker settings — if this number is
exceeded, the worker will not start a new task until one of the current tasks finishes.

• It is recommended the total number of concurrent tasks configured for all workers deployed in the cluster
does not exceed the number of physical disks added to the cluster. You can change the maximum number
of concurrent tasks (the best practice is to allocate 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM for each additional task) while
deploying a new worker or editing settings of an existing one.

• If you plan to use dedicated workers, it is recommended that you modify the backup appliance settings as
follows:

o Set the maximum number of concurrent tasks to 0.

o Change the amount of allocated resources to according to the recommendations described in section
Sizing Guidelines.

Alternatively, you can disable the embedded worker. However, in this case, the backup appliance will be
allocated excessive compute resources that will be not used for handling backup traffic.

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Step 1. Launch Add Worker Wizard
To launch the Ad d Worker wizard, do the following:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to W ork ers.

3. Click Ad d .

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Step 2. Specify Worker Name
At the W ork er Info step of the wizard, use the Na me and Description fields to specify a name for the worker and
to provide a description for future reference. The worker name must be unique in Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV.

The maximum length of the name is 40 characters; the following characters are only supported: a -z, A-Z, 0-9, -.
The maximum length of the description is 1024 characters.

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Step 3. Specify Worker VM Settings
At the Virtual Machine step of the wizard, do the following:

1. [Applies only to the Prism Central deployment] Click the link in the Cluster field, and specify in the Choose
cluster window a cluster where the worker will reside.

For a cluster to be displayed in the list of the available cluster, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV
Prism Central as described in Nutanix documentation.

2. Check the The worker VM will store its files in the container field to see the storage container that is
automatically selected for worker system file.

3. In the Ma x imum concurrent tasks field, specify the number of tasks that the worker will be able to handle
in parallel. If this value is exceeded, the worker will not start processing a new task until one of the
currently running tasks finishes.

The default number of concurrent tasks is set to 4. When you change this value, the wizard automatically
adjusts the amount of resources that will be allocated to the VM running as the worker. If you want to
specify the amount of resources manually, click the link below the Ma x imum concurrent tasks field.

NOTE

When performing data protection and disaster recovery operations, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
initiates a new task for each VM that is being processed.

4. To specify a host where the worker will be launched, set the Host affinity toggle to On and click the link in
the The worker VM will run on the host field.

If you do not specify host affinity settings, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will automatically define the
host to launch the worker.

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Step 4. Configure Network Settings
At the Network step of the wizard, do the following:

1. Click Ad d to configure a worker network interface:

a. In the Description filed, provide a network interface description for future reference.

b. From the Network drop-down list, select a network to which the worker network interface will be
connected.

For best performance, choose the network that is used for Nutanix Controller VM (CVM). For a
network to be displayed in the list of the available networks, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV
cluster as described in Nutanix documentation.

c. If DHCP is enabled in the selected network, the IP address of the worker can be obtained
automatically.

If DHCP is disabled in the selected network, or you want to specify an IP address, select the Use the
following IP address option and enter the worker IP address, subnet mask and default gateway.

To add more network interfaces, repeat the step and specify the network order using the Up and Down
buttons. For more information on multi-network configuration, see section Appendix D. Configuring
Multiple Networks.

2. If DHCP is enabled in the selected network, DNS settings of the worker can be obtained automatically.

If DHCP is disabled in the selected network, or you want to configure DNS settings manually, click the link
in the DNS server addresses field, select the Use the following DNS server address option and enter the IP
addresses of the preferred and alternate DNS servers.

NOTE

Since workers are Linux-based VMs, they have the same limitations that apply to machines running the
Rocky Linux operating system. That is, DNS settings cannot be configured separately for each network
added to the worker.

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Step 5. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish.

TIP

If you do not want to test the worker, clear the Test worker configuration when I click Finish check box and
then click Finish.

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Enabling and Disabling Workers
By default, workers are launched when jobs or restore sessions start. However, you can temporarily disable a
worker — this may be helpful when you reconfigure a worker and you do not want it to be used for a backup or
restore operation. You will still be able to test or enable the disabled worker at any time you need.

To enable or disable a worker, do the following:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to W ork ers.

3. Select the worker.

4. Click E nable or Disable.

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Editing Workers
For each worker, you can modify settings specified while adding the worker to the backup infrastructure:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to W ork ers.

3. Select the worker and click E d it.

4. Complete the E d it W orker wizard:

a. To provide a new name and description for the worker, follow the instructions provided in section
Adding Workers (step 2).

b. To change the cluster where worker resides, to specify a host where the worker is launched, or to
modify the number of tasks that the worker is able to handle in parallel, follow the instructions
provided in section Adding Workers (step 3).

c. To change the network to which the worker is connected or to specify a new IP address for the
worker, follow the instructions provided in section Adding Workers (step 4).

d. To save changes made to the worker settings, click Finish.

IMP ORTANT

It is not recommended that you change the worker cluster, decrease the amount of allocated resources,
adjust the affinity settings or modify the network settings while the worker is currently transferring data.
In this case, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will terminate the related operations, power off the worker
and update the settings immediately.

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Testing Workers
Before using a dedicated worker for a backup or restore operation, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
automatically tests its configuration — verifies that the worker service can start successfully, checks that the
worker can connect to the backup server and to the cluster, and installs available updates.

If you want to ensure that the worker configuration is correct before it is used for a backup or restore operation,
you can start a worker configuration test manually:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to W ork ers.

3. Select the worker and click Test.

Note that you can select and test multiple workers at once.

As soon as Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV finishes the worker configuration test, the worker will be powered
off. To see detailed information on a worker test session, click the worker test status in the La st Test column.

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Disabling Automatic Worker Updates
When launching a worker for a backup or restore operation, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV automatically
downloads updates from Veeam repositories and installs them on the worker. If the worker is not connected to
the internet, you can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to use a web proxy that will provide access to the
necessary resources.

If workers do not have access to the internet and no web proxy is used, you can disable automatic updates to
avoid connection failures and eliminate session warnings:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to W ork ers.

3. Set the Ob tain updates from deb repositories toggle to Disabled .

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Removing Workers
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to permanently remove workers if you no longer need them. Note
that you cannot remove a worker while it is transferring data for a backup or restore operation.

To remove a worker, do the following:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to W ork ers.

3. Select the worker and click Remove.

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Accessing Backup Appliance
To access Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV, in a web browser, navigate to the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web
address. The address consists of an IPv4 address or DNS hostname of the backup appliance. Note that the
website is available over HTTPS only.

IMP ORTANT

The Internet Explorer browser is not supported. To access Nutanix AHV backup appliance, use Microsoft
Edge (latest version), Mozilla Firefox (latest version) or Google Chrome (latest version).

To access the Nutanix AHV backup appliance from the Veeam Backup & Replication console, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckup Proxies.

3. In the working area, select the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and click Op en Console on the ribbon, or
right-click the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and select Op en Console.

Alternatively, you can navigate to the IP address or hostname of the Nutanix AHV backup appliance in a
web browser.

NOTE

The web browser may display a warning notifying that the connection is untrusted. To eliminate the
warning, you can replace the TLS certificate that is currently used to secure traffic between the browser
and the backup appliance with a trusted TLS certificate. To learn how to replace certificates, see Appendix
B. Installing Custom Certificate.

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 4. On the welcome screen, specify credentials of the user account.

If you are an administrator and you log in for the first time, use credentials of the account that you have
specified during the initial backup appliance configuration. In future, you can add other user accounts to
grant access to Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV. For more information, see Managing Users.

TIP

If you do not remember the password, you can reset it by running the Nutanix AHV backup appliance in
recovery mode. For more information, see this Veeam KB article.

5. [Applies only if MFA is enabled for your user account] Enter a verification code sent to your trusted
device.

6. Select the Rema in logged in check box to save the specified credentials in a persistent browser cook ie so
that you do not have to provide credentials every time you access the backup appliance in a new browser
session.

7. Click Log in.

Logging Out
To log out, at the top right corner of the web console window, click your user name and then click Log out.

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Changing Password
To change the password that you use to access the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV web console, do the
following:

1. At the top right corner of the web console window, click your user name.

2. Click Cha nge Password.

3. In the Cha nge Password window, enter the currently used password, enter and confirm a new password,
and then click Cha nge.

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Configuring Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV
To configure Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV, you can perform the following administrative tasks:

• Manage users and permissions.

• Enable SSH access to the backup appliance.

• View network settings.

• Configure time synchronization settings.

• Configure settings for update and resource usage notifications.

• Configure notification settings for automated delivery of backup job results .

• Back up and restore appliance configuration.

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Managing Users
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV controls access to its functionality with the help of user roles. A role defines
what operations users can perform and what range of data is available to them in Veeam Backup for Nutani x
AHV.

There are 3 user roles that you can assign to users working with Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV. Actions a user
can perform depend on the role.

• P ortal Administrator — can perform all configuration actions and can also act as a Portal Operator and
Restore Operator.

• P ortal Operator — can create and manage backup jobs, manage the protected data and perform all restore
operations.

• Restore Operator — can only perform restore operations.

The following table describes the functionality available to users with different roles in the Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV web console.

P ortal
Ta b Functionality P ortal Operator Restore Operator
Ad ministrator

Da shboard Overview of protected Full Full N/A

resources

Job s Full Full (except for N/A

Backup jobs, snapshot jobs, PD backup and
PD snapshot jobs snapshot job
custom scripts)

P rotected Restore Full Full Full

VMs

Remove snapshots Full Full N/A

Session Log Session log Full Full Full

Full Full Restore sessions

Stop session execution
only

Configuration

Ba ckup Backups rescan Full N/A N/A

Server

Nuta nix Snapshots rescan, auto- Full N/A N/A

AHV protection settings
Cluster

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 P ortal
Ta b Functionality P ortal Operator Restore Operator
Ad ministrator

Accounts Portal users Full N/A N/A

W orkers Worker instances Full N/A N/A

Settings Network settings, Full N/A N/A

notifications, time
synchronization, mail server
configuration

Sup port Updates and logs Full N/A N/A

Information

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Adding User Accounts
To manage access to Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV, you can create local user accounts.

To add a Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV user account, do the following:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Accounts.

3. Click Ad d .

4. Complete the Ad d Account wizard:

a. At the Account Info step of the wizard, specify a name and description for the user account.

The account name must start with a lowercase Latin letter and must not match Linux system user
names (such as root, daemon). The name can contain only lowercase Latin letters, numeric characters,
underscores and dashes. The maximum length of the name is 32 characters, the maximum length of
the description is 1024 characters.

b. At the General Settings step of the wizard, select a role and specify a password for the user account.
For more information on user roles, see section Managing Users.

c. At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish.

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Editing User Account Settings
For each user account added to the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV configuration database, you can modify the
settings of the account:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Accounts.

3. Select the user account and click E d it.

4. Complete the E d it Account wizard.

a. At the Account Info step of the wizard, edit a description of the user account.

b. At the General Settings step of the wizard, select a new role for the user account.

c. At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish.

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Changing User Passwords
As an administrator, you can change the password for a Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV user account:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Accounts.

3. Select the user account and click Cha nge Password.

4. In the Cha nge Password window, enter and confirm a new password, and then click Cha nge.

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Configuring Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) in Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses the Time-based One-Time Password
(TOTP) method that requires users to verify their identity by providing a temporary six -digit code sent by an
authentication application to a trusted device.

Enabling MFA
To enable MFA for a user account, do the following:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Accounts.

3. Select the user account and click MFA > E na ble.

4. Follow the instructions provided in the MFA Settings window:

a. Install a TOTP authentication application on a trusted device..

b. To associate the authentication application with the authorization server, scan the displayed QR code
using the camera of the trusted device. Alternatively, you can open the ap plication on your device and
enter a secret key displayed in the MFA Settings window.

c. Enter a verification code generated by the authentication application.

d. Click Ap p ly.

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Disabling MFA
To disable MFA for a user account, select the account on the Accounts tab and click MFA> Disable.

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Enabling SSH on Backup Appliance
For security reasons, SSH is disabled on the Nutanix AHV backup appliance by default. However, you can enable
it for the purposes of manual management and troubleshooting:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Settings.

3. On the Summary tab, set the E na ble SSH toggle to On.

When you connect to the Nutanix AHV backup appliance using SSH, enter credentials of the administrator
account that you have specified during the initial backup appliance configuration.

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Viewing Network Settings
You can view network settings configured for the appliance while connecting it to the backup server:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Settings > Network.

To change the network to which the Nutanix AHV backup appliance is connected or to specify a new IP
address for the appliance, edit the appliance properties and follow the instructions provided in section
Connecting Existing Backup Appliance (step 5).

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Configuring Time Synchronization Settings
You can configure what mode Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses for time synchronization while performing
data protection and disaster recovery operations:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Settings > Time Zone.

3. From the Sy nchronization mode list, choose whether you want the time set on the Nutanix AHV backup
appliance to be synchronized with the time of specific NTP servers or with the time of the guest OS
running on the host where the appliance is deployed.

4. Click Ap p ly.

NOTE

As the backup appliance time zone is automatically synchronized with the backup server time zone, it
cannot be changed manually in the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console.

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Configuring Email Notification Settings
You can specify email notification settings for automated delivery of job results and daily reports. To connect an
email service that will be used for sending email notifications:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Settings > E mail.

3. Select the E na ble email notifications check box.

4. Click the link in the E ma il service field and configure mail server settings.

6. In the From field, enter an email address of the notification sender. This email address will be displayed in
the From field of notifications.

7. In the To field, enter an email address of a recipient. Use a semicolon to separate multiple recipient
addresses.

8. In the Sub ject field, specify a subject for notifications. You can use the following runtime variables:

o %JobName% — a job name.

o %JobResult% — a job result.

o %ObjectCount% — the number of VMs or PDs in a job.

9. Choose whether you want to receive email notifications in case jobs complete successfully, complete with
warnings or complete with errors.

10. Select the Sup press notifications until the last retry check box to receive a notification about the final job
status. If you do not enable this option, the Nutanix AHV backup appliance will send one notification per
every job retry.

11. Click Ap p ly.

TIP

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to send a test message to check whether you have configured
the settings correctly. To do that, click Send Test E mail. A test message will be sent to the specified email
address.

Configuring Mail Server Settings

To configure mail server settings, choose whether you want to employ Basic (SMTP) or Modern (OAuth 2.0)
authentication for your mail service.

Using Basic Authentication

To employ the Basic authentication to connect to your mail server, in the E ma il Server Settings window:

1. From the Ma il service drop-down list, select Basic.

2. In the Ma il server name or address field, enter a DNS name or an IP address of the SMTP server. All email
notifications (including test messages) will be sent by this SMTP server.

3. In the P ort field, specify a communication port for SMTP traffic. If SSL is enabled , the default SMTP port is
587, otherwise port 25 is used.

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 4. In the Timeout field, specify a connection timeout for responses from the SMTP server.

5. For an SMTP server with SSL/TLS support, select the Connect using SSL check box to enable SSL data
encryption.

6. If your SMTP server requires authentication, select the This SMTP server requires authentication check box
and specify credentials that will be used to connect to the SMTP server.

7. Click Sa ve.

Using Modern Authentication

To employ the Modern authentication to connect to your mail server:

1. In E ma il Server Settings window, copy the URL from the Red irect URL field.

2. For Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to be able to use OAuth 2.0 to access Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure
APIs, register a new client application either in the Google Cloud console or in the Microsoft Azure portal.

3. When registering the application, make sure that the redirect URI specified for the application matches the
URL copied from the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV web console.

4. Back to the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV Web UI, do the following in E ma il Server Settings window:

a. Use the Ma il service drop-down list to choose whether the server that you want to use to send email
notifications is a Google or Microsoft mail server.

b. In the Ap p lication client ID and Client secret fields, provide the Client ID and Client secret created for
the application as described in Google Cloud documentation or Microsoft Docs.

c. [Applies only if you have selected the Microsoft option] In the Tena nt ID field, provide the ID of an
Azure AD tenant in which the application has been registered.

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 d. Click Authorize. You will be redirected to the authorization page. Sign in using a Google or Microsoft
Azure account to validate the configured settings.

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Configuring Notifications
You can enable notifications for Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV events that may require your actions:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Settings > Notifications.

3. Select notifications you want to receive:

o Up date notifications remind you about available product updates.

o Ba ckup storage notifications warn you on backup repositories running low on free disk space.

o Comp ute resources notifications inform you about CPU and RAM consumption on workers breaking
configured thresholds for more than 10 minutes. They can also notify you about perf ormance issues
caused by worker misconfiguration.

4. Click Ap p ly.

You can find backup storage and compute resource notifications in backup job session logs. Update notifications
appear at the top right corner of the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV window next to the user name.

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Performing Configuration Backup and
Restore
You can back up and restore the configuration database that stores data collected from the Nutanix AHV backup
appliance for the existing jobs and session records. If the backup appliance goes down for some reason, you can
redeploy it and quickly restore its configuration from a configuration backup. You can also use a configuration
backup to migrate the configuration of one backup appliance to another backup appliance in the backup
infrastructure.

It is recommended that you regularly perform configuration backup for every Nutanix AHV backup appliance
present in the backup infrastructure. Periodic configuration backups reduce the risk of data loss and minimize
the administrative overhead costs in case any problems with the backup appliances occur.

You can run configuration backup manually on demand, or instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to do it
automatically on a regular basis. Note that the Nutanix AHV backup appliance configuration database is backed
up together with the backup server configuration data base. However, the Nutanix AHV backup appliance
configuration restore operation does not affect the backup server configuration.

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Backing Up Configuration Settings Manually
While performing configuration backup, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV exports data fr om the configuration
database and saves it to a backup file in a backup repository. To back up the configuration database of the
backup appliance manually, do the following:

1. From the main menu of the Veeam Backup & Replication console, select Configuration Backup.

2. In the Configuration Backup Settings window, do the following:

a. Select the E na ble configuration backup to the following repository check box and choose a repository
where the configuration backup will be stored. Note that you cannot store configuration backups in
scale-out backup repositories and external repositories.

For a backup repository to be displayed in the list of available repositories, it must be added to the
backup infrastructure. For more information, see the Veeam Backup & Rep lication User Guide, section
Adding Backup Repositories.

b. In the Restore points to keep field, specify the number of configuration backups you want to keep.

c. Select the E na ble backup file encryption check box.

d. From the P a ssword drop-down list, select a password.

IMP ORTANT

If you do not specify the password, the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV configuration database will not be
backed up.

For passwords to be displayed in the P a ssword list, they must be added to the Password Manager as
described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Password Manager. If you have not
added the necessary password to the Password Manager beforehand, you can do this without closing
the Configuration Backup Settings window. To add a password, click Ad d and specify a password and
a password hint that will help you remember your password if you forget it.

If you use Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager, you can also enable the Loss protection functionality
that can help you decrypt the data in case you have lost or forgotten the password. For more
information, see the Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager Guide, section Managing Encryption Keys.

e. Click Ap p ly.

f. Click Ba ckup now.

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Once Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a successful configuration back up, you can use it to restore
configuration data.

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Backing Up Configuration Settings Automatically
While performing configuration backup, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV exports data from the configuration
database and saves it to backup files in a backup repository. To instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to back
up the configuration database of the backup appliance automatically by schedule, do the following:

1. From the main menu of the Veeam Backup & Replication console, select Configuration Backup.

2. In the Configuration Backup Settings window, do the following:

a. Select the E na ble configuration backup to the following repository check box and choose a repository
where the configuration backup will be stored. Note that you cannot store configuration backups in
scale-out backup repositories and external repositories.

For a backup repository to be displayed in the list of available repositories, it must be added to the
backup infrastructure. For more information, see the Veea m Backup & Replication User Guide, section
Adding Backup Repositories.

b. In the Restore points to keep field, specify the number of configuration backups you want to keep.

c. Click Schedule and choose whether configuration backups will be created every day or monthly on
specific days.

d. Select the E na ble backup file encryption check box.

e. From the P a ssword drop-down list, select a password.

IMP ORTANT

If you do not specify the password, the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV configuration database will not be
backed up.

For passwords to be displayed in the P a ssword list, they must be added to the Password Manager as
described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Password Manager. If you have not
added the necessary password to the Password Manager beforehand, you can do this without closing
the Configuration Backup Settings window. To add a password, click Ad d and specify a password and
a password hint that will help you remember your password if you forget it.

If you use Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager, you can also enable the Loss protection functionality
that can help you decrypt the data in case you have lost or forgotten the password. For more
information, see the Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager Guide, section Managing Encryption Keys.

f. Click OK.

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Once Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a successful configuration backup, you can use it to restore
configuration data.

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Restoring Configuration Settings
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV offers restore of the configuration database that can be helpful in the following
situations:

• The configuration database got corrupted, and you want to recover data from a configuration backup.

• The backup appliance got corrupted, and you want to recover its configuration from a configuration
backup.

• The backup appliance went down, and you want to apply its configuration to a new backup appliance.

• You want to roll back the configuration database to a specific point in time.

• You want to apply the backed-up configuration of a Nutanix AHV backup appliance version 4.0 (or later)
to a newly deployed Nutanix AHV backup appliance.

When you restore the configuration database of a Nutanix AHV backup appliance, consider the following:

• If the Nutanix AHV backup appliance is still present in the backup infrastructure, you cannot restore its
configuration to another Nutanix AHV backup appliance added to same b ackup infrastructure. This
limitation prevents collisions between jobs with the same database ID.

• Network settings of the Nutanix AHV backup appliance remain unchanged. However, you will be able to
change these settings after the configuration restore.

• Configuration settings of dedicated workers will be restored from the configuration backup, and all
existing workers will be removed. If any of the settings (such as cluster, worker network settings, host
affinity or storage container configuration) is invalid in the current virtual environment, a warning
message will be displayed in configuration restore logs. To update worker settings, modify worker
configuration after the configuration restore.

• [Applies only to the standalone cluster deployment] If you restore the configuration database of a Nutanix
AHV backup appliance originally residing in another cluster to protect migrated VMs, you will need to
reconfigure backup jobs. UUIDs of migrated VMs change, therefore, you will need to re -add VMs to a
backup job that will start new backup chains for them.

You will also need to reconfigure backup jobs and workers, if the original applia nce was configured to
manage jobs in a Prism Central deployment and the new appliance is connected to a standalone cluster.

• [Applies only to the Prism Central deployment] If you restore the configuration database of a Nutanix AHV
backup appliance originally residing in another cluster registered with the same Prism Central, Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV will update backup jobs and worker configuration automatically.

IMP ORTANT

Before you start the restore process, stop and disable all jobs that are currently running.

To restore the configuration database, do the following:

1. Launch the Configuration Restore wizard.

2. Choose a backup file.

3. Review the backup file information.

4. Provide the encryption password.

5. Choose restore options.

6. Specify credentials for the backup appliance account.

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 7. Track the restore progress.

8. Finish working with the wizard.

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Step 1. Launch Configuration Restore Wizard
To launch the Configuration restore wizard, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Ba ckup Infrastructure view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckup Proxies.

3. In the working area, select the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and click Restore Configuration on the
ribbon, or right-click the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and select Restore Configuration.

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Step 2. Choose Backup File
At the Configuration Backup step of the wizard, do the following:

1. From the Ba ckup repository list, select the backup server or backup repository where the necessary
configuration backup file is stored.

For a backup repository to be displayed in the Ba ckup repository list, it must be added to the backup
infrastructure as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Backup Repository.
Note that the repository list does not include scale-out backup repositories and external repositories as
they cannot store configuration backup files.

2. Click Browse and select the necessary file in the Select file window.

If the selected configuration backup file is not stored on the backup server, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will
copy the file to a temporary folder on the server and automatically delete it from the folder as soon as the
restore process completes.

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Step 3. Review Backup Details
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will analyze the content of the selected backup file and display the following
information:

• Backup file — the date and time when the backup file was created.

• Downloaded backup file — the temporary location of the configuration backup file on the backup server.

• Product — the version of Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV that was installed the initial backup appliance.

• Catalogs — configuration data saved in the file (such as the number of configured jobs, users, logged
session records and so on).

At the Ba ckup Content step of the wizard, review the provided information and click Nex t to confirm that you
want to use the selected file to restore the configuration data.

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Step 4. Provide Encryption Password
At the P a ssword step of the wizard, provide a password that was used to encrypt the file while creating
configuration backup.

If you do not remember the password, you can use an alternative way for data encryption. However, this option
is available only if password Loss protection was enabled when you created the backup. For more information,
see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Decrypting Data Without Password.

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Step 5. Choose Restore Options
At the Restore Options step of the wizard, you can choose whether you want to restore session logs and user
accounts configured on the initial backup appliance (Portal Administrators, Portal Operators and Restore
Operators) as well.

IMP ORTANT

If you do not select the Local users check box, the restore process will start as soon as you click Nex t. In
this case, you will not be able to halt the process or edit the restore settings.

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Step 6. Select Credentials
[This step applies only if you have selected the Loca l users option at the Restore Options step of the wizard]

At the Credentials step of the wizard, specify credentials of a Portal Administrator account used to access the
Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console.

NOTE

The following accounts cannot be used to access the Nutanix AHV backup appliance as Portal
Administrators:

• Accounts for which multi-factor authentication (MFA) is enabled.

• Active Directory accounts since the Nutanix AHV backup appliance does not support LDAP
integration.

For credentials to be displayed in the Credentials list, they must be added to the Credentials Manager as
described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Standard Accounts. If you have not added the
necessary credentials to the Credentials Manager beforehand, you can do this without closing the Configuration
restore wizard. To add credentials, click Ad d and specify a user name and password in the Credentials window.
Note that the name must start with a lowercase Latin letter and must not match Linux system user names (such
as root, daemon). The name can contain only lowercase Latin letters, numeric characters, underscores and
dashes. The maximum length of the name is 32 characters.

If the specified credentials match the credentials stored in the backup configuration database, the user acc ount
will be restored. If you do not remember the password, you can specify a new user name and password. In this
case, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will restore user accounts from the configuration file and create a new one
with credentials that you specify.

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 IMP ORTANT

The restore process will start as soon as you click Restore. In this case, you will not be able to halt the
process or edit the restore settings.

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Step 7. Track Restore Progress
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will display the results of every step performed while executing the
configuration restore. At the Restore step of the wizard, wait for the restore process to complete and click Next.

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Step 8. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, click Finish to finalize the process of configuration data restore.

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Viewing Available Resources
After you create backup or snapshot jobs, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV rescans the Prism Central or
standalone cluster and populates on the Resources tab the VM list where you can find the following
information:

• VM — the name of the VM.

• Cluster — the cluster where the VM resides.

• Size — the size of the VM.

• Ba ckup Jobs — the number of backup jobs that protect the VM.

• Sna pshot Jobs — the number of snapshot jobs that protect the VM.

On the Resources tab, you can perform the following actions:

• Update the information on Nutanix AHV VMs and jobs that protect them. To do that, click Rescan.

• View what backup jobs protect a VM. To do that, find the VM in the list and click the link in the Ba ckup
Job s column.

• View what snapshot jobs protect a VM. To do that, find the VM in the list and click the link in the Sna pshot
Job s column.

• Add VMs to existing jobs. For more information, see Adding VMs to Job.

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Adding VMs to Job
If you want to protect additional VMs by configured jobs, you can either edit the backup job settings, or quickly
add the VMs to the jobs on the Resources tab.

NOTE

While adding VMs to a job, consider the following:

• If a VM is already added to the exclusion list in the job, the VM will not be protected.
• You cannot add VMs to a protection domain snapshot job. To protect a VM as part of a protection
domain, add the VM to the domain as described in Nutanix documentation and make sure that the
protection domain is included into a protection domain snapshot job.

To add a VM to a backup or snapshot job, do the following:

1. Navigate to Resources.

2. Select the VM that you want to protect by a job.

3. Click Ad d to Job.

4. In the Ad d to Job window, choose the job that will protect the selected VM and click Ap p ly.

TIP

You can also add a VM to a backup or snapshot job using the Veeam Backup & Replication console. To do
that, in the inventory pane of the Inventory view, navigate to the Nutanix AHV cluster where the VM
resides, select the VM and click Ad d to Snapshot or Ad d to Backup on the ribbon.

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Performing Backup
With Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV, you can protect data in the following ways:

• Create snapshots of VMs

A snapshot captures point-in-time image of the processed VM. You can use the snapshot to restore the
VM to the original Nutanix AHV environment.

To take VM snapshots, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses native Nutanix AHV capabilities. VM
snapshots are saved locally in the Nutanix AHV cluster where the source VMs reside. To create a VM
snapshot, configure a snapshot job.

• Create snapshots of protection domains

A protection domain (PD) snapshot captures point-in-time image of consistency groups (VMs and volume
groups) that belong to the processed domain. You can use the PD snapshot to restore VMs and volume
groups to the original Nutanix AHV environment.

To take PD snapshots, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses native Nutanix AHV capabilities. PD snapshots
are saved locally in the Nutanix AHV cluster where the source PD resources reside. To create a PD
snapshot, configure a protection domain snapshot job.

• Create backups of VMs

In addition to VM snapshots, you can protect your Nutanix AHV VMs with image-level backups. An image-
level backup captures the whole image of the processed VM (including VM configuration, OS data,
application data and so on) at a specific point in time.

To create backups, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses workers that retrieve VM data from the Nutanix
AHV cluster and forward it to a backup repository in the native Veeam format. You can use the backup to
restore the VM to the original Nutanix AHV environment or any other supported virtual environment, for
example, VMware or Hyper-V. To create a VM backup, configure a backup job or perform a VeeamZIP
operation.

NOTE

To back up data that resides on Nutanix Files, use the Veeam Backup & Replication file share backup
functionality described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section NAS Backup.

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Creating Backup Jobs
To produce backups of VMs, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV runs backup jobs. A backup job is a collection of
settings that define the way backup operations are performed: what data to back up, where to store backups,
when to start the backup process, and so on. To create a backup job, you can either use the Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV web console or the Veeam Backup & Replication console.

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Before You Begin
Before you create a backup job, consider the following limitations:

• You cannot back up workers and Nutanix Controller VMs.

• You cannot back up Windows 11 VMs due to AOS 6.6 technical limitations related to Virtual Trusted
Platform Module (vTPM) support. For more information on vTPM VM configuration, see Nutanix
documentation.

• The way Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates image-level backups depends on whether you choose to
protect individual virtual machines, protection domains, clusters, categories or the whole Prism Central
while creating the job:

If the backup job includes individual virtual machines, as well as the whole Prism Central, category or
cluster, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a snapshot of each VM and a VG snapshot of each volume
group, and then produces image-level backups using the created snapshots. This approach cannot
guarantee full consistency of VM and volume group data.

If the backup job includes protection domains, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a PD snapshot of all
VMs and volume groups added to the same consistency group in each protection domain. This approach
guarantees full data consistency. However, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV takes PD snapshots only if
application-aware processing is disabled in job settings and the following requirements are met for each
protection domain included into the backup job:

o The protection domain does not contain multiple VMs with the same name.

o VMs and their volume groups belong to the same protection domain.

o VMs and their volume groups are included into one consistency group of the protection domain.

o CHAP authentication is disabled for the volume groups.

If any of those requirements are not met, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV backs up VMs and their volume
groups as if processing individual virtual machines.

• When processing a VM, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV always tries to produce an app lication-consistent
backup using Nutanix Guest Tools. However, if the requirements for application-consistent snapshots that
are used to create application-consistent backups are not met, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a
crash-consistent backup instead.

If you want to create an application-consistent backup using the Veeam technology, you can configure
application-aware processing settings for resources included into the backup job. This will also allow you
to periodically back up and truncate transaction logs.

• [Applies only to the Prism Central deployment] If you want to back up VMs using data obtained from
snapshots on replica clusters, ensure that you have scheduled Prism Central protection policies to take
snapshots more frequent than the backup job runs.

• By default, backup encryption is disabled for backed-up data. However, you can enable encryption at the
repository level as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Access Permissions.

• VM guest OS file indexing is not supported for backups created with Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV.

• Since Veeam Backup & Replication does not allow you to assign information about locations to Nutanix
AHV clusters and backup appliances, job statistics do not include information on the Nutanix AHV VM data
migration between different geographic regions.

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Creating Backup Jobs Using Backup Appliance
Web Console
To create a backup job using the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console, do the following:

1. Check prerequisites and limitations.

2. Launch the Add Job wizard.

3. Configure general settings.

4. Selects VMs or protection domains to back up.

5. Specify a backup repository where backups will be stored .

NOTE

The wizard will also include the Guest Processing step, but guest processing settings cannot be configured
in the web console due to technical limitations. You can skip this step, proceed with the wizard — and
configure these settings in the Veeam Backup & Replication console later, after you create the b ackup job.

6. Create a schedule for the backup job.

7. Finish working with the wizard.

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Step 1. Launch Add Job Wizard
To launch the Ad d Job wizard, do the following:

1. Navigate to Job s .

2. Click Ad d .

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Step 2. Specify Job Name and Description
At the Job Info step of the wizard, select the Ba ckup job option. Then, use the Na me and Description fields to
specify a name for the new backup job and to provide a description for future reference. The job name must be
unique in Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV.

The maximum length of the name is 40 characters; the following characters are not supported: \ / " ' [ ] : | < > +
= ; , ? * @ & _. The maximum length of the description is 1024 characters.

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Step 3. Configure Backup Source Settings
At the Sources step of the wizard, specify the following backup source settings:

1. Choose resources to back up.

2. Choose disks and volume groups to protect.

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Step 3a. Choose Resources
In the Resources section of at the Sources step of the wizard, specify the backup scope — resources that Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV will back up:

1. Click Choose resources to protect.

2. In the Choose resources to protect window, choose whether you want to back up all VMs in the cluster,
only specific VMs or protection domains. In the Prism Central deployment, you can also back up VMs and
clusters assigned to a specific category or all VMs managed by a P rism Central.

If you add a protection domain, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will regularly check for new consistency
groups (VMs and volume groups) added to the domain and automatically update the job settings to
include these groups in the backup scope. For a protection domain to be displayed in the list of the
available domains, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV cluster as described in Nutanix
documentation.

If you add a category, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will regularly check for new VMs and clusters
assigned to the category and automatically update the job settings to include thes e resources in the
backup scope. For a category to be displayed in the list of the available categories, it must be configured
in the Nutanix AHV Prism Central as described in Nutanix documentation.

TIP

As an alternative to specifying resources explicitly, you can exclude a number of resources from the backup
scope. To do that, click Choose resources to exclude and specify the resources that you do not want to
back up — the procedure is the same as described for including resources in the backup scope.

Consider that if a resource appears both in the list of included and excluded resources, Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV will still not process the resource because the list of excluded resources has a higher priority.

While running the job, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV processes resources in the order they are added to
the backup scope. However, you can change the order, for example, if you add some mission-critical VMs
to the job and want them to be processed first. To change the processing order, select a resource and use
the Up or Down buttons.

NOTE

Consider the following:

• If you include a resource into the backup scope for multiple times (for example, an individual VM and
a PD that contains this VM), Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will process this resource only once.

• If you include a protection domain, category, cluster or Prism Central into the backup scop e, VMs in
this object are processed at random. To ensure that the VMs are processed in a specific order, you
must add them as standalone VMs — not as a part of the protection domain, category, cluster or
Prism Central.

[Applies only to the Prism Central deployment] To instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to obtain VM data
from a replica cluster, select the Use snapshots from a replica site (if available) check box. If Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV fails to obtain data from a replica cluster, backup will be still performed using VM data obtained
from the main cluster.

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By default, jobs process all disks and volume groups attached to VMs included into the backup scope. However,
you can protect only specific disks and volume groups of the selected resources. For more information, see Step
3b. Choose Disks and Volume Groups.

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Step 3b. Choose Disks and Volume Groups
In the Virtual disks section of the Sources step of the wizard, you can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to
back up only specific virtual disks and volume groups related to the specified backup scope:

1. Click Choose particular disks to protect.

2. In the Sp ecify disk protection rules window, click Ad d and select a resource that you have added to the
backup scope at step 3a.

3. Click P rotect Disks > P rotect Selected Disks Only.

4. In the P rotect Selected Disks Only window, choose a bus type of the disks that you want to back up, select
the necessary disks and volume groups, and click Ad d .

Disks and volume groups that you do not select will be excluded from the backup job.

NOTE

If you configure multiple disk protection rules, specific rules will override general ones. For example, if you
add a rule for a protection domain and for a VM included in this domain, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
will process the VM disks according to the rule configured for the VM.

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Step 4. Specify Backup Job Settings
At the Ba ckup Destination step of the wizard, do the following:

1. From the Ba ckup repository drop-down list, select a backup repository where you want to store backups.

For a backup repository to be displayed in the list of the available repositories, it must be added to the
backup infrastructure, and the Nutanix AHV backup appliance must have access to the repository.

2. In the Retention policy section, choose a retention policy that Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will apply to
backups created by the job:

o Select days if you want to keep restore points in a backup chain for the allowed period of time. If a
restore point is older than the specified limit, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV removes it from the
chain.

o Select restore points if you want a backup chain to contain only the allowed number of restore points.
If the number of allowed restore points is exceeded, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV removes the
earliest restore point from the chain.

For more information on how Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV tracks and removes redundant restore
points, see Retention Policies.

NOTE

If the UUID of a VM changes (for example, if the VM was migrated to another cluster), Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV will be unable to continue the backup chain for this VM. After you re -add the VM to the
backup job, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will start a new backup chain for it. However, you will still be
able to perform restore operations using backups from the old backup chain.

To help you implement a comprehensive backup strategy, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to enable
long-term retention policy for backups and to configure backup job advanced settings (for example, enable
health check, schedule active and synthetic full backups, plan backup maintenance and upload protection
domain custom scripts).

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Configuring GFS Policy Schedules
Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) policy allows you to leverage full backups for long -term retentions instead of
creating a new full backup every time. The mechanism simplifies the backup schedule and optimizes the backup
performance.

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV re-uses full backups created according to the backup job schedule to achieve
the desired retention for GFS policy schedules (weekly, monthly and yearly). Each full backup is marked with a
flag of the related GFS policy schedule type: the (W) flag is used to mark full backups created weekly, (M) —
monthly, and (Y) — yearly. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses these flags to control the retention period for
the created full backups. Once a flag of a GFS policy schedule is assigned to a full backup, this full back up can
no longer be removed — it is kept for the period defined in the retention settings. When the specified retention
period is over, the flag is unassigned from the full backup. If the full backup does not have any other flags
assigned, it is removed according to the short-term retention policy settings. For more information on the GFS
flag assignment and removal, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Long-Term Retention
Policy (GFS).

To configure a GFS policy schedule, set the Keep certain full backups longer for archival purposes toggle to On,
and specify the following options in the Configure GFS section:

• Keep weekly full backups — Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will keep a full backup created within a week
or on a specific day for a specified number of weeks.

• Keep monthly full backups — Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will keep a full backup created during a
specific week for a specified number of months.

• Keep yearly full backups — Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will keep a full backup created in a specific
month for a number of years.

After you configure the GFS retention policy settings, schedule active full or synthetic full backups. Otherwise,
no new full backups will be automatically produced, and Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will be unable to
leverage them for long-term retentions.

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 NOTE

If you choose an object storage repository to store backups produced by the backup job, you cannot enable
synthetic full backups. However, if you configure a GFS policy, synthetic backups will be automatically
created according to the specified GFS schedule and marked with an appropriate GFS flag.

Configuring Advanced Settings

To configure backup job advanced settings, do the following:

1. To configure retention settings for backups of VMs that are no longer processed by the backup job, in the
Ba ckup file maintenance section of the Ad vanced job settings window, set the Delete backups of VMs that
a re no longer included in the backup job toggle to On, and specify the number of days during which
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will keep backups of VMs excluded from the job.

2. From the Compression level drop-down list, select a compression level for the backup: None, Dedupe-
friendly , Optimal, High or Extreme. For more information on data compression, see Compression and
Deduplication.

3. From the Storage optimization drop-down list, select the block size that will be used to process VMs. For
more information on the data block sizes and how they affect performance, see Storage Optimization.

4. To instruct Nutanix AHV to freeze applications running on VMs while snapshots are taken, set the E na ble
Nuta nix Guest Tools quiescense toggle to On and choose how Nutanix AHV will process transaction logs.

Keep in mind that the Never truncate transaction logs (VSS_BT_COPY) option may significantly increase
the amount of storage space consumed by VMs that function as Microsoft Exchange Mail Servers.

NOTE

This setting will be applied only if guest processing is not configured for the backup job.

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 5. [Applies only if you have included protection domains in the backup job] To instruct Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV to execute a custom script while running the backup job, set the Run the following script to
create a P D snapshot toggle to On, and click Browse to upload a script file. For more information, see
Writing Custom Scripts.

NOTE

When running custom scripts, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses native Nutanix AHV capabilities to take
PD snapshots. If Nutanix AHV fails to create a PD snapshot, the backup job will also fail to complete
successfully. For more information on the prerequisites for creating PD snapshots, see Snapshot Types.

How Health Check Works

When Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV saves a new backup restore point to a backup repository, it calculates CRC
values for metadata in the backup chain and saves these values to the chain metadata, together with the
instance data. When performing a health check, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV verifies the availability of data
blocks, which are required to restore from the recent point only, and uses the s aved values to ensure that the
full restore points being verified are consistent.

On the day scheduled for a health check to run, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV starts a new health check
session. For each restore point in the backup chain, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV calculates CRC values for
backup metadata and compares them to the CRC values that were previously saved to the restore point. Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV also checks whether data blocks that are required to rebuild the restore point are
available.

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If Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV does not detect data inconsistency, the health check session completes
successfully. Otherwise, the session completes with an error. Depending on the detected data inconsistency,
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV performs the following operations:

• If the health check detects corrupted metadata in a full restore point, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
marks the backup chain as corrupted in the configuration database. During the next backup job session,
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV copies the full instance image, creates a full restore point in the backup
repository and starts a new backup chain in the backup repository.

• If the health check detects corrupted disk blocks in a restore point, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV marks
the restore point that includes the corrupted data blocks and all subsequent incremental restore points as
incomplete in the configuration database. During the next backup job session, Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV copies not only those data blocks that have changed since the previous backup session but also data
blocks that have been corrupted, and saves these data blocks to the latest restore point that has been
created during the current session.

Writing Custom Scripts

To coordinate application activity on VMs included into a protection domain before and after a PD snapshot is
taken, you can run custom scripts. A custom script performs pre-freeze operations, takes the PD snapshot, and
finally performs post-thaw operations.

IMP ORTANT

Veeam does not provide support for cases related to custom scripts.

You can use any programming language to write a script. However, you must specify the used interpreter in the
shebang line, for example: #!/usr/bin/python3. For more information, see Appendix A. Custom Script
Samples.

NOTE

You cannot use binary files for custom scripts.

While writing custom scripts, use the following arguments:

Arg ument Description

--clusterId [Applies only to Prism Central deployment] ID of a cluster where the protection domain
is configured.

--pdName Name of a protection domain for which a PD snapshot is created.

--jobName Name of a job that runs the script.

--logDir Path to a folder where script logs are stored.

--logLevel Level of logging.

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To specify parameters required for connecting to the Nutanix AHV cluster where VMs included into the
protection domain are running, use environment variables such as in the following example:

nutanixClusterIp = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_ADDRESS')
nutanixLogin = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_LOGIN')
nutanixPass = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_PASSWORD')

To specify parameters required for connecting to the Prism Central where VMs included into the protection
domain are running, use environment variables such as in the following example:

nutanixPrismCentralIp = os.getenv('NUTANIX_PRISM_CENTRAL_ADDRESS')
nutanixLogin = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_LOGIN')
nutanixPass = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_PASSWORD')

You can find script logs in the custom_script.log file stored in the
/var/log/nxbackupagent/Backup/<job_name_job_uuid>/<pd_name>/ folder on the backup
appliance. The file also contains a JSON string that includes the script execution status, an error description (if
any) and an identifier of the PD snapshot if it has been created, for example:

• Script execution succeeded:

Result: {"status": "Success", "errorMessage": "", "oob_schedule_id": 78852

70}

• Script execution failed:

Result: {"status": "Failed", "errorMessage": "Unable to get vm_id list for

Protection Domain='VeeamBackupProtection': Authentication failed.", "oob_s
chedule_id": ""}

• Script execution completed with a warning:

Result: {"status": "Warning", "errorMessage": "Pre-freeze took more time t

han expected", "oob_schedule_id": "44509"}

TIP

You can track the script execution progress on the Session Logs page in the backup appliance web console.
Alternatively, you can download log files to your local machine.

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Step 5. Skip Guest Processing
If you want to create transactionally consistent backups that will guarantee proper recovery of VM applications,
you must enable application-aware processing. However, guest processing settings are not available in the web
console. That is why you can skip the Guest Processing step, complete the Ad d Job wizard — and then edit the
job settings in the Veeam Backup & Replication console to enable application-aware processing as described in
section Configuring Guest Processing Options.

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Step 6. Define Job Schedule
At the Schedule step of the wizard, you can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to start the backup job
automatically according to a specific backup schedule. The backup schedule defines how often data of the VMs
added to the backup job will be backed up.

1. To start the backup job automatically according to a specific backup schedule, in the Ma in job schedule
section, set the Run job automatically toggle to On, and choose one of the following schedule types:

o Da ily at this time — the backup job will create restore points at a specific time on specific days.

o Monthly at this time — the backup job will create restore points once a month on a specific day.

o P eriodically every — the backup job will create restore points repeatedly, with a specific time interval
every day.

TIP

You can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to run the backup job again if it fails on the first try. To do
that, select the Automatic Retry check box, and specify the maximum number of attempts to run the job
and the time interval between retries. When retrying backup jobs, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
processes only those VMs that failed to be backed up during the previous attempt.

2. To schedule active full backups, in the Full backup schedule section, set the Create active full backups
p eriodically toggle to On, and choose whether you want to create active full backups on specific days
every week or on specific days of specific months.

Alternatively, you can create active full backups manually when needed. For more information, see
Creating Active Full Backup.

IMP ORTANT

Do not schedule synthetic and active full backups to run at the same time. Due to technical limitations,
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will be unable to create synthetic full backups according to the specified
schedule.

3. To schedule synthetic full backups, in the Full backup schedule section, set the Create synthetic full
b a ckups periodically toggle to On, and choose whether you want to create synthetic full backups on
specific days every week or on specific days of specific months.

4. To instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to periodically perform a health check for backups created by
the backup job, in the Hea lth check schedule section, set the E na ble health check toggle to On, and
specify a schedule for the health check to run.

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 IMP ORTANT
• It is recommended that the backup and health check schedules configured for the job do not overlap
to avoid data access issues.
• If you have selected an off-premise cloud object storage repository as the target location for
backups at step 4, it is recommended that a helper appliance is configured in the repository settings.
Otherwise, additional data transfer costs may occur.

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Step 7. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish. When Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV starts the job according to the specified schedule, the backup progress will be displayed on the
Session Logs page.

TIP

If you want to start the job immediately, select the Run the job when I click Finish check box and then click
Finish.

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Creating Backup Jobs Using Veeam Backup &
Replication Console
To create a backup job using the Veeam Backup & Replication console, do the following:

1. Check prerequisites and limitations.

2. Launch the Add Job wizard.

3. Configure general settings.

4. Selects resources to back up.

5. Configure backup target settings.

6. Enable guest processing.

7. Create a schedule for the backup job.

8. Finish working with the wizard.

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Step 1. Launch New Job Wizard
To launch the New Job wizard, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Job s .

3. On the ribbon, click Ba ckup Job > Virtual Machine > Nutanix AHV, or right-click the working area and
select Ba ckup > Virtual machine > Nutanix AHV .

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Step 2. Specify Job Name and Description
At the Na me step of the wizard, select the Ba ckup job option. Then, use the Na me and Description fields to
specify a name for the new backup job and to provide a description for future reference. The job name must be
unique in Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV.

The maximum length of the name is 40 characters; the following characters are not supported: \ / " ' [ ] : | < > +
= ; , ? * @ & _. The maximum length of the description is 1024 characters.

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Step 3. Configure Backup Source Settings
At the Virtual Machines step of the wizard, specify the following backup source settings:

1. Choose resources to back up.

2. Choose disks and volume groups to protect.

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Step 3a. Choose Resources
First, at the Virtual Machines step of the wizard, specify the backup scope — resources that Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV will back up:

1. Click Ad d .

2. In the Ad d Objects window, choose whether you want to back up all VMs in the cluster, only specific VMs
or protection domains. In the Prism Central deployment, you can also back up VMs and clusters assigned
to a specific category or all VMs managed by a Prism Central.

To view the list of available protection domains, click the P Ds icon on the toolbar at the top right corner of
the window. If you add a protection domain, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will regularly check for new
consistency groups (VMs and volume groups) added to the domain and automatically update the job
settings to include these groups in the backup scope. For a protection domain to be displayed in the list of
the available domains, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV cluster as described in Nutanix
documentation.

To view the list of available categories, click the Ca tegories icon on the toolbar at the top right corner of
the window. If you add a category, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will regularly check for new VMs and
clusters assigned to the category and automatically update the job settings to include these resources in
the backup scope. For a category to be displayed in the list of the available categories, it must be
configured in the Nutanix AHV Prism Central as described in Nutanix documentation.

TIP

As an alternative to specifying resources explicitly, you can exclude a number of resources from the backup
scope. To do that, click E x clusions and specify the VMs or protection domains that you do not want to back
up — the procedure is the same as described for including resources in the backup scope.

Consider that if a resource appears both in the list of included and excluded resources, Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV will still not process the resource because the list of excluded resources has a higher priority.

While running the job, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV processes resources in the order they are added to the
backup scope. However, you can change the order, for example, if you add some mission-critical VMs to the job
and want them to be processed first. To change the processing order, select a resource and use the Up or Down
buttons.

NOTE

Consider the following:

• If you include a resource into the backup scope for multiple times (for example, an individual VM and
a PD that contains this VM), Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will process this resource only once.

• If you include a protection domain, category, cluster or Prism Central into the backup scope, VMs in
this object are processed at random. To ensure that the VMs are processed in a specific order, you
must add them as standalone VMs — not as a part of the protection domain, category, cluster or
Prism Central.

[Applies only to the Prism Central deployment] To instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to obtain VM data
from a replica cluster, select the Ba ckup from Prism Central replica (if available) check box. Using replica
clusters help you reduce impact of backup operations on performance of the production environment. If Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV fails to obtain data from a replica cluster, backup will be still performed using VM data
obtained from the main cluster.

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By default, jobs process all disks and volume groups attached to VMs included into the backup scope. However,
you can protect only specific disks and volume groups of the selected resources. For more information, see Step
3b. Choose Disks and Volume Groups.

Related Topics
Snapshot Types

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Step 3b. Choose Disks and Volume Groups
Second, at the Virtual Machines step of the wizard, you can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to back up
only specific virtual disks and volume groups related to the selected backup scope:

1. Click E x clusions.

2. In the E x clusions window, switch to the Disks tab and click Ad d .

3. In the Ad d Objects window, select a resource that you have added to the backup scope at step 3a, and
click OK.

4. Back to the E x clusions window, select the resource and click E d it.

5. In the Select Disks window, select the Selected Disks option, click Ad d and choose a bus type of the disks
that you want to back up. Then, select the necessary disks and volume groups.

Disks and volume groups that you do not select will be excluded from the backup job.

NOTE

If you configure multiple disk protection rules, specific rules will override general ones. For example, if you
add a rule for a protection domain and for a VM included in this domain, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
will process the VM disks according to the rule configured for the VM.

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Step 4. Specify Backup Job Settings
At the Ba ckup Destination step of the wizard, do the following:

1. From the Ba ckup repository drop-down list, select a backup repository where you want to store backups.

For a backup repository to be displayed in the list of the available repositories, it must be added to the
backup infrastructure, and the Nutanix AHV backup appliance must have access to the repository.

2. In the Retention policy section, choose a retention policy that Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will apply to
backups created by the job:

o Select days if you want to keep restore points in a backup chain for the allowed period of time. If a
restore point is older than the specified limit, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV removes it from the
chain.

o Select restore points if you want a backup chain to contain only the allowed number of restore points.
If the number of allowed restore points is exceeded, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV removes the
earliest restore point from the chain.

For more information on how Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV tracks and removes redundant restore
points, see Retention Policies.

NOTE

If the UUID of a VM changes (for example, if the VM migrates to another cluster), Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV will be unable to continue the backup chain for this VM. After you re -add the VM to the
backup job, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will start a new backup chain for it. However, you will still be
able to perform restore operations using backups from the old backup chain.

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To help you implement a comprehensive backup strategy, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to enable
long-term retention policy for backups and to configure backup job advanced settings (for example, enable
health check, schedule full backups, plan backup maintenance and upload custom scripts).

Configuring GFS Policy Schedules

Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) policy allows you to leverage full backups for long -term retentions instead of
creating a new full backup every time. The mechanism simplifies the backup schedule and optimizes the backup
performance.

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV re-uses full backups created according to the backup job schedule to achieve
the desired retention for GFS policy schedules (weekly, monthly and yearly). Each full backup is marked with a
flag of the related GFS policy schedule type: the (W) flag is used to mark full backups created weekly, (M) —
monthly, and (Y) — yearly. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses these flags to control the retention period for
the created full backups. Once a flag of a GFS policy schedule is assigned to a full backup, this full backup can
no longer be removed — it is kept for the period defined in the retention settings. When the specified retention
period is over, the flag is unassigned from the full backup. If the full backup does not have any other flags
assigned, it is removed according to the short-term retention policy settings. For more information on the GFS
flag assignment and removal, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Long-Term Retention
Policy (GFS).

To configure a GFS policy schedule, select the Keep certain full backups longer for archival purposes check box
and click Configure. Then, specify the following options in the Configure GFS window:

• Keep weekly full backups — Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will keep a full backup created within a week
or on a specific day for a specified number of weeks.

• Keep monthly full backups — Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will keep a full backup created during a
specific week for a specified number of months.

• Keep yearly full backups — Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will keep a full backup created in a specific
month for a number of years.

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After you configure the GFS retention policy settings, schedule active full or synthetic full backups. Otherwise,
no new full backups will be automatically produced, and Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will be unable to
leverage them for long-term retentions.

NOTE

If you choose an object storage repository to store backups produced by the backup job, you cannot enable
synthetic full backups. However, if you configure a GFS policy, synthetic backups will be automatically
created according to the specified GFS schedule and marked with an appropriate GFS flag.

Configuring Advanced Settings

To configure advanced settings for the backup job, do the following:

1. Click Ad vanced.

2. To schedule synthetic full backups, on the Ba ckup tab of the Ad vanced settings window, select the Create
sy nthetic full backups periodically check box, click Configure and choose whether you want to create
synthetic full backups on specific days every week or on specific days of specific months.

3. To schedule active full backups, on the Ba ckup tab of the Ad vanced settings window, select the Create
a ctive full backups p eriodically check box, click Configure and choose whether you want to create active
full backups on specific days every week or on specific days of specific months.

Alternatively, you can create active full backups manually when needed. For more information, see
Creating Active Full Backup.

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 IMP ORTANT

Do not schedule synthetic and active full backups to run at the same time. Due to technical limitations,
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will be unable to create synthetic full backups according to the specified
schedule.

4. To instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to periodically perform a health check for backups created by
the backup job, on the Ma intenance tab of the Ad vanced settings window, select the P erform backup files
hea lth check (detects and auto-heals corruption) check box, click Configure and specify a schedule for the
health check to run.

IMP ORTANT
• It is recommended that the backup and health check schedules configured for the job do not overlap
to avoid data access issues.
• If you have selected an off-premise cloud object storage repository as the target location for
backups at step 4, it is recommended that a helper appliance is configured in the repository settings.
Otherwise, additional data transfer costs may occur.

5. To configure retention settings for backups of VMs that are no longer processed by the backup job, on the
Ma intenance tab of the Ad vanced settings window, select the Remove deleted items data after check box,
and specify the number of days during which Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will keep backups of VMs
excluded from the job.

6. To decrease the size of the backup, on the Storage tab of the Ad vanced settings window, from the
Compression level drop-down list, select a compression level for the backup: None, Dedupe-friendly ,
Optimal, High or Extreme. For more information on data compression, see Compression and
Deduplication.

7. To optimize job performance and storage usage, on the Storage tab of the Ad vanced settings window,
from the Storage optimization drop-down list, select the block size that will be used to process VMs. For
more information on the data block sizes and how they affect performance, see Storage Optimization.

8. To instruct Nutanix AHV to freeze applications running on VMs while snapshots are taken, set the E na ble
Nuta nix Guest Tools quiescense toggle to On and choose how Nutanix AHV will process transaction logs.

Keep in mind that the Never truncate transaction logs (VSS_BT_COPY) option may significantly increase
the amount of storage space consumed by VMs that function as Microsoft Exchange Mail Servers.

9. [Applies only if you have included protection domains in the backup job] To instruct Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV to execute a custom script while running the backup job, on the Scripts tab of the Ad vanced
settings window, select the Run the following script to create a PD snapshot check box, and click Browse
to upload a script file. For more information, see Writing Custom Scripts.

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 NOTE

When running custom scripts, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses native Nutanix AHV capabilities to take
PD snapshots. If Nutanix AHV fails to create a PD snapshot, the backup job will also fail to complete
successfully. For more information on the prerequisites for creating PD snapshots, see Snapshot Types.

How Health Check Works

When Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV saves a new backup restore point to a backup repository, it calculates CRC
values for metadata in the backup chain and saves these values to the chain metadata, together with the
instance data. When performing a health check, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV verifies the availability of data
blocks, which are required to restore from the recent point only, and uses the s aved values to ensure that the
full restore points being verified are consistent.

On the day scheduled for a health check to run, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV starts a new health check
session. For each restore point in the backup chain, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV calculates CRC values for
backup metadata and compares them to the CRC values that were previously saved to the restore point. Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV also checks whether data blocks that are required to rebuild the restore point are
available.

If Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV does not detect data inconsistency, the health check session completes
successfully. Otherwise, the session completes with an error. Depending on the detected data inconsistency,
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV performs the following operations:

• If the health check detects corrupted metadata in a full restore point, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
marks the backup chain as corrupted in the configuration database. During the next backup job session,
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV copies the full instance image, creates a full restore point in the backup
repository and starts a new backup chain in the backup repository.

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 • If the health check detects corrupted disk blocks in a restore point, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV marks
the restore point that includes the corrupted data blocks and all subsequent incremental restore points as
incomplete in the configuration database. During the next backup job session, Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV copies not only those data blocks that have changed since the previous backup session but also data
blocks that have been corrupted, and saves these data blocks to the latest restore point that has been
created during the current session.

Writing Custom Scripts

To coordinate application activity on VMs included into a protection domain before and after a PD snapshot is
taken, you can run custom scripts. A custom script performs pre-freeze operations, takes the PD snapshot, and
finally performs post-thaw operations.

IMP ORTANT

Veeam does not provide support for cases related to custom scripts.

You can use any programming language to write a script. However, you must specify the used interpreter in the
shebang line, for example: #!/usr/bin/python3. For more information, see Appendix A. Custom Script
Samples.

NOTE

You cannot use binary files for custom scripts.

While writing custom scripts, use the following arguments:

Arg ument Description

--clusterId [Applies only to Prism Central deployment] ID of a cluster where the protection domain
is configured.

--pdName Name of a protection domain for which a PD snapshot is created.

--jobName Name of a job that runs the script.

--logDir Path to a folder where script logs are stored.

--logLevel Level of logging.

To specify parameters required for connecting to the Nutanix AHV cluster where VMs included into the
protection domain are running, use environment variables such as in the following example:

nutanixClusterIp = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_ADDRESS')
nutanixLogin = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_LOGIN')
nutanixPass = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_PASSWORD')

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To specify parameters required for connecting to the Prism Central where VMs included into the protection
domain are running, use environment variables such as in the following example:

nutanixPrismCentralIp = os.getenv('NUTANIX_PRISM_CENTRAL_ADDRESS')
nutanixLogin = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_LOGIN')
nutanixPass = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_PASSWORD')

You can find script logs in the custom_script.log file stored in the
/var/log/nxbackupagent/Backup/<job_name_job_uuid>/<pd_name>/ folder on the backup
appliance. The file also contains a JSON string that includes the script execution status, an error description (if
any) and an identifier of the PD snapshot if it has been created, for example:

• Script execution succeeded:

Result: {"status": "Success", "errorMessage": "", "oob_schedule_id": 78852

70}

• Script execution failed:

Result: {"status": "Failed", "errorMessage": "Unable to get vm_id list for

Protection Domain='VeeamBackupProtection': Authentication failed.", "oob_s
chedule_id": ""}

• Script execution completed with a warning:

Result: {"status": "Warning", "errorMessage": "Pre-freeze took more time t

han expected", "oob_schedule_id": "44509"}

TIP

You can track the script execution progress on the Session Logs page in the backup appliance web console.
Alternatively, you can download log files to your local machine.

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Step 5. Configure Guest Processing Options
At the Guest Processing step of the wizard, you can specify the following settings:

• Enable application-aware processing — to create transactionally consistent backups that will guarantee
proper recovery of VM applications, without data loss.

For VMs running Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Server or PostgreSQL Server applications, you can also
instruct Veeam Backup & Replication to periodically back up transaction logs. This will allow you to
restore your databases to specific points in time as described in the Veeam Enterprise Manager User Guide,
section Restoring Point-in-Time State.

• Enable guest file system indexing and malware detection — to create a catalog of guest OS files that will
allow you to search for specific items during file-level restore. This will also allow you to receive reports
about malware files and suspicious system activity detected on VMs included into the backup scope.

• Choose guest interaction proxies — to select specific Windows servers that Veeam Backup & Replication
will use when communicating with guest OSes of Windows VMs included into the backup scope.

• Manage VM guest OS credentials — to specify credentials that Veeam Backup & Replication will use to
access guest OSes of all VMs included into the backup scope.

Considerations and Limitations

If you enable application-aware processing or guest files system indexing, consider the following:

• Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will not be able to obtain VM data from replica clusters.

• Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will not be able to create PD snapshots of protection domains included
into the backup scope — it will back up VMs and their volume groups as if processing individual virtual
machines.

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 • Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will not be able to use Kerberos authentication while connecting to guest
OSes of the processed VMs.

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Step 5a. Enable Application-Aware Processing
To restore your applications without data loss, you must allow Veeam Backup & Replication to create
application-consistent backups. To do that, select the E na ble application-aware processing check box at the
Guest Processing step of the wizard.

When creating application-consistent backups, Veeam Backup & Replication takes transactionally consistent VM
snapshots while no write operations occur on VM disks. To do that, Veeam Backup & Replication quiesces
applications on the processed VMs and creates a consistent view of application data:

• To quiesce VSS-aware applications running on Windows-based VMs (such as MS SQL, MS Exchange,

Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft SharePoint), Veeam Backup & Replication leverages the
Microsoft VSS technology.

• To quiesce applications running on Linux-based VMs and non-VSS-aware applications running on

Windows-based VMs, Veeam Backup & Replication runs custom scripts before and after the snapshot
creation.

Processing Transaction Logs

If you enable application-aware processing, Veeam Backup & Replication will back up and truncate transaction
logs produced by VM applications every time the backup job starts. To change this behavior, you can do either
of the following:

• Instruct Veeam Backup & Replication not to process and truncate logs. This will allow third -party backup
solutions to perform VM guest-level backup and to maintain consistency of the database state.

• Instruct Veeam Backup & Replication to back up and truncate transaction logs more often. This will allow
you to use application-consistent backups to restore your MS SQL, Oracle and PostgreSQL databases to
specific points in time.

To configure log processing settings, do the following:

1. Click Ap p lications.

2. In the Ap p lication-Aware Processing Options window, select the necessary resource and click E d it. You can
configure guest processing settings for multiple resources at a time.

If you want to configure processing settings for a specific VM that is included into a protection domain,
cluster, category or Prism Central, you must configure those settings separately. To do that, click Ad d ,
choose the necessary VM and click E d it.

3. To specify how Veeam Backup & Replication will process transaction logs of VSS-aware applications,
select the P rocess transaction logs with this job option on the General tab of the P rocessing Settings
window, switch to the SQL tab and follow the instructions provided in section Microsoft SQL Server
Transaction Log Settings.

If you do not want Veeam Backup & Replication to process and truncate transaction logs of VSS -aware
applications, select the P erform copy only option. However, with this option selected, the backup job will
produce copy-only backups that cannot be used to restore MS SQL databases to specific points in time.
For more information on copy-only backups, see Microsoft Docs.

4. To specify how Veeam Backup & Replication will process transaction logs of Oracle database systems,
switch to the Ora cle tab and follow the instructions provided in section Oracle Archived Redo Log
Settings.

5. To specify how Veeam Backup & Replication will process transaction logs of PostgreSQL database
systems, switch to the P ostgreSQL tab and follow the instructions provided in section PostgreSQL WAL
Files Settings.

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 6. To specify scripts that Veeam Backup & Replication will use to quiesce non-VSS-aware applications, switch
to the Scripts tab and follow the instructions provided in section Pre-Freeze and Post-Thaw Scripts.

TIP

To instruct Veeam Backup & Replication not to perform application-aware processing for the selected
resource at all, select the Disable application processing option.

Handling Application-Aware Processing Errors

By default, Veeam Backup & Replication requires application-aware processing to finish without errors for the
backup job to complete successfully. In case of an error, Veeam Backup & Replication terminates the backup
operation, and the backup job will not process transaction logs until a new image-level backup is created for
each of the VMs included into the backup scope.

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To change this behavior and instruct Veeam Backup & Replication to proceed with the backup operation,
creating a crash-consistent backup instead of an application-consistent backup, switch to the General tab of the
P rocessing Settings window and select the Try a pplication processing, b ut ignore failures option .

Microsoft SQL Server Transaction Log Settings

To specify how Veeam Backup & Replication will process transaction logs for VSS-aware applications, switch to
the SQL tab of the P rocessing Settings window and do the following:

• Select Truncate logs to truncate transaction logs of MS SQL and MS Exchange applications after successful
backup. The non-persistent runtime components running on the VM guest OS will wait for the backup to
complete successfully and then truncate transaction logs. If the job does not manage to back up the VM,
the logs will remain untouched on the VM guest OS until the next start of the non-persistent runtime
components or persistent components.

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 • Select Do not truncate logs to preserve transaction logs. When the backup job completes, Veeam Backup
& Replication will not truncate transaction logs on the MS SQL or MS Exchange server.

It is recommended that you enable this option for databases that use the Simple recovery model. If you
enable this option for databases that use the Full or Bulk-logged recovery model, transaction logs on the
VM guest OS may grow large and consume all disk space. In this case, the database administrators must
take care of transaction logs themselves.

• Select Ba ckup logs periodically to back up transaction logs with Veeam Backup & Replication. Veeam
Backup & Replication will periodically copy transaction logs to the backup repository and store them
together with the image-level backup of the Microsoft SQL Server VM. During the backup job session,
transaction logs on the VM guest OS will be truncated. For more information, see the Veeam Backup &
Replication User Guide, section Microsoft SQL Server Log Backup.

IMP ORTANT

If both Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Server are installed on one VM, and this VM is processed by a job
with log backup enabled for both applications, Veeam Backup & Replication will back up only Oracle
transaction logs. Microsoft SQL Server transaction logs will not be processed.

If you choose to back up logs periodically, do the following:

1. In the Ba ckup logs every <N> minutes field, specify the frequency for transaction log backup. By default,
transaction logs are backed up every 15 minutes. The maximum log backup interval is 480 minutes.

2. In the Retain log backups section, specify retention policy for transaction logs stored in the backup
repository.

o Select Until the corresponding image-level backup is deleted to apply the same retention policy for
image-level backups and transaction log backups.

o Select Keep only last <N> days of log backups to keep transaction logs for a specific number of days.
By default, transaction logs are kept for 15 days. If you select this option, you must make sure that
retention for transaction logs is not greater than retention for the image-level backups. For more
information, see Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Retention for Transaction Log
Backups.

3. In the Log shipping servers section, click Choose to select what log shipping server you want to use to
transport transaction logs:

o Select Automatic selection if you want Veeam Backup & Replication to choose an optimal log shipping
server automatically. If the optimal shipping server is busy, Veeam Back up & Replication will direct
the data flow to another shipping server so as not to lose data and comply with RPO. The process of
transaction logs shipment does not require a dedicated server — Veeam Backup & Replication can use
any Microsoft Windows server added to the backup infrastructure.

o To define a log shipping server explicitly, select Use the specified servers only and select check boxes
next to servers that you want to use as log shipping servers. The server list includes all Microsoft
Windows servers added to the backup infrastructure.

Ensure you select a server that is not engaged in other resource-consuming tasks. For example, you
may want not to use a server that performs the WAN accelerator role as a log shipping server. For
load balance and high availability purposes, it is recommended that you select at least 2 log shipping
servers.

For more information on log shipping servers and how they are selected, see Veeam Backup &
Replication User Guide, section Log Shipping Servers.

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 IMP ORTANT

Consider the following:

• Veeam Backup & Replication automatically excludes its configuration database from application-
aware processing during backup if the database is hosted without using SQL Server Always On
Availability Group. Transaction logs for the configuration database are not backed up.
• If the Veeam Backup & Replication configuration database is hosted using SQL Server Always On
Availability Group, you should manually exclude this database from application-aware processing
during backup, as described in this Veeam KB article. Otherwise, job processing will fail with the
following error: Failed to freeze guest over network, wait timeout.

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Oracle Archived Redo Log Settings

To specify how Veeam Backup & Replication will process archived redo logs of the Oracle database, switch to
the Ora cle tab of the P rocessing Settings window and do the following:

1. In the Sp ecify Oracle account with SYSDBA privileges section, specify a user account that Veeam Backup &
Replication will use to connect to the Oracle database. The account must have privileges for the Oracle
database listed in the section Permissions for Guest Processing.

You can select Use guest credentials in the list of user accounts. In this case, Veeam Backup & Replication
will use the account specified at the Guest Processing step of the wizard to access the VM guest OS and
connect to the Oracle database.

NOTE

[For Windows-based machines] Make sure you add the %ORACLE_HOME%\bin variable to the
environmental path variable on the machine with your Oracle database.

2. In the Archived logs section, specify how Veeam Backup & Replication must process archived redo logs on
the Oracle VM:

o Select Do not d elete archived logs if you want Veeam Backup & Replication to preserve archived logs
on the VM guest OS. When the backup job completes, the non-persistent runtime components will
not delete archived logs.

It is recommended that you select this option for databases in the NOARCHIVELOG mode. If the
database is in the ARCHIVELOG mode, archived logs on the VM guest OS may grow large and consume
all disk space. In this case, database administrators must take care of archived logs themselves.

o Select Delete logs older than < N> hours or Delete logs over <N> GB if you want Veeam Backup &
Replication to delete archived logs that are older than <N> hours or larger than <N> GB. The log size
threshold refers not to the total size of all logs for all databases but to the log size of each database
on the selected Oracle VM.

When the parent backup job (job creating an image-level backup) runs, Veeam Backup & Replication
will wait for the backup to complete successfully and then trigger archived log deletion on the Oracle
VM over Oracle Call Interface (OCI). If the primary job does not manage to back up the Oracle VM, the
logs will remain untouched on the VM guest OS until the next start of the non-persistent runtime
components.

TIP

Veeam Backup & Replication removes redo logs only after the parent backup job session. To remove redo
logs more often, you can schedule the parent job to run more often.

3. To back up Oracle archived logs with Veeam Backup & Replication, select the Ba ckup log every <N>
minutes check box and specify the frequency for archived log backup. By default, archived logs are backed
up every 15 minutes. The maximum log backup interval is 480 minutes.

4. In the Retain log backups section, specify the retention policy for archived logs stored in the backup
repository:

o Select Until the corresponding image-level backup is deleted to apply the same retention policy for
image-level backups and archived log backups.

o Select Keep only last <n> days to keep archived logs for a specific number of days. By default,
archived logs are kept for 15 days. If you select this option, you must ensure that retention for
archived logs is not greater than retention for the image-level backups. For more information, see the
Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Retention for Archived Log Backup.

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 5. In the Log shipping servers section, click Choose to select what log shipping server you want to use to
transport archived logs:

o Select Automatic selection if you want Veeam Backup & Replication to select an optimal log shipping
server automatically. The process of archived logs shipment does not require a dedicated server —
Veeam Backup & Replication can use any Microsoft Windows server added to the backup
infrastructure.

o Select Use the specified servers only to define a log shipping server explicitly. In the Log Shipping
Servers window, select check boxes next to the servers you want to use as log shipping servers. The
server list includes all Microsoft Windows servers added to the backup infrastructure.

Ensure you select a server that is not engaged in other resource-consuming tasks. For example, you
may want not to use a server that performs the WAN accelerator role as a log shipping server. For
load balance and high availability purposes, it is recommended that you select at least 2 log shipping
servers.

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PostgreSQL WAL Files Settings

To specify how Veeam Backup & Replication will process WAL files of the PostgreSQL database, switc h to the
P ostgreSQL tab of the P rocessing Settings window and do the following:

1. From the Sp ecify PostgreSQL account with superuser privileges drop-down list, select a user account that
Veeam Backup & Replication will use to connect to the PostgreSQL instance. The account must have
privileges described in section Permissions. If you have not set up credentials beforehand, click the
Ma nage accounts link or click Ad d on the right to add credentials.

By default, the Use guest credentials option is selected in the list. With this option selected, Veeam
Backup & Replication will connect to the PostgreSQL instance under the account. In this case, Veeam
Backup & Replication will use the account specified at the Guest Processing step of the wizard to access
the VM guest OS and connect to the PostgreSQL instance.

Note that if you plan to select the Sy stem user without password file (peer) authentication method at the
step 3 of this procedure, you can add a user account in the Credentials Manager without specifying the
password for the account.

2. In the Sp ecified user is section, specify how the user will authenticate against the PostgreSQL instance:

o Select Da tabase user with password if the account you specified at the step 2 is a PostgreSQL
account, and you entered the password for this account in the Credentials Manager.

NOTE

If you want Veeam Backup & Replication to use the user name map authentication, select Da tabase user
with password and leave the password field empty. Consider the following:

• Guest OS credentials specified at the Guest Processing step of the wizard will be used as the
System-Username.
• PostgreSQL account specified at the step 2 will be used as the PG-Username.

For more information about the user name maps, see PostgreSQL documentation.

o Select Da tabase user with password file (.pgpass) if the password for the account you specified at the
step 2 is defined in the .pgpass configuration file on the PostgreSQL VM. The password file must be
located in the user's home directory. For more information about the password file, see PostgreSQL
documentation.

o Select Sy stem user without password file (peer) if you want Veeam Backup & Replication to use the
peer authentication method. In this case, Veeam Backup & Replication will use the account you
specified at the step 2 as the OS account and as the PostgreSQL account to connect to PostgreSQL.
For more information about the peer authentication method, see PostgreSQL documentation.

IMP ORTANT

If you have added a new PostgreSQL account and want to use it with the peer authentication method,
make sure that you have added this account as a Linux user with sufficient permissions.

3. To back up PostgreSQL WAL files with Veeam Backup & Replication, select the Ba ck up log every <N>
minutes check box and specify the frequency for WAL files backup. By default, WAL files are backed up
every 15 minutes. The maximum log backup interval is 480 minutes.

4. In the Retain log backups section, specify the retention policy for WAL files stored in the backup
repository:

o Select Until the corresponding image-level backup is deleted to apply the same retention policy for
both image-level backups and WAL file backups.

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 o Select Keep only last <n> days to keep WAL files for a specific number of days. By default, WAL files
are kept for 15 days. If you select this option, you must make sure that retention for WAL files is not
greater than retention for the image-level backups. For more information, see the Veeam Backup &
Replication User Guide, section Retention for PostgreSQL WAL Files.

5. In the Temp orary location for archive logs (Staging location for archive logs - for version 12) section,
specify a path to the storage location where you want to keep WAL files.

6. In the Log shipping servers section, click Choose to select what log shipping server you want to use to
transport WAL files:

o Select Automatic selection if you want Veeam Backup & Replication to select an optimal log shipping
server automatically. The process of WAL files shipment does not require a dedicated server — Veeam
Backup & Replication can use any Microsoft Windows server added to the backup infrastructure.

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 o Select Use the specified servers only to define a log shipping server explicitly. In the Log Shipping
Servers window, select check boxes next to the servers you want to use as log shipping servers. The
server list includes all Microsoft Windows servers added to the backup infrastructure.

Make sure that you select a server that is not used by other resource-consuming tasks. For example,
you may want not to use a server that performs the WAN accelerator role as a log shipping server. For
load balance and high availability purposes, it is recommended that you select at least 2 log shipping
servers.

Pre-Freeze and Post-Thaw Scripts

If you plan to back up VMs running applications that do not support VSS, you can specify what scripts Veeam
Backup & Replication must use to quiesce the VM. The pre-freeze script quiesces the VM file system and
application data to bring the VM to a consistent state before Veeam Backup & Replication triggers a VM
snapshot. After the VM snapshot is created, the post-thaw script brings the VM and applications to their initial
state.

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To specify pre-freeze and post-thaw scripts for the job:

1. Switch to the Scripts tab.

2. In the Script processing mode section, specify the scenario for scripts execution:

o Select Require successful script execution if you want Veeam Backup & Replication to stop the backup
process if the script fails.

o Select Ig nore script execution failures if you want to continue the backup process, even if script errors
occur.

o Select Disable script execution if you do not want to run scripts for the VM.

3. In the W indows scripts section, specify paths to pre-freeze and post-thaw scripts for Microsoft Windows
VMs. For the list of supported script formats, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Pre-
Freeze and Post-Thaw Scripts.

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 4. In the Linux scripts section, specify paths to pre-freeze and post-thaw scripts for Linux VMs. For the list of
supported script formats, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Pre-Freeze and Post-
Thaw Scripts.

If you have added a protection domain, category, cluster or Prism Central with Microsoft Windows and
Linux VMs to the job, you can select to execute both Microsoft Windows and Linux scripts for the VM
container. When the job starts, Veeam Backup & Replication will automatically determine what OS type is
installed on the VM and use the required scripts to quiesce this VM.

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Step 5b. Enable VM Guest OS File Indexing
To be able to recover individual files with 1 click and to search for specific items in Veeam Backup Enterprise
Manager during file-level restore, you must enable file indexing to instruct Veeam Backup & Replication to
create a catalog of files and folders that belong to VMs included into the backup scope. To do that, select the
E na ble guest file system indexing and malware detection check box at the Guest Processing step of the wizard.

NOTE

If you enable file indexing, Veeam Backup & Replication will scan VM data for suspicious file system activity
and malware file presence every time the backup job completes successfully. For more information, see the
Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section How Guest Indexing Data Scan Works.

By default, Veeam Backup & Replication will create a catalog of all files and folders for each processed VM —
except for system files. To change this behavior and configure indexing settings for specific VMs, do the
following:

1. Click Ind exing.

2. In the Guest File System Indexing Options window, select the necessary VMs and click E d it > W indows
ind exing or Linux indexing.

You can configure indexing settings for one or more VMs at a time.

3. In the Ind exing Settings window, choose whether you want to index files in all guest OS folders, to index
files only in specific folders, or not to index any files at all.

If you select the Ind ex everything except or Ind ex only following folders option, you will be able to modify
the list of folders included into the indexing scope — either manually or by using system environment
variables (for example, %windir%, %ProgramFiles% and %Temp%).

IMP ORTANT

To allow Veeam Backup & Replication to perform guest OS file indexing for Linux VMs, openssh, gzip and
tar utilities must be installed on the processed VMs.

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Step 5c. Choose Guest Interaction Proxy
[This step applies only if you have added Windows-based VMs to the backup scope at the Virtual Machines step
of the wizard]

To produce transactionally consistent backups and to perform file system indexing, Veeam Backup & Replication
communicates with the guest OS of each processed VM to deploy non-persistent runtime components that
coordinate guest processing activities such as accessing VM applications and creating a catalog of VM files. Since
these activities may significantly increase the load on the backup server in case of a large backup scope, Veeam
Backup & Replication distributes the load among all Windows servers added to the backup infrastructure
(further referred to as guest interaction proxies).

By default, Veeam Backup & Replication automatically chooses which guest interaction proxy to use for each of
the processed VMs based on network settings and rules listed in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide,
section Guest Interaction Proxies. You can also manually limit the list of servers that may be used as proxies — to
do that, click Choose, select the P refer the following guest interaction proxy servers option and then select
check boxes next to the necessary Windows servers.

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For a Windows server to be displayed in the list of available guest interaction proxy servers, it must be added to
the backup infrastructure as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Adding Microsoft
Windows Servers.

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Step 5d. Manage VM Guest OS Credentials
If you enable application-aware processing or instruct Veeam Backup & Replication to create a catalog of VM
files and folder, you must also specify a user whose credentials will be used to communicate with VM guest
OSes. Note the specified account must have the permissions required to perform guest processing. For more
information on the required permissions, see Planning and Preparation.

By default, Veeam Backup & Replication uses single credentials to access guest OSes of all VMs included into
the backup scope. However, since Windows-based VMs and Linux-based VMs require different types of access
credentials, you may need to specify the credentials explicitly for each of the processed VMs. To do that, click
Credentials, select a VM in the Guest OS credentials window, and then click Set User > Standard credentials (for
a Windows-based VM) or Set User > SSH credentials (for a Linux-based VM).

For a user to be displayed in the Credentials list, it must be added to the Credentials Manager as described in the
Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Credentials Manager. If you have not added the necessary user
to the Credentials Manager beforehand, you can do it without closing the New Job wizard. To do that, click
either the Ma nage accounts link or the Ad d button, and specify the user name, password and description in the
Credentials window.

TIP

If the backup scope includes a protection domain, cluster, category or Prism Central, you can specify both
Standard and SSH credentials. This will allow Veeam Backup & Replication to access the processed VMs
regardless of their guest OSes.

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To check whether Veeam Backup & Replication is able to connect to the VM guest OSes using the specified
credentials, click Test Now.

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Step 6. Define Job Schedule
At the Schedule step of the wizard, you can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to start the backup job
automatically according to a specific backup schedule. The backup schedule defines how often data of the VMs
added to the backup job will be backed up.

To help you implement a comprehensive backup strategy, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to create
schedules of the following types:

• Da ily at this time — the backup job will create restore points at a specific time on specific days.

• Monthly at this time — the backup job will create restore points once a month on a specific day.

• P eriodically every — the backup job will create restore points repeatedly, with a specific time interval
every day.

TIP

You can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to run the backup job again if it fails on the first try. To do
that, select the Retry failed items processing check box, and specify the maximum number of attempts to
run the job and the time interval between retries. When retrying backup jobs, Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV processes only those VMs that failed to be backed up during the previous attempt.

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Step 7. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish. When Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV starts the job according to the specified schedule, the backup progress will be displayed on the
Session Logs page.

TIP

If you want to start the job immediately, select the Run the job when I click Finish check box and then click
Finish.

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Creating Snapshot Jobs
To take snapshots of VMs, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV runs snapshot jobs. A snapshot job is a collection of
settings that define the way data protection operations are performed: what data to protect, when to start the
backup process, and so on. To create a snapshot job, you can either use the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV web
console or the Veeam Backup & Replication console.

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Before You Begin
Before you create a snapshot job, consider the following limitations:

• You cannot use snapshot jobs to create PD snapshots. If you add a protection domain to a snapshot job,
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will create snapshots of individual VMs included into the protection
domain.

• You cannot create snapshots of instantly recovered VMs since the VM disks have not completed migration
to the Nutanix AHV cluster yet, which may cause the snapshots to become incomplete in case the mount
server is disconnected.

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Creating Snapshot Jobs Using Backup Appliance
Web Console
To create a snapshot job using the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console, do the following:

1. Check prerequisites and limitations.

2. Launch the Add Job wizard.

3. Specify a job name.

4. Selects virtual machines.

5. Configure snapshot retention settings.

6. Define a job schedule.

7. Finish working with the wizard.

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Step 1. Launch Add Job Wizard
To launch the Ad d Job wizard, do the following:

1. Navigate to Job s .

2. Click Ad d .

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Step 2. Specify Job Name and Description
At the Job Info step of the wizard, select the Sna pshot job option. Then, use the Na me and Description fields to
specify a name for the new snapshot job and to provide a description for future reference. The job name must be
unique in Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV.

The maximum length of the name is 40 characters; the following characters are not supported: \ / " ' [ ] : | < > +
= ; , ? * @ & _. The maximum length of the description is 1024 characters.

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Step 3. Configure Backup Source Settings
At the Sources step of the wizard, specify the backup scope — choose whether you want to take snapshots of
individual VMs, VMs included into protection domains or all VMs residing in the cluster. In the Prism Central
deployment, you can also take snapshots of VMs assigned to a specific category or all VMs managed by a Prism
Central.

If you add a protection domain, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will regularly check for new VMs added to the
domain and automatically update the job settings to include these VMs in the backup scope. For a protection
domain to be displayed in the list of the available domains, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV cluster as
described in Nutanix documentation.

If you add a category, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will regularly check for new VMs and clusters assigned to
the category and automatically update the job settings to include these resources in the backup scope. For a
category to be displayed in the list of the available categories, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV Prism
Central as described in Nutanix documentation.

TIP

As an alternative to specifying resources explicitly, you can exclude a number of resources from the backup
scope. To do that, click Choose resources to exclude and specify the VMs or protection domains that you
do not want to protect — the procedure is the same as described for including resources in the backup
scope.

Consider that if a resource appears both in the list of included and excluded resources, Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV will still not process the resource because the list of excluded resources has a higher priority.

While running the job, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV processes resources in the order they are added to the
backup scope. However, you can change the order, for example, if you add some mission-critical VMs to the job
and want them to be processed first. To change the processing order, select a resource and use the Up or Down
buttons.

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 NOTE

If you include a protection domain, category, cluster or Prism Central into the backup scope, VMs in this
object are processed at random. To ensure that the VMs are processed in a specific order, you must add
them as standalone VMs — not as a part of the protection domain, category, cluster or Prism Central.

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Step 4. Configure Retention Settings
At the Sna pshot Settings step of the wizard, specify the number of restore points that you want to keep in a
snapshot chain.

If the restore point limit is exceeded, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV removes the earliest restore point from
the chain. For more information, see Snapshot Retention.

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Step 5. Define Job Schedule
At the Schedule step of the wizard, you can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to start the snapshot job
automatically according to a specific job schedule. The schedule defines how often Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV will create snapshots of the VMs added to the snapshot job.

To help you implement a comprehensive data protection strategy, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to
create schedules of the following types:

• Da ily at this time — the snapshot job will create restore points at a specific time on specific days.

• Monthly at this time — the snapshot job will create restore points once a month on a specific day.

• P eriodically every — the snapshot job will create restore points repeatedly, with a specific time interval
every day.

TIP

You can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to run the snapshot job again if it fails on the first try. To
do that, select the Automatic Retry check box, and specify the maximum number of attempts to run the job
and the time interval between retries. When retrying snapshot jobs, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
processes only those VMs whose snapshots were not taken during the previous attempt..

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Step 6. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish. When Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV starts the job according to the specified schedule, the backup progress will be displayed on the
Session Logs page.

TIP

If you want to start the job immediately, select the Run the job when I click Finish check box and then click
Finish.

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Creating Snapshot Jobs Using Veeam Backup &
Replication Console
To create a snapshot job using the Veeam Backup & Replication console, do the following:

1. Check prerequisites and limitations.

2. Launch the Add Job wizard.

3. Specify a job name.

4. Selects virtual machines.

5. Configure snapshot retention settings.

6. Define a job schedule.

7. Finish working with the wizard.

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Step 1. Launch New Job Wizard
To launch the New Job wizard, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Job s .

3. On the ribbon, click Ba ckup Job > Virtual Machine > Nutanix AHV, or right-click the working area and
select Ba ckup > Virtual machine > Nutanix AHV .

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Step 2. Specify Job Name and Description
At the Na me step of the wizard, select the Sna pshot job option. Then, use the Na me and Description fields to
specify a name for the new backup job and to provide a description for future reference. The job name must be
unique in Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV.

The maximum length of the name is 40 characters; the following characters are not supported: \ / " ' [ ] : | < > +
= ; , ? * @ & _. The maximum length of the description is 1024 characters.

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Step 3. Configure Backup Source Settings
At the Virtual Machines step of the wizard, specify the backup scope — choose whether you want to take
snapshots of individual VMs, VMs included into protection domains or all VMs residing in the cluster. In the
Prism Central deployment, you can also take snapshots of VMs assigned to a specific category or all VMs
managed by a Prism Central.

To view the list of available protection domains, click the P Ds icon on the toolbar at the top right corner of the
window. If you add a protection domain, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will regularly check for new VMs added
to the domain and automatically update the job settings to include these VMs in the backup s cope. For a
protection domain to be displayed in the list of the available domains, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV
cluster as described in Nutanix documentation.

To view the list of available protection domains, click the Ca tegories icon on the toolbar at the top right corner
of the window. If you add a category, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will regularly check for new VMs and
clusters assigned to the category and automatically update the job settings to include these resources in the
backup scope. For a category to be displayed in the list of the available categories, it must be configured in the
Nutanix AHV Prism Central as described in Nutanix documentation.

TIP

As an alternative to specifying resources explicitly, you can exclude a number of resources from the backup
scope. To do that, click E x clusions and specify the VMs or protection domains that you do not want to
protect — the procedure is the same as described for including resources in the backup scope.

Consider that if a resource appears both in the list of included and excluded resources, Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV will still not process the resource because the list of excluded resources has a higher priority.

While running the job, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV processes resources in the order they are added to the
backup scope. However, you can change the order, for example, if you add some mission-critical VMs to the job
and want them to be processed first. To change the processing order, select a resource and use the Up or Down
buttons.

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 NOTE

If you include a protection domain, category, cluster or Prism Central into the backup scope, VMs in this
object are processed at random. To ensure that the VMs are processed in a specific order, you must add
them as standalone VMs — not as a part of the protection domain, category, cluster or Prism Central.

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Step 4. Configure Retention Settings
At the Ba ckup Destination step of the wizard, specify the number of restore points that you want to keep in a
snapshot chain.

If the restore point limit is exceeded, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV removes the e arliest restore point from
the chain. For more information, see Snapshot Retention.

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Step 5. Define Job Schedule
At the Schedule step of the wizard, you can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to start the snapshot job
automatically according to a specific job schedule. The schedule defines how often Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV will create snapshots of the VMs added to the snapshot job.

To help you implement a comprehensive data protection strategy, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to
create schedules of the following types:

• Da ily at this time — the snapshot job will create restore points at a specific time on specific days.

• Monthly at this time — the snapshot job will create restore points once a month on a specific day.

• P eriodically every — the snapshot job will create restore points repeatedly, with a specific time interval
every day.

TIP

You can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to run the snapshot job again if it fails on the first try. To
do that, select the Automatic Retry check box, and specify the maximum number of attempts to run the job
and the time interval between retries. When retrying snapshot jobs, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
processes only those VMs whose snapshots were not taken during the previous attempt..

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Step 6. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish. When Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV starts the job according to the specified schedule, the backup progress will be displayed on the
Session Logs page.

TIP

If you want to start the job immediately, select the Run the job when I click Finish check box and then click
Finish.

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Creating Protection Domain Snapshot Jobs
To take snapshots of protection domains, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV runs PD snapshot jobs. A PD snapshot
job is a collection of settings that define the way data protection operations are performed: what data to
protect, when to start the backup process, and so on. To create a PD snapshot job, you can either use the Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV web console or the Veeam Backup & Replication console.

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Before You Begin
Before you create a PD snapshot job, consider the following limitations:

• You cannot create snapshots of a protection domain if it contains multiple VMs with the same name.

• You cannot create snapshots of a protection domain if it contains VMs with attached volume groups that
are not included into the protection domain.

• You cannot create snapshots of instantly recovered VMs since the VM disks have not completed migration
to the Nutanix AHV cluster yet, which may cause the snapshots to become incomplete in case the mount
server is disconnected.

• You cannot create snapshots of a protection domain in the Inactive state (for example, after having been
replicated to a remote site).

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Creating PD Snapshot Jobs Using Backup
Appliance Web Console
To create a protection domain snapshot job using the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console, do the
following:

1. Check prerequisites and limitations.

2. Launch the Add Job wizard.

3. Specify a job name.

4. Selects protection domains.

5. Configure snapshot retention settings.

6. Define a job schedule.

7. Finish working with the wizard.

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Step 1. Launch Add Job Wizard
To launch the Ad d Job wizard, do the following:

1. Navigate to Job s .

2. Click Ad d .

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Step 2. Specify Job Name and Description
At the Job Info step of the wizard, select the P D snapshot job option. Then, use the Na me and Description fields
to specify a name for the new PD snapshot job and to provide a description for future reference. The job name
must be unique in Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV.

The maximum length of the name is 40 characters; the following characters are not supported: \ / " ' [ ] : | < > +
= ; , ? * @ & _. The maximum length of the description is 1024 characters.

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Step 3. Select Protection Domains
At the Sources step of the wizard, specify the backup scope — choose whether you want to take snapshots of
individual protection domains or all protection domains configured in the cluster or Prism Central.

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will regularly check for new consistency groups (VMs and volume groups) added
to the domain and automatically update the job settings to include them in the backup scope. For a protection
domain to be displayed in the list of the available domains, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV cluster as
described in Nutanix documentation.

TIP

As an alternative to specifying resources explicitly, you can exclude a number of resources from the backup
scope. To do that, click Choose resources to exclude and specify protection domains that you do not want
to protect — the procedure is the same as described for including resources in the backup scope.

Consider that if a resource appears both in the list of included and excluded resources, Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV will still not process the resource because the list of excluded resources has a higher priority.

While running the job, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV processes resources in the order they are added to the
backup scope. However, you can change the order, for example, if you add some mission-critical VMs to the job
and want them to be processed first. To change the processing order, select a resource and use the Up or Down
buttons.

NOTE

If you include a cluster or Prism Central into the backup scope, PDs in this cluster are processed at random.
To ensure that the PDs are processed in a specific order, you must add them as standalone PDs — not as a
part of the cluster or Prism Central.

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Step 4. Configure Retention Settings
At the Sna pshot Settings step of the wizard, specify the number of restore points that you want to keep in a
snapshot chain. If the restore point limit is exceeded, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV removes the earliest
restore point from the chain. For more information, see Snapshot Retention.

TIP

To instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to execute a custom script while running the PD snapshot job,
set the Run the following script to create a P D snapshot toggle to On, and click Browse to upload a script
file. For more information, see Writing Custom Scripts.

Writing Custom Scripts

To coordinate application activity on VMs included into a protection domain before and after a PD snapshot is
taken, you can run custom scripts. A custom script performs pre-freeze operations, takes the PD snapshot, and
finally performs post-thaw operations.

IMP ORTANT

Veeam does not provide support for cases related to custom scripts.

You can use any programming language to write a script. However, you must specify the used interpreter in the
shebang line, for example: #!/usr/bin/python3. For more information, see Appendix A. Custom Script
Samples.

NOTE

You cannot use binary files for custom scripts.

While writing custom scripts, use the following arguments:

Arg ument Description

--clusterId [Applies only to Prism Central deployment] ID of a cluster where the protection domain
is configured.

--pdName Name of a protection domain for which a PD snapshot is created.

--jobName Name of a job that runs the script.

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 Arg ument Description

--logDir Path to a folder where script logs are stored.

--logLevel Level of logging.

To specify parameters required for connecting to the Nutanix AHV cluster where VMs included into the
protection domain are running, use environment variables such as in the following example:

nutanixClusterIp = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_ADDRESS')
nutanixLogin = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_LOGIN')
nutanixPass = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_PASSWORD')

To specify parameters required for connecting to the Prism Central where VMs included into the protection
domain are running, use environment variables such as in the following example:

nutanixPrismCentralIp = os.getenv('NUTANIX_PRISM_CENTRAL_ADDRESS')
nutanixLogin = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_LOGIN')
nutanixPass = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_PASSWORD')

You can find script logs in the custom_script.log file stored in the
/var/log/nxbackupagent/Backup/<job_name_job_uuid>/<pd_name>/ folder on the backup
appliance. The file also contains a JSON string that includes the script execution status, an error description (if
any) and an identifier of the PD snapshot if it has been created, for example:

• Script execution succeeded:

Result: {"status": "Success", "errorMessage": "", "oob_schedule_id": 78852

70}

• Script execution failed:

Result: {"status": "Failed", "errorMessage": "Unable to get vm_id list for

Protection Domain='VeeamBackupProtection': Authentication failed.", "oob_s
chedule_id": ""}

• Script execution completed with a warning:

Result: {"status": "Warning", "errorMessage": "Pre-freeze took more time t

han expected", "oob_schedule_id": "44509"}

TIP

You can track the script execution progress on the Session Logs page in the backup appliance web console.
Alternatively, you can download log files to your local machine.

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Step 5. Define Job Schedule
At the Schedule step of the wizard, you can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to start the PD snapshot job
automatically according to a specific schedule. The schedule defines how often Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
will create snapshots of the protection domains added to the PD snapshot job.

To help you implement a comprehensive data protection strategy, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to
create schedules of the following types:

• Da ily at this time — the PD snapshot job will create restore points at a specific time on specific days.

• Monthly at this time — the PD snapshot job will create restore points once a month on a specific day.

• P eriodically every — the PD snapshot job will create restore points repeatedly, with a specific time inter val
every day.

TIP

You can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to run the job again if it fails on the first try. To do that,
select the Automatic Retry check box, and specify the maximum number of attempts to run the job and the
time interval between retries. When retrying PD snapshot jobs, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV processes
only those PDs whose snapshots were not taken during the previous attempt.

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Step 6. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish. When Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV starts the job according to the specified schedule, the backup progress will be displayed on the
Session Logs page.

TIP

If you want to start the job immediately, select the Run the job when I click Finish check box and then click
Finish.

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Creating PD Snapshot Jobs Using Veeam Backup
& Replication Console
To create a protection domain snapshot job using the Veeam Backup & Replication console, do the following:

1. Check prerequisites and limitations.

2. Launch the Add Job wizard.

3. Specify a job name.

4. Selects protection domains.

5. Configure snapshot retention settings.

6. Define a job schedule.

7. Finish working with the wizard.

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Step 1. Launch New Job Wizard
To launch the New Job wizard, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Job s .

3. On the ribbon, click Ba ckup Job > Virtual Machine > Nutanix AHV, or right-click the working area and
select Ba ckup > Virtual machine > Nutanix AHV .

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Step 2. Specify Job Name and Description
At the Na me step of the wizard, select the P D snapshot job option. Then, use the Na me and Description fields to
specify a name for the new backup job and to provide a description for future reference. The job name must be
unique in Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV.

The maximum length of the name is 40 characters; the following characters are not supported: \ / " ' [ ] : | < > +
= ; , ? * @ & _. The maximum length of the description is 1024 characters.

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Step 3. Configure Backup Source Settings
At the Virtual Machines step of the wizard, specify the backup scope — choose whether you want to take
snapshots of individual protection domains or all protection domains configured in the cluster or Prism Central.

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will regularly check for new consistency groups (VMs and volume groups) added
to the domain and automatically update the job settings to include them in the backup scope. For a protection
domain to be displayed in the list of the available domains, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV cluster as
described in Nutanix documentation.

TIP

As an alternative to specifying resources explicitly, you can exclude a number of resources from the backup
scope. To do that, click E x clusions and specify the protection domains that you do not want to protect —
the procedure is the same as described for including resources in the backup scope.

Consider that if a resource appears both in the list of included and excluded resources, Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV will still not process the resource because the list of excluded resources has a higher priority.

While running the job, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV processes resources in the order they are added to the
backup scope. However, you can change the order, for example, if you add some mission-critical VMs to the job
and want them to be processed first. To change the processing order, select a resource and use the Up or Down
buttons.

NOTE

If you include a cluster or Prism Central into the backup scope, PDs in this cluster are processed at random.
To ensure that the PDs are processed in a specific order, you must add them as standalone PDs — not as a
part of the cluster or Prism Central.

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Step 4. Configure Retention Settings
At the Ba ckup Destination step of the wizard, specify the number of restore points that you want to keep in a
snapshot chain. If the restore point limit is exceeded, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV removes the earliest
restore point from the chain. For more information, see Snapshot Retention.

TIP

To instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to execute a custom script while running the PD snapshot job,
click Ad vanced, then, in the Ad vanced settings window, select the Run the following script to create a PD
sna pshot check box and click Browse to upload a script file. For more information, see Writing Custom
Scripts.

Writing Custom Scripts

To coordinate application activity on VMs included into a protection domain before and after a PD snapshot is
taken, you can run custom scripts. A custom script performs pre-freeze operations, takes the PD snapshot, and
finally performs post-thaw operations.

IMP ORTANT

Veeam does not provide support for cases related to custom scripts.

You can use any programming language to write a script. However, you must specify the used interpreter in the
shebang line, for example: #!/usr/bin/python3. For more information, see Appendix A. Custom Script
Samples.

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 NOTE

You cannot use binary files for custom scripts.

While writing custom scripts, use the following arguments:

Arg ument Description

--clusterId [Applies only to Prism Central deployment] ID of a cluster where the protection domain
is configured.

--pdName Name of a protection domain for which a PD snapshot is created.

--jobName Name of a job that runs the script.

--logDir Path to a folder where script logs are stored.

--logLevel Level of logging.

To specify parameters required for connecting to the Nutanix AHV cluster where VMs included into the
protection domain are running, use environment variables such as in the following example:

nutanixClusterIp = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_ADDRESS')
nutanixLogin = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_LOGIN')
nutanixPass = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_PASSWORD')

To specify parameters required for connecting to the Prism Central where VMs included into the protection
domain are running, use environment variables such as in the following example:

nutanixPrismCentralIp = os.getenv('NUTANIX_PRISM_CENTRAL_ADDRESS')
nutanixLogin = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_LOGIN')
nutanixPass = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_PASSWORD')

You can find script logs in the custom_script.log file stored in the
/var/log/nxbackupagent/Backup/<job_name_job_uuid>/<pd_name>/ folder on the backup
appliance. The file also contains a JSON string that includes the script execution status, an error description (if
any) and an identifier of the PD snapshot if it has been created, for example:

• Script execution succeeded:

Result: {"status": "Success", "errorMessage": "", "oob_schedule_id": 78852

70}

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 • Script execution failed:

Result: {"status": "Failed", "errorMessage": "Unable to get vm_id list for

Protection Domain='VeeamBackupProtection': Authentication failed.", "oob_s
chedule_id": ""}

• Script execution completed with a warning:

Result: {"status": "Warning", "errorMessage": "Pre-freeze took more time t

han expected", "oob_schedule_id": "44509"}

TIP

You can track the script execution progress on the Session Logs page in the backup appliance web console.
Alternatively, you can download log files to your local machine.

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Step 5. Define Job Schedule
At the Schedule step of the wizard, you can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to start the PD snapshot job
automatically according to a specific schedule. The schedule defines how often Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
will create snapshots of the protection domains added to the PD snapshot job.

To help you implement a comprehensive data protection strategy, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to
create schedules of the following types:

• Da ily at this time — the PD snapshot job will create restore points at a specific time on specific days.

• Monthly at this time — the PD snapshot job will create restore points once a month on a specific day.

• P eriodically every — the PD snapshot job will create restore points repeatedly, with a specific time interval
every day.

TIP

You can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to run the job again if it fails on the first try. To do that,
select the Automatic Retry check box, and specify the maximum number of attempts to run the job and the
time interval between retries. When retrying PD snapshot jobs, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV processes
only those PDs whose snapshots were not taken during the previous attempt.

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Step 6. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish. When Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV starts the job according to the specified schedule, the backup progress will be displayed on the
Session Logs page.

TIP

If you want to start the job immediately, select the Run the job when I click Finish check box and then click
Finish.

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Analyzing Performance Bottlenecks
As any backup application handles a great amount of data, it is important to make sure the data flow is efficient
and all resources engaged in the backup process are optimally used. For backup jobs, Veeam provides advanced
statistics about the data flow efficiency and lets you identify bottlenecks at the following stages of the data
transmission process:

1. Reading VM data blocks from the source.

2. Processing VM data on a worker.

3. Transporting data over the network.

4. Writing data to the target.

While evaluating the data transmission process, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV leverages the Veeam Backup &
Replication functionality to analyze performance of all the data flow components:

• Source — the source disk reader component responsible for retrieving data from the source node.

• P roxy — the worker component responsible for processing VM data.

• Network — the network queue writer component responsible for getting processed VM data from the
worker and sending it over the network to the Target (directly or through the Gateway Server).

• Ta rget — the gateway server component responsible for processing VM data, or the target disk writer
component responsible for storing data in the backup repository.

To see the bottleneck statistics for a job or a specific VM processed by the job, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Job s .

3. In the working area, right-click a backup job for which you want to see the bottleneck statistics, and select
Sta tistics.

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 4. In the job session window, click Show Details:

o To see the aggregated statistics for the whole job, check the Loa d field in the Action column.

o To see the bottleneck statistics for a specific VM, click a VM name and check the Loa d field in the
Action column.

To learn how to analyze the bottleneck statistics, see Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section
Performance Bottlenecks.

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Cloning Jobs
You can create a new job by cloning an existing one. Job cloning allows you to create an exact copy of any job
with the same job settings.

To clone a job, do the following:

1. Navigate to Job s .

2. Select the job.

3. Click Clone.

The name of the cloned job is formed by the following rule: <job_name_clone1> , where job_name is the name of
the original job and clone1 is a suffix added to the original job name. If you clone the same job again, the number
in the name will be incremented, for example, job_name_clone2, job_name_clone3 and so on. To change the
name of a cloned job, edit the job as described in section Editing Job Settings.

NOTE

If the original job is scheduled to run automatically, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV disables the cloned
job. To enable the cloned job, select it in the job list and click E na ble.

TIP

You can also clone a job using the Veeam Backup & Replication console. To do that, in the inventory pane
of the Home view, select Job s > Ba ckup, select the job and click Clone on the ribbon.

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Starting and Stopping Jobs
You can start a job manually, for example, if you want to create an additional restore point and do not want to
modify the configured job schedule. You can also stop a job manually if processing of a VM is about to take too
long, and you do not want the job to have an impact on the production environment during business hours.
When you stop a running job, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV creates a new restore point only for those VMs
that have already been processed by the time you stop the job.

To start or stop a job, do the following:

1. Navigate to Job s .

2. Select the job.

3. Click Sta rt or Stop .

TIP

You can also start or stop a job using the Veeam Backup & Replication console. To do that, in the inventory
pane of the Home view, select Job s > Ba ckup, select the job and click Sta rt or Stop on the ribbon.

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Retrying Jobs
If a job fails, you can retry the backup operation. When you perform a retry, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
restarts the operation only for the failed resources added to the job and does not process VMs that have been
processed successfully. As a result, retrying a job takes less time compared to restarting the job for all
resources.

To retry a job, do the following:

1. Navigate to Job s .

2. Select the failed job.

3. Click Retry.

TIP

You can also retry a job using the Veeam Backup & Replication console. To do that, in the inventory pane of
the Home view, select Job s > Ba ckup, select the job and click Retry on the ribbon.

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Editing Job Settings
For each job, you can modify settings configured while creating the job:

1. Navigate to Job s .

2. Select the job.

You can select the job for editing even when it is running.

3. Click E d it:

o To update configuration of a backup job, complete the wizard as described in section Creating Backup
Jobs.

o To update configuration of a snapshot job, complete the wizard as described in section Creating
Snapshot Jobs.

o To update configuration of a protection domain snapshot job, complete the wizard as described in
section Creating Protection Domain Snapshot Jobs.

TIP

You can also start the E d it Job wizard using the Veeam Backup & Replication console. To do that, in the
inventory pane of the Home view, select Job s > Ba ckup, select the job and click E d it on the ribbon.

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Enabling and Disabling Jobs
By default, all created jobs run according to the specified schedules. However, you can temporarily disable a job
so that it does not run automatically. You will still be able to enable the disabled job at any time you need.

To enable or disable a backup job, do the following:

1. Navigate to Job s .

2. Select the job.

3. Click E nable or Disable.

TIP

You can also enable or disable a job using the Veeam Backup & Replication console. To do that, in the
inventory pane of the Home view, select Job s > Ba ckup, select the job and click E nable or Disable on the
ribbon.

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Deleting Jobs
You can permanently delete a job from the Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV configuration database if you no
longer need it. When you delete a job, backups created by this job are displayed under the Ba ckups > Disk
( Orphaned) node in the Home view of the Veeam Backup & Replication console. If you want to delete backup
files as well, follow the instructions provided in section Deleting Backups.

To delete job, do the following:

1. Navigate to Job s .

2. Select the job.

3. Click Delete.

TIP

You can also delete a job using the Veeam Backup & Replication console. To do that, in the inventory pane
of the Home view, select Job s > Ba ckup, select the job and click Delete on the ribbon.

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Creating Active Full Backup
You can manually create an active full backup for all VMs added to a backup job.

1. Switch to the Job s page.

2. Select the necessary backup job and click Active Full.

3. Click Y es.

NOTE

To create active full backup automatically according to a specific schedule, configure backup job settings
as described in section Creating Backup Jobs (step 3).

TIP

You can also create active full backups using the Veeam Backup & Replication console. To do that, in the
inventory pane of the Home view, select Job s > Ba ckup, select the job and click Active Full on the ribbon.

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Creating VeeamZIP Backups
You can back up one or multiple Nutanix AHV VMs without configuring backup jobs. To do that, you can
leverage the VeeamZIP feature — it can be helpful, for example, if you want to create backups for VMs
immediately, archive VMs before decommissioning and so on. VeeamZIP pr oduces a full backup that acts as an
independent restore point. You can store the backup in a repository added to the backup infrastructure, in a
local folder on the backup server or in a network share.

NOTE

You cannot store VeeamZIP backups in Veeam Cloud Connect and HPE Cloud Bank Storage repositories.

To create a VeeamZIP backup, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Inventory view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Nuta nix AHV.

3. It the working area, right-click the VM that you want to back up, and select VeeamZIP.

4. Select the destination where the VeeamZIP backup will be stored.

TIP

You cannot specify an SMB share that requires authentication as a local or shared folder. However, you can
add the SMB share to the backup infrastructure and specify it as backup repository.

The created VeeamZIP backup will be displayed under the Ba ckups > Disk (Exported) node in the Home view of
the Veeam Backup & Replication console.

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Managing Backups and Snapshots
You can perform the following operations with backup files and snapshots:

• Viewing Backup Properties

• Rescanning Backups

• Verifying Backups

• Exporting Backups

• Copying Backups

• Copying Backups to Tapes

• Deleting Backups

• Deleting Snapshots

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Viewing Backup Properties
After a backup job successfully creates a backup of a Nutanix AHV VM according to the specified schedule, or
after you create an active full backup of a VM manually, the backup is displayed under the Ba ckups node in the
Home view of the Veeam Backup & Replication console. Each backup is represented with a set of properties,
such as:

• Ob jects — the names and sizes of backed-up VMs.

• Res tore Points — the date and time of all restore points created for a VM.

• Files — the size of processed VM data, the size and the storage location of backed -up VM data, the ratio of
data deduplication and the ratio of data compression.

To view backup properties, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, right-click the backup and select P roperties.

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Rescanning Backups
You can import backups created by another Nutanix AHV backup appliance and use them to restore VMs and VM
disks.

NOTE

When you import backups, the jobs that produced those backups are not re-created. To re-create the jobs,
restore the Nutanix AHV backup appliance configuration as described in section Restoring Configuration
Settings.

To import Nutanix AHV VM backups, do the following:

1. Ensure that the Nutanix AHV backup appliance has access to repositories where the necessary backups are
stored.

2. Switch to the Configuration page.

3. Navigate to Ba ck up Server.

4. Click Rescan Backups.

The Nutanix AHV backup appliance will scan the repositories and import all Nutanix AHV VM backups
created by Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV. To track the progress of the import operation, click Go to
Sessions.

To see the list of imported backups, switch to the P rotected VMs page.

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Verifying Backups
To perform an integrity check of Nutanix AHV VM backups, Veeam Backup & Replication offers the SureBackup
technology that allows you to ensure that the created restore points are not corrupted. For backups of Windows
VMs, you can also scan the restore points with antivirus software installed on the backup server, and run YARA
rules to detect malware and sensitive data.

To create a SureBackup job, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Job s and click SureBackup Job on the ribbon.

3. At the Na me step of the New SureBackup Job wizard, select the Ba ckup verification and content scan only
verification mode, and then complete the wizard as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User
Guide, section Creating SureBackup Jobs.

If any of the verification checks fail for a restore point, Veeam Backup & Replication will mark both this restore
point and all subsequent points in the backup chain as Infected . To learn how to manage infected restore points,
see Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Managing Malware Status.

TIP

You can scan backups of Windows VMs manually on demand, without creating a SureBackup job. To learn
how to do that, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Scan Backup.

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Exporting Backups
Exporting backups allows you to synthesize a complete and independent full backup file using restore points
located in your backup repositories. That is, you can transform any backup chain into a standalone full backup
file and save it to the same repository where the selected restore points reside.

To export a backup, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, right-click a VM for which you want to synthesize a full backup file, and select E x port
Ba ckup.

4. Complete the New E xport wizard as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section
Performing Export.

Once the export operation completes, the exported backup will be displayed under the Ba ckups > Disk
( E xported) node in the Home view of the Veeam Backup & Replication console.

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Copying Backups
With backup copy, you can create several instances of a backup and copy them to secondary (target) backup
repositories for long-term storage. Target backup repositories can be located in the same site as the source
backup repository or can be deployed off-site. Since the backup copy has the same format as the origina l
backup, you can restore VM data directly from the backup copy in case a disaster strikes. For more information
on the backup copy functionality, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Backup Copy.

To copy backups to a secondary backup repository, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Job s and click Ba ckup Copy on the ribbon.

3. Create a backup copy job as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Creating
Backup Copy Jobs.

Note that you can copy backups to Veeam Cloud Connect repositories if a service provider is added to Veeam
Backup & Replication. You can also restore VMs from backup copies stored in those r epositories if you use
Veeam Cloud Connect version 12.

TIP

Alternatively, you can create a copy of a backup without configuring a job as described in the Veeam
Backup & Replication User Guide, section Copying Backups.

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Copying Backups to Tapes
You can create archives of Nutanix AHV VM backups and copy them to tapes for long -term storage. Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to manage tape archives the same way you manage backups in backup
repositories. However, it usually takes more time to access archived data on tapes than to access backed -up
data in repositories. For more information on tapes, see the Veeam Ba ckup & Replication User Guide, section
Tape Devices Support.

To archive Nutanix AHV VM backups to tape, do the following:

1. Configure the tape infrastructure:

a. Connect tape devices as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Tape
Devices Deployment.

b. Perform initial configuration of the tape infrastructure as described in the Veeam Backup &
Replication User Guide, section Getting Started with Tapes (steps 1–3).

2. Create a backup to tape job as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Creating
Backup to Tape Jobs.

NOTE

You cannot restore Nutanix AHV VMs directly from tapes. To restore a Nutanix AHV VM, you must first
restore its backups to a repository as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section
Backup Restore from Tape to Repository.

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Deleting Backups
By default, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV maintains backups in backup repositories according to retention
policy settings saved in the backup metadata. If Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV detects that the number of
restore points in the backup chain exceeds the allowed number, it automatically removes obsolete backups. If
necessary, you can delete backups manually.

To delete backup files created for a Nutanix AHV VM by a backup or snapshot job, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane of the Home view, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, expand the job that created the backup, right-click the VM name and select Delete
from disk.

NOTE

[Applies only to Veeam Backup & Replication version 12.1 and later] If 4-eyes authorization is enabled in
Veeam Backup & Replication, deleting backup files will require additional approval from another user with
the Veeam Backup Administrator role.

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Deleting Snapshots
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV applies the configured retention policy settings to automatically remove
snapshots created by jobs. If necessary, you can also remove snapshots manually.

To remove snapshots, do the following:

1. Navigate to P rotected VMs.

2. Select a VM whose snapshots you want to delete.

3. Click Remove Snapshots:

o Select All to remove all VM snapshots including snapshots taken in the Nutanix AHV Prism console.

o Select Created by Job to remove only snapshots created by Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV jobs.

NOTE

If the VM is protected with PD snapshots, you can choose whether you want to delete or skip them. If you
choose to delete the PD snapshots, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will delete snapshots of the selected
VM and of all other VMs included into the protection domain. If you choose to skip the PD s napshots,
snapshots of the selected VM included in the protection domain will retain.

4. Click Remove to confirm.

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Performing Restore
In various disaster recovery scenarios, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to perform the following
operations using backed-up data:

• Entire VM restore — recover Nutanix AHV VMs to the original location or to a new location.

• VM disk restore — recover a specific VM disk and attach it to the original VM or to another VM.

• Instant VM recovery — instantly start a VM directly from a backup.

• Disk publishing — mount specific disks of a backed-up Nutanix AHV VMs to any server added to the backup
infrastructure.

• File-level restore — recover individual VM guest OS files and folders.

• Application items restore — restore applications, such as Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange,
Microsoft SharePoint, and Microsoft SQL Server.

• VM disk export — restore VM disks and convert them to disks of the VMDK, VHD or VHDX format.

• Restore to AWS — restore Nutanix AHV VMs to Amazon Web Services as EC2 instances.

• Restore to Microsoft Azure — restore Nutanix AHV VMs to Microsoft Azure as Azure VMs.

• Restore to Google Cloud — restore Nutanix AHV VMs to Google Cloud as VM instances.

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Performing VM Restore
In case a disaster strikes, you can restore an entire Nutanix AHV VM from a backup or snapshot. Veeam Backup
for Nutanix AHV allows you to restore one or more VMs at a time, to the original location or to a new location.

Supported Workloads
To restore machines to a Nutanix AHV cluster, you can use the following backups and snapshots:

• Snapshots of Nutanix AHV PDs created by Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV

• Snapshots of Nutanix AHV VMs created by Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV

• Backups of Nutanix AHV VMs created by Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV (including VMs with volume
groups attached and VMs with no disks attached)

• Backups of Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware vSphere VMs created by Veeam Backup & Replication

• Backups of virtual and physical machines created by Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows and Veeam
Agent for Linux

• Backups of VMs created by vCloud Director

• Backups of Amazon EC2 instances created by Veeam Backup for AWS

• Backups of Microsoft Azure VMs created by Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure

• Backups of Google Cloud VM instances created by Veeam Backup for Google Cloud

• Backups of oVirt KVM VMs created by Veeam Backup for Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager and Red Hat
Virtualization

• Backups of Proxmox VE VMs created by Veeam Backup for Proxmox VE

VM restore is supported only for snapshots stored in the Nutanix AHV cluster and for backups stored in backup
repositories, object storage repositories, and on the performance, capacity and archive tier of a scale-out backup
repository (except for backups stored in the archive tier that consists of the Amazon S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval
extent; for those backups, you can perform Instant Recovery).

NOTE

You cannot restore VMs from backups stored in external repositories, Veeam Cloud Connect repositories,
HPE Cloud Bank Storage and on tapes.

How to Perform VM Restore

To restore a protected VM, you can use either the Veeam Backup & Replication console or the Nutanix AHV
backup appliance web console. However, only the Veeam Backup & Replication console allows you to restore
workloads of different types and to choose a location for the restored VMs.

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Restoring VMs Using Veeam Backup &
Replication Console
From the Veeam Backup & Replication console, you can restore one or multiple VMs to any Nutanix AHV cluster
added to the backup infrastructure.

To restore a protected VM, do the following:

1. Check prerequisites and limitations.

2. Launch the Full VM Restore wizard.

3. Select VMs to restore.

4. Choose a restore mode.

5. Specify a target cluster.

6. Select a storage container where VM virtual disks will be stored .

7. Specify a new name for the restored VM.

8. Configure network settings.

9. Specify a restore reason.

10. Verify restore settings.

Before You Begin

Before you perform VM restore, consider the following limitations:

• When restoring a VM from a snapshot, backup snapshot or PD snapshot, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
stores virtual disks of the recovered VM in the original storage container.

• When restoring a VM from a snapshot or PD snapshot, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV retains the original
VM network settings. After the VM is restored, you can change these settings using the Nutanix Prism
console as described in Nutanix documentation.

• To restore a VM from a backup stored in the archive tier of a scale-out backup repository, you must first
retrieve backup data as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guid e, section Retrieving
Backup Files.

• A VM restored from a backup created by a solution other than Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV may
become unreachable through the network. To resolve the issue, log in to the VM console using Nutanix
AHV Prism Element console and install Nutanix Guest Tools as described in Nutanix documentation.

• When restoring a VM that originally resided on a platform other than Nutanix AHV, Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV attaches VM disks with the restored data to the target VM disk nodes using their original b us
types. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV can attach to a VM up to 6 SATA, 256 SCSI, 4 IDE and 7 PCI disks. If
the VM has more disks of any of those bus types, Nutanix AHV will attach the disks to remaining nodes of
other bus types in the default priority: SATA, SCSI, IDE, PCI. You can modify the backup appliance
configuration, to instruct Nutanix AHV to ignore source VM original bus types and to use a specific order
of bus types.

• When restoring a VM to a new location, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV does not restore the VM affinity
policy configuration. Therefore, you must manually configure the affinity policy as described in Nutanix
documentation.

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Step 1. Launch Restore Wizard
To launch the Full VM Restore to Nutanix AHV wizard, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, expand the necessary backup or snapshot job, select the VM that you want to restore
and click E ntire VM on the ribbon, or right-click the VM and select Restore entire VM to Nutanix AHV.

TIP

To restore a VM from a snapshot taken in the Nutanix AHV Prism Element console, expand the Nutanix
AHV cluster, select the VM that you want to restore and click E ntire VM on the ribbon, or right-click the
VM and select Restore entire VM to Nutanix AHV.

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Step 2. Select Restore Point
At the Virtual Machines step of the wizard, select a restore point that will be used to restore the selected VM.
By default, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses the most recent valid restore point. However, you can restore
the VM data to an earlier state.

To select a restore point, do the following:

1. Select the VM.

2. Click P oint.

3. In the Restore Points window, select the necessary restore point and click OK.

To help you choose a restore point, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV provides the following information on
each available restore point:

o Job — the name of the backup job that created the restore point and the date when the restore point
was created.

o Ty p e — the type of the restore point.

o Loca tion — the repository where the restore point is stored.

You can use the wizard to restore multiple VMs at a time. To do that, click Ad d , select more VMs to restore and
select a restore point for each of them.

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Step 3. Choose Restore Mode
At the Restore Mode step of the wizard, choose whether you want to restore the selected VM to the original or
to a custom location.

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Step 4. Specify Target Cluster
[This step applies only if you have selected the Restore to a new location, or with different settings option at
the Restore Mode step of the wizard]

At the Cluster step of the wizard, choose the cluster to which the recovered VM will belong. In the Prism Central
deployment, you can also choose whether you want the recovered VM to be assigned the same categories as the
original VM.

For a cluster to be displayed in the list of the available clusters, it must be added to the backup infrastructure as
described in section Adding Nutanix AHV Server.

NOTE

The Cluster step of the Full VM Restore to Nutanix AHV wizard is only available when you restore the VM
from a backup.

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Step 5. Select Storage Container
[This step applies only if you have selected the Restore to a new location, or with different settings option at
the Restore Mode step of the wizard]

At the Storage Container step of the wizard, choose the storage container where virtual disks of the recovered
VM will be stored.

For a container to be displayed in the list of the available containers, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV
cluster as described in Nutanix documentation.

NOTE

You cannot choose a storage container when restoring the VM from a snapshot.

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Step 6. Specify VM Name
[This step applies only if you have selected the Restore to a new location, or with different settings option at
the Restore Mode step of the wizard]

At the Na me step of the wizard, you can specify a new name for the recovered VM.

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Step 7. Configure Network Settings
[This step applies only if you have selected the Restore to a new location, or with different settings option at
the Restore Mode step of the wizard]

At the Network step of the wizard, choose a network to which the recovered VM will be connected. If you do not
want to connect the VM to any virtual network, select the VM and click Disconnect.

For a network to be displayed in the list of the available networks, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV
cluster as described in Nutanix documentation.

NOTE

You cannot change network settings when restoring the VM from a snapshot. However, you can choose to
disconnect the original network.

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Step 8. Specify Restore Reason
At the Rea son step of the wizard, specify a reason for restoring the VM. This information will be saved to the
session history, and you will be able to reference it later.

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Step 9. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish.

TIP

If you want to start the recovered VM as soon as the restore process completes, select the P ower on target
VM a fter restoring check box.

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Restoring VMs Using Backup Appliance Web
Console
In the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console, you can restore a Nutanix AHV VM from backups and
snapshots to the cluster where the original VM belongs.

To restore a protected VM, do the following:

1. Check prerequisites and limitations.

2. Launch the Full VM Restore wizard.

3. Select a restore point.

4. Choose a restore mode.

5. Specify a target cluster.

6. Specify a new name for the restored VM.

7. Select a container where VM virtual disks will be stored.

8. Configure network settings.

9. Specify a restore reason.

10. Finish working with the wizard.

Before You Begin

Before you perform Nutanix AHV VM restore, consider the following limitations:

• When restoring the VM from a backup, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV stores all virtual disks of the
recovered VM in one storage container.

• When restoring a VM from a snapshot, backup snapshot or PD snapshot, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
stores virtual disks of the recovered VM in the original storage container.

• When restoring a VM from a snapshot or PD snapshot, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV retains the original
VM network settings. After the VM is restored, you can change these settings using the Nutanix Prism
console as described in Nutanix documentation.

• When restoring a VM to a new location, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV does not restore the VM affinity
policy configuration. Therefore, you must manually configure the affinity policy as described in Nutanix
documentation.

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Step 1. Launch Full VM Restore Wizard
To launch the Full VM Restore wizard, do the following:

1. Navigate to P rotected VMs.

2. Select the VM that you want to restore.

3. Click Restore > VM Restore.

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Step 2. Select Restore Point
At the Virtual Machine step of the wizard, select a restore point that will be used to restore the selected VM. By
default, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses the most recent valid restore point. However, you can restore the
VM data to an earlier state.

To select a restore point, do the following:

1. Select the VM.

2. Click Restore Point.

3. In the Select restore point window, select the necessary restore point and click Ap p ly.

To help you choose a restore point, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV provides the following information on
each available restore point:

o Job Name — the name of the backup job that created the restore point.

o Creating Time — the time and date when the restore point was created.

o Ty p e — the type of the restore point:

▪ Backup — an image-level backup created by a backup job.

[Applies to the Prism Central deployment] Only backups are supported for restore to another
cluster.

▪ Backup snapshot — a snapshot created by a backup job.

▪ Snapshot — a snapshot created by a snapshot job or manually taken in the Nutanix AHV Prism
Element console.

▪ PD snapshot — a snapshot created with a protection domain snapshot.

TIP

While creating a backup, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV takes a VM snapshot that is called backup
snapshot. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV stores a recent backup snapshot for each backup job. Restore
from the backup snapshot is significantly faster than restore from a backup. However, when you restore
from the backup snapshot, limitations are applied. For more information on snapshots, see Snapshot
Types,

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You can use the wizard to restore multiple VMs at a time. To do that, click Ad d VM, select more VMs to restore
and select a restore point for each of them.

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Step 3. Choose Restore Mode
At the Restore Mode step, choose whether you want to restore the VM with the original settings or to specify
new settings (such as VM network and disk storage settings).

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Step 4. Specify Target Cluster
[This step applies only if you have selected the Restore to new location, or with different settings option at the
Restore Mode step of the wizard in the Prism Central deployment]

At the Cluster step of the wizard, choose the cluster to which the recovered VM will belong. You can also
choose whether you want the recovered VM to be assigned the same categories as the original VM.

NOTE

The Cluster step of the Full VM Restore wizard is only available when you restore the VM from a backup.

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Step 5. Specify VM Name
[This step applies only if you have selected the Restore to new location, or with different settings option at the
Restore Mode step of the wizard]

At the Na me step of the wizard, you can specify a new name for the recovered VM.

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Step 6. Select Storage Container
[This step applies only if you have selected the Restore to new location, or with different settings option at the
Restore Mode step of the wizard]

At the Storage Container step of the wizard, choose the storage container where virtual disks of the recovered
VM will be stored.

NOTE

You cannot choose a storage container when restoring the VM from a snapshot.

For a container to be displayed in the list of the available containers, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV
cluster as described in Nutanix documentation.

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Step 7. Configure Network Settings
[This step applies only if you have selected the Restore to new location, or with different settings option at the
Restore Mode step of the wizard]

At the Network Settings step of the wizard, choose a network to which the recovered VM will be connected. If
you do not want to connect the VM to any virtual network, click Disconnect.

NOTE

You cannot change network settings when restoring the VM from a PD snapshot or a snapshot created in
the Nutanix AHV Prism console.

For a network to be displayed in the list of the available networks, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV
cluster as described in Nutanix documentation.

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Step 8. Specify Reason for Restore
At the Rea son step of the wizard, specify a reason for restoring the VM. This information will be saved to the
session history, and you will be able to reference it later.

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Step 9. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish.

If you want to start the recovered VM as soon as the restore process completes, select the P ower on target VM
a fter restoring check box.

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Performing Disk Restore
In case a disaster strikes, you can restore disks of a Nutanix AHV VM from a backup or backup snapshot. Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to attach the restored disks to the original VM or any other VM in the virtual
infrastructure.

NOTE

You cannot restore disks of volume groups attached to the VM.

How to Perform Disk Restore

To restore disks attached to a protected VM, do the following:

1. Launch the Virtual Disk Restore wizard.

2. Select a restore point.

3. Choose a restore mode.

4. Specify a target cluster.

5. Configure mapping settings.

6. Specify a restore reason.

7. Finish working with the wizard.

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Step 1. Launch Virtual Disk Restore Wizard
To launch the Virtual Disk Restore wizard, do the following:

1. Navigate to P rotected VMs.

2. Select the VM whose virtual disks you want to restore.

3. Click Restore > Disk Restore.

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Step 2. Select Restore Point
At the Virtual Machine step of the wizard, select a restore point that will be used to restore data. By default,
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses the most recent valid restore point. However, you can restore the data to
an earlier state.

NOTE

While creating a backup, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV takes a VM snapshot that is called backup
snapshot. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV stores a recent backup snapshot for each backup job. Restore
from a backup snapshot is significantly faster than restore from a backup.

To select a restore point, do the following:

1. Select the VM.

2. Click Restore Point.

3. In the Select restore point window, select the necessary restore point and click Ap p ly.

To help you choose a restore point, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV provides the f ollowing information on
each available restore point:

o Job Name — the name of the backup job that created the restore point.

o Creating Time — the time and date when the restore point was created.

o Ty p e — the type of the restore point:

▪ Backup — an image-level backup created by a backup job.

[Applies to the Prism Central deployment] Only backups are supported for restore to another
cluster.

▪ Backup snapshot — a snapshot created by a backup job.

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 TIP

By default, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV restores all disks attached to the selected VMs. If you want to
exclude specific disks of a VM from restore, do the following. Select a VM, click E x clusions and select the
disks to exclude.

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Step 3. Choose Restore Mode
At the Restore Mode step, choose whether you want to restore the disks with the original settings or to specify
new settings (such as target VM and disk settings).

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Step 4. Specify Target Cluster
[This step applies only if you have selected the Restore to new location, or with different settings option at the
Restore Mode step of the wizard in the Prism Central deployment]

At the Cluster step of the wizard, choose the cluster where the disks will be restored.

NOTE

The Cluster step of the Virtual Disk Restore wizard is only available when you restore the disks from a VM
backup.

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Step 5. Configure Mapping Settings
[This step applies only if you have selected the Restore to new location, or with different settings option at the
Restore Mode step of the wizard]

At the Disk Mapping step of the wizard, do the following:

1. Click Cha nge Disk Mappings.

2. Choose a target VM to which you want to attach the restored disks.

By default, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV attaches the restored disks to the original VM. To attac h the
disks to another VM, click Browse.

IMP ORTANT

During disk restore, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV turns off the target VM to reconfigure its settings and
attach the restored disk. It is recommended that you stop all activities on the target VM till the restore
session completes.

3. Select a virtual disk to restore and click E d it.

By default, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV attaches the restored disk to the target VM as a new disk.
However, if you want the restored disk to replace the existing disk, or if you want to change the disk bus
type and to specify a storage container for the restored disk, configure disk settings.

NOTE

You can select a storage container only if you restore from a backup.

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Step 6. Specify Reason for Restore
At the Rea son step of the wizard, specify a reason for restoring disks. This information will be saved to the
session history, and you will be able to reference it later.

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Step 7. Finish Working with Wizard
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish.

TIP

If you want to start the recovered VM as soon as the restore process completes, select the P ower on VM
a fter restore check box.

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Instant Recovery
With Instant Recovery, you can immediately restore Nutanix AHV VMs as VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V or
Nutanix AHV VMs to your production environment by running them directly from their backups. Instant
Recovery helps you improve recovery time objectives and minimize disruption and downtime of production
workloads.

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Performing Instant Recovery of Workloads to
Nutanix AHV
You can immediately restore virtual or physical machines into a Nutanix AHV cluster by running it directly from a
compressed and deduplicated backup file. Before you perform Instant Recovery, check the following
prerequisites:

• The Nutanix AHV cluster runs Nutanix AOS 6.0 or later.

• The Nutanix AHV cluster is added to the backup infrastructure.

Supported Workloads
To recover machines to a Nutanix AHV cluster, you can use the following backups:

• Backups of Nutanix AHV VMs created by Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV

• Backups of Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware vSphere VMs created by Veeam Backup & Replication

• Backups of virtual and physical machines created by Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows and Veeam
Agent for Linux

• Backups of VMs created by vCloud Director

• Backups of Amazon EC2 instances created by Veeam Backup for AWS

• Backups of Microsoft Azure VMs created by Veeam Backup for Microsoft Azure

• Backups of Google Cloud VMs instances created by Veeam Backup for Google Cloud

• Backups of oVirt KVM VMs created by Veeam Backup for Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager and Red Hat
Virtualization

• Backups of Proxmox VE VMs created by Veeam Backup for Proxmox VE

Instant Recovery is not supported:

• From backups of VMs with the ARM CPU architecture

• From file-level backups created by Kasten 10, Veeam Agent for Linux, Veeam Agent for Microsoft
Windows, Veeam Agent for Unix, Veeam Agent for Mac

NOTE

Instant Recovery to a Nutanix AHV cluster is supported only for backups stored in backup repositories,
object storage repositories, external repositories, Veeam Cloud Connect repositories, HPE Cloud Bank
Storage and a scale-out backup repository (performance, capacity or archive tier). Instant Recovery from
backups stored on tapes is not supported.

How Instant Recovery Works

When Instant Recovery is performed, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV mounts a workload image to a mount
server directly from a compressed and deduplicated backup file. Since there is no need to extract the workload
from the backup file and copy it to production storage, you can perform recovery from any restore point in a
matter of minutes.

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The workload image remains in the read-only state to avoid unexpected modifications. By default, all changes
to virtual disks that take place while the recovered workload is running are logged to auxiliary redo log files
residing in the Nutanix AHV cluster. These changes are either merged if you choose to migrate the workload to
the production environment, or discarded if you choose to revert the recovery operation.

How to Perform Instant Recovery to AHV

To perform Instant Recovery of a protected workload, do the following:

1. Check prerequisites and limitations.

2. Launch the Instant Recovery wizard.

3. Choose a restore point.

4. Choose a restore mode.

5. Select a target cluster.

6. Select a target storage container.

7. Specify a name for the restored workload.

8. Configure network settings.

9. Specify a restore reason.

10. Review the configured settings.

11. Finalize the recovery process.

Before You Begin

Before you perform Instant Recovery, do the following:

• Power off the original machine if it is still present in the target location.

• Deploy a dedicated server to mount workload images directly from backups stored in backup repositories
and allocate minimum 512 MB of additional RAM for each VM disk that you want to recover. Make sure
that the Server for NFS role and the Client for NFS component are not installed on the server, and that the
Veeam vPower NFS Service is running.

• [Applies only to VMs being restored from backups stored in the archive tier of scale -out backup
repositories] Retrieve backup data as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section
Retrieving Backup Files. However, this requirement is not applicable to backups stored in the archive tier
that consists of the Amazon S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval extent.

• [Applies only to Linux VMs] Make sure that the file systems (also referred to as devices or partitions) listed
in the /etc/fstab file are mounted using UUIDs. Instant Recovery of file systems mounted using device
names is not supported as the restored VMs may fail to boot.

• [Applies only to Windows VMs being restored from backups created by solutions other than Veeam
Backup for Nutanix AHV] Make sure to install Nutanix VirtIO drivers and Nutanix Guest Tools on the VMs —
before the backups are created. You will not be able to add or modify the VM drivers during the recovery
operation.

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 • [Applies only to VMs being restored from backups created by solutions other than Veeam Backup for
Nutanix AHV] Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV attaches VM disks with the restored data to the target VM
disk nodes using their original bus types. Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV can attach to a VM up to 6 SATA,
256 SCSI, 4 IDE and 7 PCI disks. If the VM has more disks of any of those bus types, Nutanix AHV will
attach the disks to remaining nodes of other bus types in the default priority: SATA, SCSI, IDE, PCI. You
can modify the backup appliance configuration, to instruct Nutanix AHV to ignore source VM original bus
types and to use a specific order of bus types.

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Step 1. Launch Instant Recovery Wizard
To launch the Instant Recovery to Nutanix AHV wizard, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, expand the necessary backup, select the VM that you want to restore and click Instant
Recovery > Nutanix AHV on the ribbon, or right-click the VM and select Instant Recovery > Nutanix AHV.

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Step 2. Select Restore Point
At the Ma chines step of the wizard, select a restore point that will be used to restore the selected VM. By
default, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV uses the most recent valid restore point. However, you can restore the
VM data to an earlier state.

To select a restore point, do the following:

1. Select the VM.

2. Click P oint.

3. In the Restore Points window, select the necessary restore point and click OK.

To help you choose a restore point, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV provides the following information on
each available restore point:

o Job — the name of the backup job that created the restore point and the date when the restore point
was created.

o Ty p e — the type of the restore point.

o Loca tion — the repository where the restore point is stored.

You can use the wizard to restore multiple VMs at a time. To do that, click Ad d , select more VMs to restore and
select a restore point for each of them.

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Step 3. Choose Restore Mode
[This step applies only if you restore Nutanix AHV VMs]

At the Restore Mode step of the wizard, choose whether you want to restore the selected VM to the original or
to a custom location.

To meet minimum requirements for VMs residing on a Nutanix AHV cluster, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV
allocates 64 MB of RAM to the recovered VM if it originally had less amount of memory.

IMP ORTANT

If you recover a VM with original settings, and the original VM still exists in the virtual infrastructure, the
original VM will be removed.

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Step 4. Specify Target Cluster
At the Cluster step of the wizard, choose the cluster to which the recovered VM will belong. In the Prism Central
deployment, you can also choose whether you want the recovered VM to be assigned the same categories as the
original VM.

For a cluster to be displayed in the list of the available clusters, it must be added to the backup infrastructure as
described in section Adding Nutanix AHV Server.

IMP ORTANT

If a selected VM has an attached volume group, the disks of the volume group will not be restored.

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Step 5. Select Storage Container
At the Storage Container step of the wizard, choose the storage container where virtual disks of the recovered
VM will be stored.

For a container to be displayed in the list of the available containers, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV
cluster as described in Nutanix documentation.

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Step 6. Specify VM Name
At the Na me step of the wizard, you can specify a new name for the recovered VM.

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Step 7. Configure Network Settings
At the Network step of the wizard, choose a network to which the recovered VM will be connected. If you do not
want to connect the VM to any virtual network, select the VM and click Disconnect.

For a network to be displayed in the list of the available networks, it must be configured in the Nutanix AHV
cluster as described in Nutanix documentation.

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Step 8. Specify Restore Reason
At the Rea son step of the wizard, specify a reason for restoring the VM. This information will be saved to the
session history, and you will be able to reference it later.

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Step 9. Review Configured Settings
At the Summary step of the wizard, review summary information and click Finish.

TIP

If you want to start the recovered VM as soon as the restore process completes, select the P ower on target
VM a fter restoring check box.

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Step 10. Finalize Instant Recovery
After the VM has been recovered, you can choose whether you want to migrate the VM to the production
environment or cancel the recovery operation. When migrating VMs, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV transfers
VM disk data to the production storage that you have selected as a destination for the recovered VM.

To finalize the instant recovery operation, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Instant Recovery.

3. In the working area, right-click a VM:

o To transfer VM disk data to the production storage, select Mig rate to production.

o To remove the recovered VM, select Stop publishing.

IMP ORTANT

If you stop publishing a VM that was recovered to the same destination where the original VM resided,
both the original and recovered VMs will be removed.

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Performing Instant Recovery of Workloads to
VMware vSphere
To perform Instant Recovery to VMware vSphere environment, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, right-click the VM you want to restore, and select Instant recovery.

4. Complete the Instant Recovery wizard as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide for
VMware vSphere, section Performing Instant VM Recovery of Workloads to VMware vSphere VMs .

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Performing Instant Recovery of Workloads to
Hyper-V
To perform Instant Recovery to Microsoft Hyper-V environment, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, right-click the VM you want to restore, and select Instant recovery.

4. Complete the Instant Recovery wizard as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide for
Microsoft Hyper-V, section Performing Instant VM Recovery of Workloads to Hyper-V VMs.

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Publishing Disks
Veeam Backup & Replication allows you to mount specific disks of backed -up Nutanix AHV VMs to any server
and to instantly access data in the read-only mode. This can be helpful when you want to copy files and folders
as of a point-in-time state to the target server, and perform an antivirus scan of the backed -up data. For more
information, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Disk Publishing (Data Integration API).

To publish disks of a Nutanix AHV VM, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, expand the necessary backup job, right-click the VM that contains disks you want to
mount and select P ub lish d isks.

4. Complete the P ub lish Disk wizard as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section
Publishing Disks.

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Performing File-Level Restore
With guest OS file recovery (file-level restore), you can restore individual guest OS files and folders from
Nutanix AHV VM snapshots and backups created with Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV. When restoring files and
folders, you do not need to extract the VM image to a staging location or start the VM prior to restore.

How to Perform File-Level Restore

To restore VM guest OS files and folders, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, expand the necessary backup or snapshot job, right-click the VM that contains files
you want to restore and do the following:

o If you want to restore files of a Microsoft Windows machine, select Restore g uest files > Microsoft
W ind ows and complete the Guest File Restore wizard as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication
User Guide, section Restoring VM Guest OS Files (FAT, NTFS or ReFS).

o If you want to restore files of a Linux, Solaris, BSD, Novell Storage Services, Unix or Ma c machine,
select Restore guest files > Linux and others and complete the Guest File Restore wizard as described
in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Restoring VM Guest OS Files (Multi-OS).

TIP

Alternatively, you can use Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager to restore guest OS files and folders as
described in the Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager Guide, section Restoring VM Guest OS Files.

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Performing Application Item Restore
With application item restore, you can use Nutanix AHV backups or snapshots to restore the following data:

• Microsoft Active Directory objects and containers

• Microsoft Exchange mailboxes, folders and messages

• Microsoft SharePoint sites and lists

• Microsoft SQL Server

• Oracle databases

NOTE

It is recommended that you use application-consistent backups or snapshots for application item restore.
You can check whether a backup or snapshot is application-consistent in sessions logs of the job that has
produced this backup or snapshot.

To restore application items from a Nutanix AHV VM backup or snapshot, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, expand the necessary backup or snapshot job, select the VM that contains an
application you want to restore.

4. Click Ap p lication Items on the ribbon and the select the application.

5. In the restore wizard, select a restore point that will be used to restore the application, specify a restore
reason and click Browse.

6. In the Veeam Explorer application, perform the steps described in the Veeam Explorers User Guide.

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 TIP

As an alternative to application item restore, you can also perform file-level restore to recover standalone
databases using Veeam Explorers.

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Exporting Disks
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to export disks, that is, restore disks from Nutanix AHV VM backups
and convert them to the VMDK, VHD and VHDX formats. You can save the exported disks to any server added to
the backup infrastructure or place the disks on a datastore connected to an ESXi host (for the VMDK disk f ormat
only). For more information, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Disk Export.

To export disks of a Nutanix AHV VM, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, expand the necessary backup job, right-click the VM that contains disks you want to
export and select E x port content as virtual disks.

4. Complete the E x p ort Disk wizard as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section
Exporting Disks.

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Performing VM Restore to Amazon Web
Services
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to restore Nutanix AHV VMs to Amazon Web Services (AWS) as EC2
instances. For more information, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Restore to Amazon
EC2.

To restore a VM to Amazon EC2, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, expand the necessary backup job, right-click the VM that you want to restore and
select Restore to Amazon E C2.

4. Complete the Restore to Amazon EC2 wizard as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide,
section Restoring to Amazon EC2.

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Performing VM Restore to Microsoft Azure
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to restore Nutanix AHV VMs to Microsoft Azure as Azure VMs. For
more information, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Restore to Microsoft Azure.

To restore a VM to Microsoft Azure, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, expand the necessary backup job, right-click the VM that you want to restore and
select Restore to Microsoft Azure.

4. Complete the Restore to Microsoft Azure wizard as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User
Guide, section Restoring to Microsoft Azure.

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Performing VM Restore to Google Cloud
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to restore Nutanix AHV VMs to Google Cloud as VM instances. For
more information, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Restore to Google Compute Engine.

To restore a VM to Google Cloud, do the following:

1. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, open the Home view.

2. In the inventory pane, select Ba ckups.

3. In the working area, expand the necessary backup job, right-click the VM that you want to restore and
select Restore to Google CE.

4. Complete the Restore to Google Compute Engine wizard as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication
User Guide, section Restoring to Google Compute Engine.

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Viewing Session Statistics
For each performed data protection or disaster recovery operation, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV starts a new
session and stores its records in the configuration database. You can track real-time statistics of all running and
completed operations on the Session Logs page.

To view the full list of tasks executed during an operation, click the link in the Sta tus column.

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Reviewing Dashboard
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV comes with a dashboard that provides at-a-glance real-time overview of the
protected Nutanix AHV resources and allows you to estimate the overall backup performance. The dashboard
includes the following widgets:

• Sessions in Last 24 Hours — displays the number of sessions started for system operations as well as for
data protection or disaster recovery tasks during the past 24 hours that completed successfully, the
number of sessions that completed with warnings, the number of sessions that completed with errors, and
the number of sessions that are currently running.

To get more information on the sessions, click either View Session Logs or any of the widget rows. In the
latter case, the Session Logs page will show only those sessions that have the same status as that clicked
in the widget.

For more information on the Session Logs page, see Viewing Session Statistics.

• Successful Task Ratio — displays the number of job runs during a specific time period (the past 24 hours by
default).

To specify the time period, click the link next to the Schedule icon. To get more information on the
created snapshots, backups or archived backups, click any of the widg et rows. In the latter case, the
Session Logs page will show only those sessions during which Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV created the
same items as that clicked in the widget.

For more information on the Session Logs page, see Viewing Session Statistics.

• P rotection Status — displays the number of VMs that are included into snapshot and backup jobs or not
included into any job. To get the list of VMs, click a widget row.

• Ba ckup Repositories — displays repositories to which the Nutanix AHV backup appliance has access. The
widget also shows the amount of storage space that is currently free in each repository. If less than 15% of
storage space is free, a repository is low on space. If less than 5% of storage space is free, a repository is
out of space.

• Top Jobs — shows top successfully completed jobs for execution time (including retries). For each job, the
widget also calculates the growth rate to detect whether it took less or more time for the job to complete
in comparison with the previous job run.

• CP U and RAM Utilization — is designed to help you avoid possible backup bottlenecks and allocate
sufficient resources to the backup appliance.

The CP U widget analyzes the amount of backup appliance CPU resources used for processing jobs during
the past 24 hours. The RAM widget shows memory consumption on the backup appliance during the past
24 hours.

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 To monitor the availability of compute resources on the backup appliance, you can instruct Veeam Backup
for Nutanix AHV to send you notifications if free memory or available CPU drops below a configured
threshold. For more information, see Configuring Notifications.

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Updating Backup Appliance
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV allows you to check for available package updates, download and install them
right from the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console.

NOTE

If the Nutanix AHV backup appliance is not connected to the internet, you can instruct the Veeam Updater
service to use a web proxy as described in section Configuring Web Proxy.

It is recommended that you timely install available updates to avoid issues while working with the product. For
example, timely installed security updates may help you prevent potential security issues and reduce the risk of
compromising sensitive data.

TIP

To check for major updates for Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV, launch the Veeam Backup & Replication
console. If a new version of the product is available, the Veeam Backup & Replication console will display
the Comp onents Update window and prompt you to upgrade the Nutanix AHV backup appliance. For more
information, see the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Server Components Upgrade.

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Configuring Web Proxy
To check for available package updates for the Nutanix AHV backup appliance and workers, the Veeam Updater
service running on the backup appliance connects to Veeam repositories over the internet. If the backup
appliance is not connected to the internet, you can instruct the Veeam Updater service to use a web proxy that
will provide access to the required resources.

To configure connection to the internet through a web proxy, do the following:

1. Open the Veea m Updater page:

a. Switch to the Configuration page.

b. Navigate to Sup p ort Information.

c. On the Up dates tab, click Check and View Updates.

2. On the Veeam Updater page, do the following:

a. At the top right corner, click Configuration.

b. Navigate to P roxy Server.

c. Set the Use Internet proxy toggle to On.

d. In the Host field, enter the IP address or FQDN of the web proxy.

e. In the P ort field, enter the port used on the web proxy for HTTP or HTTPS connections.

f. [Applies only if the web proxy requires authentication] In the Username and P a ssword fields, enter
credentials of the account configured on the web proxy to access the internet.

g. Click Ap p ly.

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Checking for Updates
Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV automatically notifies you about newly released product versions and package
updates available for the operating system running on the backup appliance. However, you can check for
available updates manually if required:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Sup p ort Information > Updates.

3. Click Check and View Updates.

If new updates are available, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will display them on the Up d ates tab of the Veea m
Ba ckup Updater page. To view detailed information on an update, select the check box next to the update and
click W ha t's new?

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Installing Updates
To download and install new product versions and available package updates, you can use either of the
following options:

• Install updates immediately

• Schedule update installation

You can also set a reminder to send update notifications.

IMP ORTANT

You can update Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV using the Veeam updater service only. Updating of the
backup applaince manually is not supported.

Installing Updates
IMP ORTANT

Before you install a product update, make sure all jobs are stopped and restore tasks are finished.
Otherwise, the update process will interrupt the running activities, which may result in data loss.

To download and install available product and package updates:

1. Open the Veea m Updater page:

a. Switch to the Configuration page.

b. Navigate to Sup p ort Information.

c. On the Up dates tab, click Check and View Updates.

2. On the Veeam Updater page, do the following:

a. In the Up dates are available for this system section, select check boxes next to the necessary updates.

IMP ORTANT

Make sure that you select all available DotNet updates for installation. Since different versions of DotNet
components are not always compatible, the backup appliance may become non-operational if only some
components are updated.

b. In the Choose a ction section, select the Install updates now option, select the Reb oot automatically
a fter install if required check box to allow Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to reboot the backup proxy
if needed, and then click Install Updates Now.

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 NOTE

The updater may require you to read and accept the Veeam license agreement and the 3rd party
components license agreement. If you reject the agreements, you will not be able to continue installation.

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will download and install the updates; the results of the installation process will
be displayed on the History tab. It may take several minutes for the installation process to complete.

NOTE

When installing product updates, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV restarts all services running on the
backup proxy, including the Web UI service. That is why Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will log you out
when the update process completes.

Scheduling Update Installation

You can instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to automatically download and install available product
versions and package updates on a specific date at a specific time:

1. On the Veeam Updater page, in the Up d ates are available for this system section, select check boxes next
to the necessary updates.

2. In the Choose a ction section, do the following:

a. Select the Schedule updates installation option and configure the necessary schedule.

IMP ORTANT

When selecting a date and time for the update installation, make sure no jobs are scheduled to run on the
selected time. Otherwise, the update process will interrupt the running activities, which may result in data
loss.

b. Select the Reb oot automatically after install if required check box to allow Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV to reboot the backup proxy if needed.

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 c. Click Schedule Updates.

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will automatically download and install the updates on the selected date at the
selected time; the results of the installation process will be displayed on the History tab.

Setting Update Reminder

If you have not decided when to install available product versions and package updates, you can set an update
reminder — instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to send an update notification later.

To do that, on the Veeam Updater page, in the Choose action section, do the following:

1. Select the Remind me later option and choose when you want to receive the reminder.

If you select the Nex t Week option, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will send the reminder next Monday.

2. Click Remind me later.

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Viewing Update History
To see the results of the update installation performed on the backup appliance, do the following:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Sup p ort Information > Updates.

3. Click Check and View Updates.

4. On the Veeam Updater page, switch to the History tab.

For each date when an update was installed, the Veeam Updater page will display the name of the update and
its status (whether the installation process completed successfully, completed with warnings or failed to
complete).

To download logs for the installed updates, select the necessary date in the Da te section, and click View Full
Log . Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will save the logs as a single file to the default download directory on the
local machine.

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Getting Technical Support
If you have any questions or issues with Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV, you can search for a resolution on
Veeam R&D Forums or submit a support case in the Veeam Customer Support Portal.

When you submit a support case, it is recommended that you provide the Veeam Customer Support Team with
the following information:

• Version information for the product and its components

• Error message or accurate description of the problem you are facing

• Log files

To export logs for Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV, you must collect logs from both the Veeam Backup &
Replication console and the Nutanix AHV backup appliance web console.

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Viewing Product Details
To view the product details:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Up d ates.

The Ab out section displays the currently installed version of Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV.

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Exporting Logs Using Backup Appliance
Web Console
To download the product logs, do the following:

1. Switch to the Configuration page.

2. Navigate to Sup p ort Information > Download Logs.

3. Click Download Logs.

4. In the Download Logs window, specify a time interval for which logs must be collected:

o Select the Collect logs for the last option if you want to collect data for a specific number of days in
the past.

o Select the Collect logs for specified time period option if you want to collect data for a specific period
of time in the past.

4. Click Download.

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will collect logs for the specified time interval and save them to the default
download folder on the local machine in a single log.zip archive.

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Exporting Logs Using Veeam Backup &
Replication Console
To collect logs for the Nutanix AHV backup appliance from the Veeam Backup & Replication console, do the
following:

1. From the main menu of the Veeam Backup & Replication console, select Help > Support Information.

2. At the Scop e step of the E x port Logs wizard, select the E x p ort all logs for selected components option.
Then, in the Ma naged servers list, select the backup server and the VM running as the Nutanix AHV backup
appliance.

3. Complete the wizard as described in the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide, section Exporting Logs.

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Appendices
See in this section:

• Appendix A. Custom Script Samples

• Appendix B. Installing Custom Certificate

• Appendix C. Configuring Bus Type Restore Priority

• Appendix D. Configuring Multiple Networks

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Appendix A. Custom Script Samples
The sample customs script are written in Python 3 and contain classes and methods that are used to create a PD
snapshot in a Nutanix AHV cluster and Prism Central. The scripts also include methods that you can use to
implement pre-freeze and post-thaw operations:

• doSomeChecks(pdVms)

• freezeVms(self, pdVmsList)

• unFreezeVms(self, pdVms)

NOTE

The sample scripts do not not check whether the provided Nutanix AHV cluster certificate is valid.

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Standalone Cluster Script

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 #!/usr/bin/python3
import requests
import urllib3
urllib3.disable_warnings(urllib3.exceptions.InsecureRequestWarning)
import json
import time
import logging
import argparse
import os
from urllib.parse import urlparse
from urllib.parse import urlunparse
from urllib.parse import urlencode
def quitScriptFailed(message):
print(""" {"status": "Failed", "errorMessage": "%s"} """ % message)
exit(0)
# #############################################################################
#####################
#
# Initialize
#
# #############################################################################
#####################
scriptDir = os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))
#
# Process Command Line
#
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Create vms snapshot for Protectio
n Domain')
parser.add_argument('--pdName', type=str, help='Protection Domain name')
parser.add_argument('--jobName', type=str, help='Job Name for displaying in hea
der')
parser.add_argument('--logFolder', type=str, help='Logging path')
parser.add_argument('--logLevel', type=str, nargs='?', default='DEBUG', help='L
og level: debug, info, warning, error, critical. (default=debug)')
args = parser.parse_args()
if args.pdName is None or args.pdName == "":
quitScriptFailed("Invalid argument: pdName")
if args.jobName is None or args.jobName == "":
quitScriptFailed("Invalid argument: jobName")
pdName = args.pdName
jobName = args.jobName
logDir = args.logFolder
logLevel = args.logLevel
#
# Init Log
#
from datetime import datetime
logFilePath = "%s/%s" % (logDir, "custom_script.log")
os.makedirs(logDir, exist_ok=True)
LogConsoleDbg = False
logging.addLevelName(logging.FATAL, 'Fatal')
logging.addLevelName(logging.ERROR, 'Error')
logging.addLevelName(logging.WARN, 'Warn ')
logging.addLevelName(logging.INFO, 'Info ')
logging.addLevelName(logging.DEBUG, 'Debug')
logging.basicConfig(
filename=logFilePath,
filemode='a',
format='%(asctime)s.%(msecs)03d] [%(levelname)s] %(message)s',
datefmt='[%Y-%m-%d] [%H:%M:%S',

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 level=str.upper(logLevel)
)
# LogConsoleDbg = True
if LogConsoleDbg:
Formater = logging.getLogger().handlers[0].formatter
consoleHandler = logging.StreamHandler()
consoleHandler.setFormatter(Formater)
logging.getLogger().addHandler(consoleHandler)
logging.info("-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------------")
logging.info("Start to script execution")
logging.info(" Protection Domain name: %s" % pdName)
logging.info(" Job name: %s" % jobName)
logging.info("-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------------")
#
# Init config from env variables
#
try:
nutanixClusterIp = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_ADDRESS')
nutanixLogin = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_LOGIN')
nutanixPass = os.getenv('NUTANIX_CLUSTER_PASSWORD')
except Exception as e:
# print(e)
Error = "Failed to get environment variables";
logging.exception(Error)
quitScriptFailed(Error)
# #############################################################################
#####################
#
# Result's
#
# #############################################################################
#####################
class ScriptResult:
"""
Describes the attributes and methods required to work with the Nutanix clust
er API
"""
SUCCESS = 0
WARNING = 1
FAILED = 2
def __init__(self, status = SUCCESS, errorMessage = ""):
self.status = status
self.errorMessage = errorMessage
self.oob_schedule_id = ""
def SetFailed(self, message):
self.status = ScriptResult.FAILED
self.errorMessage = message
def SetWarning(self, message):
self.status = ScriptResult.WARNING
self.errorMessage = message
def makeJsonString(self):
jResult = dict()
if self.status == ScriptResult.SUCCESS:
jResult['status'] = "Success"
elif self.status == ScriptResult.WARNING:
jResult['status'] = "Warning"
elif self.status == ScriptResult.FAILED:
jResult['status'] = "Failed"

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 jResult['errorMessage'] = self.errorMessage
jResult['oob_schedule_id'] = self.oob_schedule_id
return json.dumps(jResult)
def generateResult(result):
jsonString = result.makeJsonString()
if result.status == ScriptResult.FAILED or result.status == ScriptResult.WAR
NING:
logging.error("Custom script execution finished with error. Result: %s"
% jsonString)
else:
logging.info("Custom script execution finished. Result: %s" % jsonString
)
print(jsonString)
exit(0)
def generateResultFailed(errorMessage, exception = None):
if isinstance(exception, NutanixException):
errorMessage += " Error: %s" % str(exception) # Add error message
of Nutanix API call. E.g.: "Specified protection domain AgentTest-ProtectionDom
ain does not exist"
elif isinstance(exception, AuthenticationException):
errorMessage += " Error: Authentication failed."
elif isinstance(exception, requests.exceptions.ConnectionError):
errorMessage += " Error: Connect failed."
# if isinstance(e, NutanixExceptionNotFound):
generateResult(ScriptResult(ScriptResult.FAILED, errorMessage))
def getFullUrl(url, params):
paramsStr = urlencode(params)
urlObj = urlparse(url)
urlQuery = urlObj.query
if paramsStr:
if urlQuery:
urlQuery = '%s&%s' % (urlQuery, paramsStr)
else:
urlQuery = paramsStr
urlObj = urlObj._replace(query=urlQuery)
return urlunparse(urlObj)
# #############################################################################
#####################
#
# Nutanix
#
# #############################################################################
#####################
class AuthenticationException(Exception):
def __init__(self):
super(AuthenticationException, self).__init__()
class NutanixException(Exception):
def __init__(self, message=""):
super(NutanixException, self).__init__(message)
self.message = message
class NutanixExceptionNotFound(NutanixException):
def __init__(self, message=""):
super(NutanixExceptionNotFound, self).__init__(message)
class NutanixCluster:
"""
Describes the attributes and methods required to work with the Nutanix clust
er API
"""
def __init__(self, nutanixClusterIp, nutanixLogin, nutanixPass):
"""Constructor"""

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 self.nutanixClusterIp = nutanixClusterIp
self.nutanixLogin = nutanixLogin
self.nutanixPass = nutanixPass
self.nutanixApi1 = "https://%s:9440/PrismGateway/services/rest/v1" % sel
f.nutanixClusterIp
self.nutanixApi2 = "https://%s:9440/PrismGateway/services/rest/v2.0" % s
elf.nutanixClusterIp
self.nutanixApi3 = "https://%s:9440/api/nutanix/v3" % self.nutanixCluste
rIp
@staticmethod
def getErrorMessage(jResponse):
if "message" in jResponse: # for Nutanix API v1 & v2
return jResponse["message"]
elif "message_list" in jResponse: # for Nutanix API v3
message = ""
for jError in jResponse["message_list"]:
if "message" in jError:
if len(message):
message += "; "
message += jError["message"]
else:
raise requests.exceptions.RequestException
return message
else:
raise requests.exceptions.RequestException
@staticmethod
def logRequest(level, httpMethod, urlFull, body=''):
method = httpMethod.upper()
bodyCanExist = False
if method == 'POST' or method == 'PUT' or method == 'PATCH':
bodyCanExist = True
if bodyCanExist:
logging.log(level, "HTTP Request (%s %s): %s", method, urlFull, "" i
f body else "none")
if body:
logging.log(level, body)
else:
logging.log(level, "HTTP Request (%s %s)", method, urlFull)
@staticmethod
def logResponse(level, response):
logging.log(level, "HTTP Response (%s %s): %s", response.status_code, re
sponse.reason, "" if response.text else "none")
if response.text:
logging.log(level, response.text)
def executeHttpRequest(self, httpMethod, url, body='', params=''):
"""
Execute http/https requests
:param httpMethod: (get, post ...)
:param url:
:param body: message body
:param params: query string parameters in the URL
:return:
"""
response = None
s = requests.Session()
s.auth = (self.nutanixLogin, self.nutanixPass)
s.headers.update({'Content-Type': 'application/json; charset=utf-8'})
urlFull = getFullUrl(url, params)
reqRespLogged = logging.root.level <= logging.DEBUG
#

342 | V eeam Backup for Nutanix A HV | User Guide | 12.7.0.172

 # Do request
#
self.logRequest(logging.DEBUG, httpMethod, urlFull, body)
if httpMethod == 'get':
response = s.get(url, data=body, params=params, verify=False, timeou
t=10)
elif httpMethod == 'post':
response = s.post(url, data=body, params=params, verify=False, timeo
ut=10)
else:
raise NotImplementedError("HTTP Method '%s' not supported")
self.logResponse(logging.DEBUG, response)
#
# Check to failed request & log
#
isSuccess = response.status_code in (200, 201, 202)
if not isSuccess and not reqRespLogged:
self.logRequest(logging.ERROR, httpMethod, urlFull, body)
self.logResponse(logging.ERROR, response)
#
# Process response
#
if isSuccess:
return response.json()
else:
isJson = response.headers['Content-Type'].lower().find("application/
json") != -1
if response.status_code == 401: # Not Found
raise AuthenticationException()
if isJson:
message = self.getErrorMessage(response.json())
logging.error("Nutanix request failed. Nutanix error: %s" % mess
age)
if response.status_code == 404: # Not Found
raise NutanixExceptionNotFound(message)
else:
raise NutanixException(message)
else:
logging.error("Nutanix request failed.")
raise requests.exceptions.RequestException
def executeHttpRequestV1(self, httpMethod, relativeUrl, body='', params=''):
url = "%s/%s" % (self.nutanixApi1, relativeUrl)
return self.executeHttpRequest(httpMethod, url, body, params)
def executeHttpRequestV2(self, httpMethod, relativeUrl, body='', params=''):
url = "%s/%s" % (self.nutanixApi2, relativeUrl)
return self.executeHttpRequest(httpMethod, url, body, params)
def executeHttpRequestV3(self, httpMethod, relativeUrl, body='', params=''):
url = "%s/%s" % (self.nutanixApi3, relativeUrl)
return self.executeHttpRequest(httpMethod, url, body, params)
def getPdVms(self, pdName):
"""
Get vm_id for the Protection Domain
:param pdName: Protection Domain name
:return pdVms: returns a list of vms_id for the Protection Domain
"""
pdVms = []
try:
logging.info("Getting vm_id list for Protection Domain='%s'", pdName
)

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 data = self.executeHttpRequestV2('get', "protection_domains/%s" % pd
Name)
for vms in data["vms"]:
pdVms.append(vms["vm_id"])
except Exception as e:
logging.error("Getting vm_id list from Protection Domain='%s' failed
. Error: %s.", pdName, str(e))
logging.exception(str(e))
generateResultFailed("Getting vm_id list for Protection Domain='%s'
failed." % pdName, e)
logging.info("Getting vm_id list vm_id='%s' success", pdVms)
return pdVms
def getVmsInfoEx(self, vmsUuids, mustExist=True):
"""
Obtaining information about vms, for example ip address
Similarly, you can get vms data about cpu, memory, etc.
This method is created as an example.
:param vmsUuids: list of vm_id
:return vmsInfo: returns a list of vm ip address
"""
vmsInfo = []
logging.info("Getting vms started. UUIDs: %s", vmsUuids)
for vmUuid in vmsUuids:
vmInfo = {"uuid": vmUuid, "vm": None}
try:
data = self.executeHttpRequestV3('get', "vms/%s" % vmUuid)
vmInfo["vm"] = data
vmsInfo.append(vmInfo)
except Exception as e:
if isinstance(e, NutanixExceptionNotFound):
if not mustExist:
vmsInfo.append(vmInfo)
continue
logging.error("Getting vms failed. VM UUID: %s", vmUuid)
logging.exception(str(e))
generateResultFailed("Getting vms failed.", e)
logging.info("Getting vms success. UUIDs: %s", vmsUuids)
return vmsInfo
def getVmsInfo(self, vmsUuids, mustExist=True):
vmsInfo = []
vmsInfoEx = self.getVmsInfoEx(vmsUuids, mustExist)
for vmInfo in vmsInfoEx:
if vmInfo["vm"]: # if exist on Nutanix --> add to
list
vmsInfo.append(vmInfo["vm"])
return vmsInfo
def createPdSnapshot(self, pdName):
"""
Creating vms snapshot for the Protection Domain
:param pdName:
:return:
"""
schedule_id = None
snapshotInfo = dict()
body = json.dumps({"app_consistent": "false"})
try:
logging.info("Creating vms snapshot for Protection Domain='%s'", pdN
ame)
data = self.executeHttpRequestV2('post', "protection_domains/%s/oob_
schedules" % pdName, body)

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 schedule_id = data["schedule_id"]
except Exception as e:
logging.error("Creating vms snapshot for Protection Domain='%s' fail
ed" % pdName)
logging.exception(str(e))
generateResultFailed("Creating vms snapshot for Protection Domain='%
s' failed." % pdName, e)
params = {'oob_schedule_ids': schedule_id}
state = ''
isStateAvailable = False
for i in range(10):
time.sleep(5) #waiting when information about snapshot be available
try:
logging.info("Getting snapshot status oob_schedule_ids='%s' for
Protection Domain='%s'", schedule_id, pdName)
data = self.executeHttpRequestV2('get', "protection_domains/%s/d
r_snapshots/" % pdName, '', params)
try:
state = data["entities"][0]["state"]
except:
state = None
if state == 'AVAILABLE':
isStateAvailable = True
break
except Exception as e:
logging.error("Getting snapshot status oob_schedule_ids='%s' for
Protection Domain='%s' failed", schedule_id, pdName)
logging.exception(str(e))
logging.info("Unfreeze vms for Protection Domain='%s'", pdName)
cluster.unFreezeVms(pdVms)
generateResultFailed("Getting snapshot status oob_schedule_ids='
%s' for Protection Domain='%s' failed." % (schedule_id, pdName), e)
if not isStateAvailable:
logging.error("Unexpected snapshot status='%s' oob_schedule_ids='%s'
for Protection Domain='%s'", state, schedule_id, pdName)
logging.info("Unfreeze vms for Protection Domain='%s'", pdName)
cluster.unFreezeVms(pdVms)
generateResultFailed("Snapshot oob_schedule_ids='%s' status error (s
tatus='%s') for Protection Domain='%s'." % (state, schedule_id, pdName))
logging.info("Creating vms snapshot for Protection Domain='%s' success",
pdName)
pdSnapshotId = data["entities"][0]["snapshot_id"]
pdSnapshotUuid = data["entities"][0]["snapshot_uuid"]
snapshotInfo['schedule_id'] = schedule_id
snapshotInfo['pdSnapshotId'] = pdSnapshotId
snapshotInfo['pdSnapshotUuid'] = pdSnapshotUuid
return snapshotInfo
def freezeVms(self, pdVmsList):
"""
Freezing vms
:param vmsInfo: vms data needed to freeze
:return:
"""
logging.info("Freezing vms for Protection Domain='%s'", pdName)
# here should be added code for freezing vms"
logging.info("Freezing vms for Protection Domain='%s' success", pdName)
pass
def unFreezeVms(self, pdVms):
"""
unfreezing vms

345 | V eeam Backup for Nutanix A HV | User Guide | 12.7.0.172

 :param pdVms: vms data needed to unfreeze
:return:
"""
logging.info("Unfreezing vms for Protection Domain='%s'", pdName)
# here should be added code for unfreezing vms"
logging.info("Unfreezing vms for Protection Domain='%s' success", pdName
)
pass
def doSomeChecks(pdVms):
# here should be added code for PD VMs check
# for example get vms ip addresses
logging.info("Do some checks")
vmsInfo = []
vmsInfoEx = cluster.getVmsInfoEx(pdVms, False)
for vmInfo in vmsInfoEx:
if vmInfo["vm"]: # if exist on Nutanix --> add to list
vmsInfo.append(vmInfo["vm"])
else:
logging.warning("VM with UUID='%s' will not backup. VM in PD does no
t exist in cluster.", vmInfo["uuid"])
logging.info("Do some checks success")
# here should be added error message (in case of failed checks)
# #############################################################################
#####################
#
# Main
#
# #############################################################################
#####################
if __name__ == "__main__":
cluster = NutanixCluster(nutanixClusterIp, nutanixLogin, nutanixPass)
pdVms = cluster.getPdVms(pdName)
if not pdVms:
generateResultFailed("Protection Domain '%s' doesn't have vms." % pdName
)
doSomeChecks(pdVms)
cluster.freezeVms(pdVms)
snapshotInfo = cluster.createPdSnapshot(pdName)
cluster.unFreezeVms(pdVms)
logging.info("All steps succeeded")
result = ScriptResult()
result.oob_schedule_id = snapshotInfo['schedule_id']
generateResult(result)

346 | V eeam Backup for Nutanix A HV | User Guide | 12.7.0.172

Prism Central Script

347 | V eeam Backup for Nutanix AHV | User Guide | 12.7.0.172

 #!/usr/bin/python3
import requests
import urllib3
urllib3.disable_warnings(urllib3.exceptions.InsecureRequestWarning)
import json
import time
import logging
import argparse
import os
from urllib.parse import urlparse
from urllib.parse import urlunparse
from urllib.parse import urlencode
def quitScriptFailed(message):
print(""" {"status": "Failed", "errorMessage": "%s"} """ % message)
exit(0)
# #############################################################################
#####################
#
# Initialize
#
# #############################################################################
#####################
scriptDir = os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))
#
# Process Command Line
#
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Create vms snapshot for Protectio
n Domain')
parser.add_argument('--clusterId', type=str, help='Id of a cluster with the cor
responding protection domain')
parser.add_argument('--pdName', type=str, help='Protection domain name')
parser.add_argument('--jobName', type=str, help='Job name for displaying in hea
der')
parser.add_argument('--logFolder', type=str, help='Logging path')
parser.add_argument('--logLevel', type=str, nargs='?', default='DEBUG',
help='Log level: debug, info, warning, error, critical. (def
ault=warning)')
args = parser.parse_args()
if args.pdName is None or args.pdName == "":
quitScriptFailed("Invalid argument: pdName")
if args.jobName is None or args.jobName == "":
quitScriptFailed("Invalid argument: jobName")
clusterId = args.clusterId
pdName = args.pdName
jobName = args.jobName
logDir = args.logFolder
logLevel = args.logLevel
#
# Init Log
#
from datetime import datetime
logFilePath = f"{logDir}/custom_script.log"
os.makedirs(logDir, exist_ok=True)
LogConsoleDbg = False
logging.addLevelName(logging.FATAL, 'Fatal')
logging.addLevelName(logging.ERROR, 'Error')
logging.addLevelName(logging.WARN, 'Warn ')
logging.addLevelName(logging.INFO, 'Info ')
logging.addLevelName(logging.DEBUG, 'Debug')
logging.basicConfig(

348 | V eeam Backup for Nutanix A HV | User Guide | 12.7.0.172

 filename=logFilePath,
filemode='a',
format='%(asctime)s.%(msecs)03d] [%(levelname)s] %(message)s',
datefmt='[%Y-%m-%d] [%H:%M:%S',
level=str.upper(logLevel)
)
# LogConsoleDbg = True
if LogConsoleDbg:
Formater = logging.getLogger().handlers[0].formatter
consoleHandler = logging.StreamHandler()
consoleHandler.setFormatter(Formater)
logging.getLogger().addHandler(consoleHandler)
logging.info("-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------------")
logging.info("Start to script execution")
logging.info(f" Protection Domain name: {pdName}")
logging.info(f" Job name: {jobName}")
logging.info("-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------------")
#
# Init config from env variables
#
try:
nutanixPrismCentralIp = os.getenv('NUTANIX_PRISM_CENTRAL_ADDRESS')
nutanixLogin = os.getenv('NUTANIX_PRISM_CENTRAL_LOGIN')
nutanixPass = os.getenv('NUTANIX_PRISM_CENTRAL_PASSWORD')
except Exception as e:
# print(e)
Error = "Failed to get environment variables";
logging.exception(Error)
quitScriptFailed(Error)
# #############################################################################
#####################
#
# Result's
#
# #############################################################################
#####################
class ScriptResult:
"""
Describes the attributes and methods required to work with the Nutanix clust
er API
"""
SUCCESS = 0
WARNING = 1
FAILED = 2
def __init__(self, status=SUCCESS, errorMessage=""):
self.status = status
self.errorMessage = errorMessage
self.oob_schedule_id = ""
def SetFailed(self, message):
self.status = ScriptResult.FAILED
self.errorMessage = message
def SetWarning(self, message):
self.status = ScriptResult.WARNING
self.errorMessage = message
def makeJsonString(self):
jResult = dict()
if self.status == ScriptResult.SUCCESS:
jResult['status'] = "Success"

349 | V eeam Backup for Nutanix A HV | User Guide | 12.7.0.172

 elif self.status == ScriptResult.WARNING:
jResult['status'] = "Warning"
elif self.status == ScriptResult.FAILED:
jResult['status'] = "Failed"
jResult['errorMessage'] = self.errorMessage
jResult['oob_schedule_id'] = self.oob_schedule_id
return json.dumps(jResult)
def generateResult(result):
jsonString = result.makeJsonString()
if result.status == ScriptResult.FAILED or result.status == ScriptResult.WAR
NING:
logging.error(f"Custom script execution finished with error. Result: {js
onString}")
else:
logging.info(f"Custom script execution finished. Result: {jsonString}")
print(jsonString)
exit(0)
def generateResultFailed(errorMessage, exception=None):
if isinstance(exception, NutanixException):
errorMessage += f" Error: {str(exception)}" # Add error message of Nuta
nix API call. E.g.: "Specified protection domain AgentTest-ProtectionDomain doe
s not exist"
elif isinstance(exception, AuthenticationException):
errorMessage += " Error: Authentication failed."
elif isinstance(exception, requests.exceptions.ConnectionError):
errorMessage += " Error: Connect failed."
# if isinstance(e, NutanixExceptionNotFound):
generateResult(ScriptResult(ScriptResult.FAILED, errorMessage))
def getFullUrl(url, params):
paramsStr = urlencode(params)
urlObj = urlparse(url)
urlQuery = urlObj.query
if paramsStr:
if urlQuery:
urlQuery = f"{urlQuery}&{paramsStr}"
else:
urlQuery = paramsStr
urlObj = urlObj._replace(query=urlQuery)
return urlunparse(urlObj)
# #############################################################################
#####################
#
# Nutanix
#
# #############################################################################
#####################
class AuthenticationException(Exception):
def __init__(self):
super(AuthenticationException, self).__init__()
class NutanixException(Exception):
def __init__(self, message=""):
super(NutanixException, self).__init__(message)
self.message = message
class NutanixExceptionNotFound(NutanixException):
def __init__(self, message=""):
super(NutanixExceptionNotFound, self).__init__(message)
class NutanixCluster:
"""
Describes the attributes and methods required to work with the Nutanix clust
er API

350 | V eeam Backup for Nutanix A HV | User Guide | 12.7.0.172

 """
def __init__(self, nutanixPrismCentralIp, nutanixLogin, nutanixPass):
"""Constructor"""
self.nutanixPrismCentralIp = nutanixPrismCentralIp
self.nutanixLogin = nutanixLogin
self.nutanixPass = nutanixPass
self.nutanixApi1 = f"https://{self.nutanixPrismCentralIp}:9440/PrismGate
way/services/rest/v1"
self.nutanixApi2 = f"https://{self.nutanixPrismCentralIp}:9440/PrismGate
way/services/rest/v2.0"
self.nutanixApi3 = f"https://{self.nutanixPrismCentralIp}:9440/api/nutan
ix/v3"
@staticmethod
def getErrorMessage(jResponse):
if "message" in jResponse: # for Nutanix API v1 & v2
return jResponse["message"]
elif "message_list" in jResponse: # for Nutanix API v3
message = ""
for jError in jResponse["message_list"]:
if "message" in jError:
if len(message):
message += "; "
message += jError["message"]
else:
raise requests.exceptions.RequestException
return message
else:
raise requests.exceptions.RequestException
@staticmethod
def logRequest(level, httpMethod, urlFull, body=''):
method = httpMethod.upper()
bodyCanExist = False
if method == 'POST' or method == 'PUT' or method == 'PATCH':
bodyCanExist = True
if bodyCanExist:
logging.log(level, "HTTP Request (%s %s): %s", method, urlFull, "" i
f body else "none")
if body:
logging.log(level, body)
else:
logging.log(level, "HTTP Request (%s %s)", method, urlFull)
@staticmethod
def logResponse(level, response):
logging.log(level, "HTTP Response (%s %s): %s", response.status_code, re
sponse.reason,
"" if response.text else "none")
if response.text:
logging.log(level, response.text)
def executeHttpRequest(self, httpMethod, url, body='', params=''):
"""
Execute http/https requests
:param httpMethod: (get, post ...)
:param url:
:param body: message body
:param params: query string parameters in the URL
:return:
"""
response = None
s = requests.Session()
s.auth = (self.nutanixLogin, self.nutanixPass)

351 | V eeam Backup for Nutanix A HV | User Guide | 12.7.0.172

 s.headers.update({'Content-Type': 'application/json; charset=utf-8'})
urlFull = getFullUrl(url, params)
reqRespLogged = logging.root.level <= logging.DEBUG
#
# Do request
#
self.logRequest(logging.DEBUG, httpMethod, urlFull, body)
if httpMethod == 'get':
response = s.get(url, data=body, params=params, verify=False, timeou
t=10)
elif httpMethod == 'post':
response = s.post(url, data=body, params=params, verify=False, timeo
ut=10)
else:
raise NotImplementedError("HTTP Method '%s' not supported")
self.logResponse(logging.DEBUG, response)
#
# Check to failed request & log
#
isSuccess = response.status_code in (200, 201, 202)
if not isSuccess and not reqRespLogged:
self.logRequest(logging.ERROR, httpMethod, urlFull, body)
self.logResponse(logging.ERROR, response)
#
# Process response
#
if isSuccess:
return response.json()
else:
isJson = response.headers['Content-Type'].lower().find("application/
json") != -1
if response.status_code == 401: # Not Found
raise AuthenticationException()
if isJson:
message = self.getErrorMessage(response.json())
logging.error("Nutanix request failed. Nutanix error: %s" % mess
age)
if response.status_code == 404: # Not Found
raise NutanixExceptionNotFound(message)
else:
raise NutanixException(message)
else:
logging.error("Nutanix request failed.")
raise requests.exceptions.RequestException
def executeHttpRequestV1(self, httpMethod, relativeUrl, body='', params=''):
url = "%s/%s" % (self.nutanixApi1, relativeUrl)
return self.executeHttpRequest(httpMethod, url, body, params)
def executeHttpRequestV2(self, httpMethod, relativeUrl, body='', params=''):
url = "%s/%s" % (self.nutanixApi2, relativeUrl)
return self.executeHttpRequest(httpMethod, url, body, params)
def executeHttpRequestV3(self, httpMethod, relativeUrl, body='', params=''):
url = "%s/%s" % (self.nutanixApi3, relativeUrl)
return self.executeHttpRequest(httpMethod, url, body, params)
def getPdVms(self, pdName):
"""
Get vm_id for the Protection Domain
:param pdName: Protection Domain name
:return pdVms: returns a list of vms_id for the Protection Domain
"""
pdVms = []

352 | V eeam Backup for Nutanix AHV | User Guide | 12.7.0.172

 params = {"proxyClusterUuid": clusterId}
try:
logging.info(f"Getting vm_id list for Protection Domain='{pdName}'")
data = self.executeHttpRequestV2('get', f"protection_domains/{pdName
}", params=params)
for vms in data["vms"]:
pdVms.append(vms["vm_id"])
except Exception as e:
logging.error(f"Getting vm_id list from Protection Domain='{pdName}'
failed. Error: {str(e)}.")
logging.exception(str(e))
generateResultFailed(f"Getting vm_id list for Protection Domain='{pd
Name}' failed.", e)
logging.info(f"Getting vm_id list vm_id='{pdVms}' success")
return pdVms
def getVmsInfoEx(self, vmsUuids, mustExist=True):
"""
Obtaining information about vms, for example ip address
Similarly, you can get vms data about cpu, memory, etc.
This method is created as an example.
:param vmsUuids: list of vm_id
:return vmsInfo: returns a list of vm ip address
"""
vmsInfo = []
params = {"proxyClusterUuid": clusterId}
logging.info(f"Getting vms started. UUIDs: {vmsUuids}")
for vmUuid in vmsUuids:
vmInfo = {"uuid": vmUuid, "vm": None}
try:
data = self.executeHttpRequestV3('get', f"vms/{vmUuid}", params=
params)
vmInfo["vm"] = data
vmsInfo.append(vmInfo)
except Exception as e:
if isinstance(e, NutanixExceptionNotFound):
if not mustExist:
vmsInfo.append(vmInfo)
continue
logging.error(f"Getting vms failed. VM UUID: {vmUuid}", )
logging.exception(str(e))
generateResultFailed("Getting vms failed.", e)
logging.info(f"Getting vms success. UUIDs: {vmsUuids}")
return vmsInfo
def getVmsInfo(self, vmsUuids, mustExist=True):
vmsInfo = []
vmsInfoEx = self.getVmsInfoEx(vmsUuids, mustExist)
for vmInfo in vmsInfoEx:
if vmInfo["vm"]: # if exist on Nutanix --> add to list
vmsInfo.append(vmInfo["vm"])
return vmsInfo
def createPdSnapshot(self, pdName):
"""
Creating vms snapshot for the Protection Domain
:param pdName:
:return:
"""
schedule_id = None
snapshotInfo = dict()
body = json.dumps({"app_consistent": "false"})
try:

353 | V eeam Backup for Nutanix AHV | User Guide | 12.7.0.172

 logging.info(f"Creating vms snapshot for Protection Domain='{pdName}
'")
data = self.executeHttpRequestV2('post', f"protection_domains/{pdNam
e}/oob_schedules", body, params={"proxyClusterUuid": clusterId})
schedule_id = data["schedule_id"]
except Exception as e:
logging.error(f"Creating vms snapshot for Protection Domain='{pdName
}' failed")
logging.exception(str(e))
generateResultFailed(f"Creating vms snapshot for Protection Domain='
{pdName}' failed.", e)
params = {
'oob_schedule_ids': schedule_id,
"proxyClusterUuid": clusterId
}
state = ''
isStateAvailable = False
for i in range(10):
time.sleep(5) # waiting when information about snapshot be availabl
e
try:
logging.info(f"Getting snapshot status oob_schedule_ids='{schedu
le_id}' for Protection Domain='{pdName}'")
data = self.executeHttpRequestV2('get', f"protection_domains/{pd
Name}/dr_snapshots/", '', params)
try:
state = data["entities"][0]["state"]
except:
state = None
if state == 'AVAILABLE':
isStateAvailable = True
break
except Exception as e:
logging.error(f"Getting snapshot status oob_schedule_ids='{sched
ule_id}' for Protection Domain='{pdName}' failed")
logging.exception(str(e))
logging.info(f"Unfreeze vms for Protection Domain='{pdName}'")
cluster.unFreezeVms(pdVms)
generateResultFailed(f"Getting snapshot status oob_schedule_ids=
'{schedule_id}' for Protection Domain='{pdName}' failed.", e)
if not isStateAvailable:
logging.error(f"Unexpected snapshot status='{state}' oob_schedule_id
s='{schedule_id}' for Protection Domain='{pdName}'")
logging.info(f"Unfreeze vms for Protection Domain='{pdName}'")
cluster.unFreezeVms(pdVms)
generateResultFailed(f"Snapshot oob_schedule_ids='{state}' status er
ror (status='{schedule_id}') for Protection Domain='{pdName}'.")
logging.info(f"Creating vms snapshot for Protection Domain='{pdName}' su
ccess")
pdSnapshotId = data["entities"][0]["snapshot_id"]
pdSnapshotUuid = data["entities"][0]["snapshot_uuid"]
snapshotInfo['schedule_id'] = schedule_id
snapshotInfo['pdSnapshotId'] = pdSnapshotId
snapshotInfo['pdSnapshotUuid'] = pdSnapshotUuid
return snapshotInfo
def freezeVms(self, pdVmsList):
"""
Freezing vms
:param vmsInfo: vms data needed to freeze
:return:

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 """
logging.info(f"Freezing vms for Protection Domain='{pdName}'")
# here should be added code for freezing vms"
logging.info(f"Freezing vms for Protection Domain='{pdName}' success")
pass
def unFreezeVms(self, pdVms):
"""
unfreezing vms
:param pdVms: vms data needed to unfreeze
:return:
"""
logging.info(f"Unfreezing vms for Protection Domain='{pdName}'")
# here should be added code for unfreezing vms"
logging.info(f"Unfreezing vms for Protection Domain='{pdName}' success")
pass
def doSomeChecks(pdVms):
# here should be added code for PD VMs check
# for example get vms ip addresses
logging.info("Do some checks")
vmsInfo = []
vmsInfoEx = cluster.getVmsInfoEx(pdVms, False)
for vmInfo in vmsInfoEx:
if vmInfo["vm"]: # if exist on Nutanix --> add to list
vmsInfo.append(vmInfo["vm"])
else:
logging.warning(f"VM with UUID='{vmInfo['uuid']}' will not backup. V
M in PD does not exist in cluster.")
logging.info("Do some checks success")
# here should be added error message (in case of failed checks)
# #############################################################################
#####################
#
# Main
#
# #############################################################################
#####################
if __name__ == "__main__":
cluster = NutanixCluster(nutanixPrismCentralIp, nutanixLogin, nutanixPass)
pdVms = cluster.getPdVms(pdName)
if not pdVms:
generateResultFailed(f"Protection Domain '{pdName}' doesn't have vms.")
doSomeChecks(pdVms)
cluster.freezeVms(pdVms)
snapshotInfo = cluster.createPdSnapshot(pdName)
cluster.unFreezeVms(pdVms)
logging.info("All steps succeeded")
result = ScriptResult()
result.oob_schedule_id = snapshotInfo['schedule_id']
generateResult(result)

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Appendix B. Installing Custom Certificate
When you upgrade the Nutanix AHV backup appliance to version 4.0 or later, a Veeam certificate is
automatically installed on the appliance even if a custom certificate was used before. If you want to replace the
Veeam certificate with your custom certificate, the following files are required:

• certificate.pem — a file that contains the Nutanix AHV backup appliance certificate in the PEM
format. Note that the PFX format is not supported.

• privatekey.pem — a file that contains a private key used to generate the certificate.

• password — a file that contains a password to decrypt the private key. This file is not required if the
private key is not encrypted.

To install the certificate, do the following:

1. Enable SSH access on the Nutanix AHV backup appliance.

2. Connect to the Nutanix AHV backup appliance using SSH.

3. Upload certificate files to the Nutanix AHV backup appliance.

4. Open the /opt/VeeamBackupAgent/appsettings.json file and locate the

Ba ckupApplianceCertificate configuration section.

5. Update the configuration parameters as in the following example:

"BackupApplianceCertificate": {
"UseCustomCert": true,
"CustomCertPemFilePath": "/<path_to_the_file>/certificate.pem",
"CustomPrivateKeyPemFilePath": "/<path_to_the_file>/privatekey.pem",
"CustomPasswordFilePath": "/<path_to_the_file>/password"
}

If the private key is not encrypted, leave the default "" value for the CustomPasswordFilePath
parameter.

6. Save the appsettings.json file.

7. Restart the backup service using the following command:

sudo systemctl restart veeamahvbackup

IMP ORTANT

If the Nutanix AHV backup appliance cannot find the certificate in the specified folder or any of the
certificate files contain incorrect data, the backup service will fail to start, and you will not be able to
perform data protection and recovery operations. To troubleshoot the problem, check logs in the
/var/log/veeam_backup/appliance_service/appliance_service.log file.

8. Update the Nutanix AHV backup appliance configuration using the Edit Nutanix Proxy wizard.

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Appendix C. Configuring Bus Type Restore
Priority
When restoring a VM that originally resided on a platform other than Nutanix AHV, Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV attaches disks with the restored data to the target Nutanix AHV VM taking into account the original disk
bus types unless the following limits are exceeded: 6 SATA, 256 SCSI, 4 IDE, 7 PCI disks. Since the maximum
number of disk nodes to which disks of a specific bus type can be attached varies depending on the virtualization
platform, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV may fail to attach some of the VM disks using their original bus types.
Those disks will be attached to free nodes of other bus types in the following default priority: SATA, SCSI, IDE,
PCI.

You can modify the default priority to define the order in which Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will process
disks that cannot be attached using their original bus types. You can also instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix
AHV to ignore the original bus types of VM disks. In the latter case, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV wil l attach
disks according to the specified bus type priority — this may be useful if some bus type is not configured in the
Nutanix AHV environment.

NOTE

Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV takes into account the bus type restore priority only when performing the
following operations:

• Restore of an entire VM that originally resided on a platform other than Nutanix AHV.
• Instant Recovery of any VM (including Nutanix AHV VMs) to Nutanix AHV.

Consider the following example. You want to restore a VMware VM that originally had 30 SATA disks and 2 IDE
disks. Depending on the bus type restore priority, Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV will attach disks to the
following nodes of the target VM:

Bus Type Priority Ig nore Ta rget VM Disk Nodes

Original Bus

• 6 SATA (originally, 6 SATA)

SATA, SCSI, IDE, False
• 24 SCSI (originally, 24 SATA)
PCI
(default) • 2 IDE (originally)
• 0 PCI

• 6 SATA (originally, 6 SATA)

SATA, IDE, PCI, False
SCSI • 4 IDE (originally, 2 IDE and 2 SATA)
• 7 PCI (originally, 7 SATA)
• 15 SCSI (originally, 15 SATA)

• 24 SCSI (originally, 24 SATA)

SCSI, IDE, PCI, False
SATA • 2 IDE (originally, 2 IDE)
• 0 PCI
• 6 SATA (originally, 6 SATA)

• 32 SCSI (originally, 30 SATA and 2 IDE)

SCSI, IDE, PCI, True
• 0 IDE
SATA
• 0 PCI
• 0 SATA

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To modify the default bus type restore priority, do the following:

1. Close the Veeam Backup & Replication console.

2. Open a plain text editor (for example, Notepad) as Administrator.

3. In the editor, open the appsettings.json file located in the {plug-in location}\Service folder.

The default location of Nutanix AHV plug-in is C:\Program Files\Veeam\Plugins\Nutanix AHV.

However, the location may differ depending on the specified setup settings.

4. Locate the RestoreDefaults configuration section.

To instruct Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV to ignore the original bus types of VM disks, set the following
parameter to true:

"IgnoreOriginalBus": "true",

To change the bus type priority, update the following parameter value:

"BusesFillingOrder": "SCSI, IDE, PCI, SATA",

5. Save the appsettings.json file.

6. Restart the Veeam AHV Service.

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Appendix D. Configuring Multiple
Networks
Starting from version 6.0, Nutanix AHV allows you to connect the backup appliance and workers to multiple
networks. This may be helpful if your corporate policies require that inbound and outbound internet traffic is
delivered through a secure network only, or if you want to use a specific network to transfer backed -up data
from and to backup repositories.

Since both the backup appliance and workers deployed by Nutanix AHV are Linux -based VMs, they have the
same limitations that apply to machines running the Rocky Linux operating system. That is, network routing can
only be applied to the networks connected to the network adapters (vNICs) that has been added first while
configuring the backup appliance and workers, which mean that these VMs can reach out to endpoints in other
networks only through those first vNICs.

That is why you must consider the following while configuring multiple networks for the backup appliance and
workers:

• If you want the backup appliance and workers to obtain updates from online Veeam repositories, you must
connect to the first vNIC a network that allows inbound and outbound internet traffic.

• If a backup repository, the backup server, the Nutanix AHV cluster or the Prism Central is not reachable
from the network connected to the first vNIC, you must update the backup appliance and worker s ettings
to add one more vNIC and to connect it to the network to which that component is connected.

This section describes examples of valid and invalid network configurations.

Example 1. Valid Configuration

In this example, the backup appliance, all workers, the backup server, the repository and the Nutanix AHV
cluster are connected to Network B, while the backup appliance and the workers are also connected to Network
A that allows them to obtain updates from the internet. This configuration is valid since all backup infrastructure
components are connected to the same network.

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Example 2. Valid Configuration
In this example, the backup appliance, all workers, the backup server, the repository and the Nutanix AHV
cluster are connected to Network A, while the workers and the backup repository are also connected to Network
B that is configured as a preferred network to deliver traffic to the backup repository. This configuration is valid
since all backup infrastructure components are connected to the same network.

NOTE

The backup appliance and workers will be able to obtain updates from online Veeam repositories only if
Network A is configured to allow inbound and outbound internet traffic.

Example 3. Valid Configuration

In this example, the backup appliance and all workers are connected to Network A using their first vNICs, while
the workers are also connected to Network B that is configured as a preferred network to deliver traffic to the
backup repository. Also, you have a router configured to forward traffic between networks A, C and D. This
configuration is valid since the backup appliance and the workers can use Network A to communicate with other
backup infrastructure components though the router.

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 NOTE

The backup appliance and workers will be able to obtain updates from online Veeam repositories only if
Network A is configured to allow inbound and outbound internet traffic.

Example 4. Invalid Configuration

In this example, the backup appliance and all workers are connected both to Network A using their first vNICs
and to Network B using their second vNICs, while the backup server, the backup repository and the Nutanix
cluster are connected to Network C. Also, you have a router configured to forward traffic between networks B
and C. This configuration is invalid since the workers and the backup appliance cannot use Network B to
communicate with other backup infrastructure components through the router.

To make the configuration valid, do either of the following:

• Change your network configuration to connect Network A to the router.

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 • Add more vNICs to the backup appliance and the workers. Then, connect these vNICs to Network C.

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