Veeam Info

Backing up a standalone Windows PC

Non domain-joined Windows Workstations/Servers can't be backed up by a Veeam backup server (backup appliance) by default. You'll need to make the following registry change. This enables access to the $ADMIN share on the local network. This assumes we have already deployed an appliance with Veeam B&R installed and it is on the same LAN as the computers you want to backup.

  1. Create a user on the target machine(s) named pnsbackup. Give it a strong password and document it in the companies portal in Hudu. There is a template script in Syncro named TEMPLATE - add pnsbackup user. You should clone this script to the company in question and modify it with the unique password you've created. The end user should never have access to this account, it is strictly for service. We'll never even login to it ourselves ideally. 
  2. Using Regedit or Syncro backgrounding tools, create a DWORD string named LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy with value 1 at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System 
  3. Reboot the target machine.
  4. Create a protection group including the target machine on the relevant backup server
  5. Use the credentials you created in step 1 to authenticate against the target machine. You should not receive any errors at this step.
  6. Once all the machines you want to backup are in the protection group, create a backup job as you would for any other deployment.

Veeam Management Agent Not Reporting Veeam Backup Services

We have had several reports recently of Backup Servers failing to deploy the Veeam service provider management agent through the console. Even after the management agent had been installed manually, the server would show up under the discovered computers in the Veeam Service Provider Console (VSPC) but would not detect that Veeam Backup and Replication was running. If you run into a similar issue these steps may resolve the problem.

Check that the Veeam Management Agent logs (C:\ProgramData\Veeam\Veeam Availability Console\Log) have error messages similar to the following:

BackupServerDiscovery: System.Management.ManagementException: Access denied
BackupServerDiscovery: Backup Service (VeeamBackupSvc) is running, but select query from WMI returned NULL

First, try reinstalling WMI on the backup server by running command prompt as Administrator and running the following command followed by rebooting the system: “C:\Program Files\Veeam\Backup and Replication\Backup\Veeam.Backup.WmiServer.exe” /install

The next step is to make a note of the accounts used by the Veeam Management Agent and Veeam Backup Services.

Next, open the Veeam Backup and Replication console and go to the Users and Roles menu.

If the Veeam Management Agent Service is running using the Local System account, verify that account still has access. The ‘BUILTIN\Administrators’ group should give that account permission by default.

However, if these roles have been modified, or if MFA has been enabled, an exception will need to be made for the ‘NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM’ service account (or other account used by the Veeam Management Agent service). Click add and add the user as well as check the box for “This is a service account (disables multi-factor authentication).”

After making this change the Veeam Management Agent should now be able to report Veeam Backup and Replication details to the VSPC successfully.