How do I connect to Veeam Backup & Replication?

Learn more about how to connect Bocada Cloud to your Veeam Backup & Replication system

Connecting Bocada Cloud to your backup systems using Veeam Backup & Replication (Veeam B&R) requires the following steps:

1. Log into Bocada Cloud

• On the left navigation menu, click Connections, then +Add.  
• Click the Veeam Backup & Replication tile.
• You will be able to choose either a Windows-compatible or Linux-compatible agent.
• Name the Data Collection Agent which will appear in the Bocada Cloud UI.
• Follow the steps on each screen which are also explained below. 

2. Download and Install the Bocada Cloud Data Collection Agent

First, you will need to download and install the Bocada Cloud Data Collection Agent in the private network where the systems that use Veeam B&R are located. The agent will connect to those systems to collect data locally and send it to Bocada Cloud for reporting and monitoring.

Follow the prompts on the screen to: (1) give the agent a name, (2) download and install it,
(3-4) copy a unique Authentication key and paste it into the agent to register it, and then (5) test that the connection between the agent and Bocada Cloud is working correctly. 

• If you are using SQL Server for Veeam B&R: you can install the agent on the SQL Server where Veeam B&R is running, or on a machine in the same private network that can access the Veeam B&R database. 

• If you are using PostgreSQL for Veeam B&R: it's easiest to install the agent on the same PostgreSQL database where Veeam B&R is running. However, you can also install the agent on a different machine, but this will require additional configuration. Learn how to configure a connection between the Bocada Cloud Data Collection Agent installed on a different machine than the Veeam B&R PostgreSQL database.

3. Add Connection Details

After you have successfully installed the Bocada Cloud Data Collection agent, the next screen will ask you add a few details about the connection. 

• Data Collection Agent: this field will be pre-populated with the agent you just installed; however, you can select a different agent if you have more than one set up. 
• Organization: this field will be pre-populated with your main organization (Billing Entity); however, you can select a different organization if you have more than one set up.
• Connection Name: give this connection a name which will display in the Bocada Cloud UI and reports. 

4a. Auto-Discover Veeam B&R System Details

If you have installed the Bocada Cloud Data Collection agent on the same system (machine/server) where Veeam B&R is installed, you can take advantage of the Auto-Discovery feature. This will detect the system configuration settings and auto-populate the data fields (all except for password).

• Click the Auto-Discover Settings button
• Confirm that all fields were populated accurately, and/or make necessary adjustments
• Enter the password for the user whose username is being used for the connection 
• Then, click the Next button to test the connection. 

4b. Manually Enter Veeam B&R System Details

If the Bocada Cloud data collection agent is installed on a different system than where Veeam B&R is installed, you will need to manually enter information about your Veeam B&R system(s) to enable the agent to connect to them.

First, choose the database type (either SQL Server or PostgreSQL) of the Veeam Backup & Recovery database. 

If you are using SQL Server for Veeam B&R: 

1.  SQL Server Name: Enter the name of the SQL Server where the Veeam B&R database resides. This database is often hosted locally on the Veeam B&R Server; however, it can be hosted separately. If the Veeam B&R database is hosted locally on the same Veeam B&R Server, you can enter "localhost" instead of the SQL Server name.
2. SQL Instance: Enter the name of the SQL instance where the Veeam B&R database resides. When hosted on the Veeam B&R server, the default is usually "VeeamSQL<year>" (e.g. VEEAMSQL2016). If the SQL instance is configured to run on a static port, include the port number appended to the instance name with a colon (e.g. VEEAMSQL2016:1234).
3. SQL Database: Enter the name of the Veeam B&R database. The default name is VeeamBackup when hosted on the Veeam B&R Server.
4. Database Authentication: choose the method of connection to the Veeam B&R SQL database, either SQL or Windows.
5. Username: enter the name of the user with read-access (db_datareader) permission on the Veeam B&R database. A Windows Authentication user will be in the form of DOMAIN/username. A SQL Authentication user will just be username. 
6. Password: enter the password for the user entered in the username field above.
7. Time zone: enter the time zone where the Veeam B&R database resides. 
8. Then, click the Next button to test the connection. 

If you are using PostgreSQL for Veeam B&R: 

1. If the agent is installed on the same server/machine as Veeam B&R: you can use the same credentials (username and password) that were used during the setup of Veeam. By default, Veeam uses Windows Authentication. Alternately, you can create a new PostgreSQL user as described below. 
   1. Create a PostgreSQL user: if the agent is installed on a different server/machine than Veeam B&R, you will need to create a PostgreSQL user to facilitate the connection between Bocada Cloud and Veeam B&R on a PostgreSQL database. Click here to learn how using an automated PowerShell script or manual entry.
2. PostgreSQL Server Name: Enter the name of the PostgreSQL Server where the Veeam B&R database resides. This database is often hosted locally on the Veeam B&R Server; however, it can be hosted separately. If the Veeam B&R database is hosted locally on the same Veeam B&R server, you can also enter "localhost" instead of the PostgreSQL Server name.
3. Port: Enter the port number for the Veeam PostgreSQL database. The default value is 5432.
4. Database: Enter the name of the Veeam B&R database. The default name is VeeamBackup.
5. Database Authentication: choose the method of connection to the Veeam B&R database, either SQL or Windows.
6. Username: enter the name of the PostgreSQL user as described in step #1 that has permission to run SELECT queries. Note: this field is case sensitive.
7. Password: enter the password for the user entered in the username field above.
8. Time zone: enter the time zone where the Veeam B&R database resides. 
9. Then, click the Next button to test the connection. 

If the connection is successful, you will be asked to select how many days in the past (up to the past 8 days) of backup data you want to collect to initially populate reports and your Dashboard. Then, your connector will run data collections every hour after that point.  

 If the connection is unsuccessful, you will be able to click the “Previous” button to edit your connection details and try again.