Veeam reinstallation problem - VeeamBackup
Over the past several weeks, I have been working with on learning Veeam backup solutions. Veeam's approach is a bit different and their nomenclature is much different from other backup products, perhaps owing to their European roots. They also have a confusing licensing structure. Combine the nomenclature differences, the licensing complexities and the myriad of applications it takes to run the product and it creates, to me, a steep learning curve.
That said, Veeam is an effective and affordable Enterprise-grade product.
I had installed Veeam Backup and Replication on a test server several months ago. After working with it for a while, I abandoned the project ("Squirrel!!!"). I came back to it a couple weeks ago and began my effort by downloading and installing the latest version.
When the installation of Veeam Backup and Replication (VBR) neared completion, I got an error. It was a popup on the screen which said "Failed to create database VeeamBackup. Create failed for Database 'VeamBackup'". Well, as they say, "Isn't that special?"
I did what any seasoned engineer would do. I hit Google. I didn't get much help at that time. So, I uninstalled Veeam and tried again. Same thing happened. Hmmmmm. This time I went into Programs and Features and I deleted not only Veeam, but all things SQL. Veeam installs a whole suite of the Express version of SQL Server. I was seeing SQL 2016, 2014, 2012 and 2008 programs plus ODBC drivers for SQL, Report Viewer 2015, VSS Writer and a couple of Visual C++ apps for good measure. I uninstalled them all. I basically field stripped my server.
I reinstalled the product. I had to reinstall the pre-requisites. SQL 2016 SP1 installed, Veeam VBR installed, other pieces installed and then BAM! Failed to create database VeeamBackup. Damn!
OK. What now? So, I re-uninstalled the entire suite and then I went in and deleted the folders that Veeam creates on the data drive, ProgramData and VBRCatalog. Then I re-re-reinstalled the package. Off it goes. Looking good, looking good, c'mon baby, looking good, BAM! Failed to create database VeeamBackup.
That's it. Time to call support. I called support, gave them the symptoms and we set up a WebEx session. The tech looked at my server, checked the registry, blew out various files and locations and asked me to reinstall. SAME THING HAPPENED. Finally after futzing around for about an hour, it was suggested that the most practical thing would be to reload the server. I did that the next day and voila!, it loaded without a single problem. Great. Must have been something corrupt in the OS.
Moving on, I installed several more instances of VBR without issue. One of these servers was being deployed to a client site. I deployed the server onsite yesterday. All looked well. I remoted into the server last night to configure it for production. I renamed the server from its temporary name to its site name. After a reboot, I logged back in. When I started VBR, up popped an error. Something like Failed to start SQL Server OldName\VEEAMSQL2016. Damn! No good deed goes unpunished, does it?
Being the seasoned engineer that I am, I didn't Google that error. I should have, because I would have found a Veeam KB article describing a fix. I decided to simply reinstall VBR. Normally a reinstall will reconfigure settings based upon the current environment. Nope, not this time. Veeam popped up and told me that it won't reinstall over my current version. Sooooo, I uninstalled VBR and reinstalled. Guess what happened next? Yep, you guessed it... Failed to create database VeeamBackup.
At this point, I am not feeling the love. I have a server onsite, on a Saturday and I damn sure don't want to attempt a reinstall of the OS remotely. That is a recipe for failure. So, back to Google I go. This time I found a Veeam support forum article referencing this issue. This forum thread is from 2016!!! Four years ago! Want to know the solution? I doubt you Googled this page to read my compelling prose, although I hope you liked it. Here is the answer:
Using Windows Explorer, browse to:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL13.VEEAMSQL2016\MSSQL\DATA
Look for two files named VeeamBackup. Delete them both.
Reinstall VBR.
That's it. Support didn't know it. I didn't find it the first time. A 30 second fix.
Now you know.
That said, Veeam is an effective and affordable Enterprise-grade product.
I had installed Veeam Backup and Replication on a test server several months ago. After working with it for a while, I abandoned the project ("Squirrel!!!"). I came back to it a couple weeks ago and began my effort by downloading and installing the latest version.
When the installation of Veeam Backup and Replication (VBR) neared completion, I got an error. It was a popup on the screen which said "Failed to create database VeeamBackup. Create failed for Database 'VeamBackup'". Well, as they say, "Isn't that special?"
I did what any seasoned engineer would do. I hit Google. I didn't get much help at that time. So, I uninstalled Veeam and tried again. Same thing happened. Hmmmmm. This time I went into Programs and Features and I deleted not only Veeam, but all things SQL. Veeam installs a whole suite of the Express version of SQL Server. I was seeing SQL 2016, 2014, 2012 and 2008 programs plus ODBC drivers for SQL, Report Viewer 2015, VSS Writer and a couple of Visual C++ apps for good measure. I uninstalled them all. I basically field stripped my server.
I reinstalled the product. I had to reinstall the pre-requisites. SQL 2016 SP1 installed, Veeam VBR installed, other pieces installed and then BAM! Failed to create database VeeamBackup. Damn!
OK. What now? So, I re-uninstalled the entire suite and then I went in and deleted the folders that Veeam creates on the data drive, ProgramData and VBRCatalog. Then I re-re-reinstalled the package. Off it goes. Looking good, looking good, c'mon baby, looking good, BAM! Failed to create database VeeamBackup.
That's it. Time to call support. I called support, gave them the symptoms and we set up a WebEx session. The tech looked at my server, checked the registry, blew out various files and locations and asked me to reinstall. SAME THING HAPPENED. Finally after futzing around for about an hour, it was suggested that the most practical thing would be to reload the server. I did that the next day and voila!, it loaded without a single problem. Great. Must have been something corrupt in the OS.
Moving on, I installed several more instances of VBR without issue. One of these servers was being deployed to a client site. I deployed the server onsite yesterday. All looked well. I remoted into the server last night to configure it for production. I renamed the server from its temporary name to its site name. After a reboot, I logged back in. When I started VBR, up popped an error. Something like Failed to start SQL Server OldName\VEEAMSQL2016. Damn! No good deed goes unpunished, does it?
Being the seasoned engineer that I am, I didn't Google that error. I should have, because I would have found a Veeam KB article describing a fix. I decided to simply reinstall VBR. Normally a reinstall will reconfigure settings based upon the current environment. Nope, not this time. Veeam popped up and told me that it won't reinstall over my current version. Sooooo, I uninstalled VBR and reinstalled. Guess what happened next? Yep, you guessed it... Failed to create database VeeamBackup.
At this point, I am not feeling the love. I have a server onsite, on a Saturday and I damn sure don't want to attempt a reinstall of the OS remotely. That is a recipe for failure. So, back to Google I go. This time I found a Veeam support forum article referencing this issue. This forum thread is from 2016!!! Four years ago! Want to know the solution? I doubt you Googled this page to read my compelling prose, although I hope you liked it. Here is the answer:
Using Windows Explorer, browse to:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL13.VEEAMSQL2016\MSSQL\DATA
Look for two files named VeeamBackup. Delete them both.
Reinstall VBR.
That's it. Support didn't know it. I didn't find it the first time. A 30 second fix.
Now you know.
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