Keiran Shelden Over the years we have seen Veeam release some great products, and with each release they continue to build in more and more features and there is no exception when it comes to the the updated release of the Veeam Agent for Mac v2.
Like the Windows agent, the latest Mac agent is available as a standalone install. The previous version was completely managed from Veeam Backup and Replication where you had to cut a config and package the install. With v2, you can install straight from the pkg file allowing you to have more control and freedom.
Like the Windows and Linux agents, Veeam is providing the Mac agent with a limited free license which allows up to 1 job created and limited backup locations. However, it still has a ton of functionality and gives you access to backing up either individual files, directories or the entire computer.
So let’s dive in and take a look at what is available under the free license.
Straight off the bat, there is a really nice UI to work with, the layout is easy to work with and everything is very much self explainatory. There are heaps of features that are wrap into this tight little bundle and are easily accessible. The locations in the UI make sense are all in logical locations. I did, however struggle to find how to delete the job as my instict from using other Veeam products was to Right click > Delete . This was simple enough in the end as it was just in the top menu, which I guess just makes it safer.
Backup
As mentioned above, there is a number of new repositories that are available for backing up your workstation to. Previously you were limited to only backing up to a Veeam Backup and Replication repository, but the Mac agent has now been extended to locally connected repositories and SMB shares.
Some people like to only backup certain files and others prefer to backup their entire directories and Veeam knows this well which is why they give you the ability to choose your precious files or your entire root/sub directories. You can even enable backing up locally attached USB drives in case you have an external drive that holds other working files.
The Mac agent is still quite packed full of features and functions to ensure you get the most out of your backups. You have access to advanced features, such as; Active Full backup schedules, Compression, Storage Optimizations and Encryption.
Restore
What’s the point of a backup if you’re never able to restore from it when you need to? While dealing with enterprises, we always say to have a test plan in place, but I feel fairly certain that a lot of folks wouldn’t have one in place for their home network. we should also remember to treat our backups as a copy of our data and not as the only copy.
The Veeam Mac Agent makes restoring a very easy task. Click on the restore tab, select your restore point and then browse your backup. Simples.
Just like restoring in Backup and Replication, you can choose to either OVERWRITE or KEEP your existing copy of the document (Keep is usually ideal so you can check your restored copy first). KEEP will place a second copy in the same directory and rename to <filename_RESTORED_date&time> so that you will know exactly which copy it is. There is also COPY TO which will allow you to restore to another location – This is great if you want to place the restored file on an external hard drive or in another folder.
If you choose the “Restore Users Data” option, then you will receive a big pop-up to advise you that you will overwrite your User Profile. So, you have been warned!
Veeam have also done a fantastic job with their job logs and have a very detailed, but human consumable log output directly in the interface.
Consclusion
Yet again, Veeam have hit it out of the park with their products and to be able to provide a a free product that is packed full of features is very generous of them. I think the Mac Agent has come a long way from v1 and is worth trying out. It certainly is a replacement for TimeMachine and much easier to understand and configure. I would like to see a few more menu items in the right click menu, but these are available in the Apple top bar, so no real issues there.
Make sure you check out the new Veeam Mac Agent once it is GA and be sure to check
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