To start using storage snapshots for backup and restore, you must add the storage system to the backup infrastructure.
After you add the storage system, the storage system topology appears in the Storage Infrastructure view.
When you add the storage system, Veeam Backup Free Edition automatically rescans it. As a part of rescan, Veeam Backup Free Edition performs the following operations:
- Veeam Backup Free Edition retrieves the information about the storage system topology.
- Veeam Backup Free Edition retrieves information about VMware datastores from VMware vCenter Server and matches storage volumes to these VMware datastores. Matching helps Veeam Backup Free Edition understand what VMs host their disks on storage volumes. Additionally, it helps Veeam Backup Free Edition get the information about VMs on storage snapshots: Veeam Backup Free Edition assumes that disks of VMs located on storage volumes are also located on storage snapshots.
- Veeam Backup Free Edition rescans storage snapshots. As a result of snapshot rescan, Veeam Backup Free Edition determines exactly what VMs are located on storage snapshots. If for some reason Veeam Backup Free Edition fails to rescan all storage snapshots, it rescans the last storage snapshot in the hierarchy and propagates the retrieved information to all other storage snapshots.
You can add the following storage systems to the backup infrastructure: