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Limitation on Number of VMs per Snapshot

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By default, during Backup from storage snapshots Veeam Backup & Replication creates VM snapshots for all VMs that reside on the same volume or LUN, and then triggers a storage snapshot for this volume or LUN. If the number of VMs on the volume or LUN is great, VM snapshot creation may take a lot of time. To speed up the backup or replication job processing, you can limit the number of VMs per storage snapshot.

To limit the number of storage snapshots, you must enable the Limit processed VM count per storage snapshot to option and specify the number of VMs per snapshot in the job properties.

With the limitation option enabled, Veeam Backup & Replication processes VMs in several cycles:

Veeam Backup & Replication divides VMs into several groups.
Veeam Backup & Replication triggers VM snapshots for VMs in the first group.
Veeam Backup & Replication triggers a storage snapshot for the volume or LUN where VMs reside.
Veeam Backup & Replication deletes VM snapshots for VMs in the first group.
Veeam Backup & Replication copies data of VMs in the first group from the storage snapshot.
Veeam Backup & Replication removes the storage snapshot.
Steps 2-6 are repeated for every remaining group of VMs.

For example, you add to the job 15 VMs whose disks are located on the same volume and set the Limit processed VM count per storage snapshot to option to 10. Veeam Backup & Replication will divide all VMs into 2 groups — a group of 10 VMs and group of 5 VMs. Then it will perform the data processing cycle for the first group of VMs. When VM data processing is over, Veeam Backup & Replication will start processing the second group of VMs.