This is an archive version of the document. To get the most up-to-date information, see the current version.Full Backup Methods
Veeam Backup & Replication provides the following methods for creation of full backup files:
When you perform active full backup, Veeam Backup & Replication retrieves VM data from the source datastore where the VM resides, compresses and deduplicates it and writes it to the VBK file in the backup repository.
When you perform synthetic full backup, Veeam Backup & Replication does not retrieve VM data from the source datastore. Instead, it synthesizes a full backup from data you already have in the backup repository. Veeam Backup & Replication accesses the previous full backup file and a chain of subsequent incremental backup files on the backup repository, consolidates VM data from these files and writes consolidated data into a new full backup file. As a result, the created synthetic full backup file contains the same data you would have if you created an active full backup.
Tip |
You can perform both active and synthetic full backups. For more information on how to do that, see Backup Settings. |