Antivirus Configuration File
The antivirus software that you plan to use for scanning backups is described in the AntivirusInfos.xml file. By default, the file contains predefined settings for the following antivirus solutions:
- Microsoft Windows:
- Sophos Endpoint Protection
- Symantec Protection Engine
- ESET Server Security (formerly ESET File Security)
- ESET Security
- Windows Defender
- Bitdefender Endpoint Security Tools
- Trellix (formerly McAfee)
- Linux:
- ClamAV
- Sophos Protection for Linux
- ESET Server Security (formerly ESET File Security)
Veeam Backup & Replication creates the AntivirusInfos.xml file in the %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Veeam\Backup and Replication\Mount Service folder or in the /opt/veeam/mount/ directory on every machine with the mount server role. During a Scan Backup or secure restore session, Veeam Backup & Replication reads settings from the file and triggers the antivirus to scan backup files. If you use several antivirus software on the mount server, Veeam Backup & Replication will trigger the antivirus whose configuration is defined first in the file.
See the default configuration file
Antivirus Configuration File Structure
The AntivirusInfos.xml file contains the following elements:
- Antiviruses. Encapsulates the file with antivirus settings.
- AntivirusInfo. Describes the antivirus software.
See AntivirusInfo attributes
Attribute | Description |
Name | Specifies the antivirus name. Veeam Backup & Replication will display this name in Scan Backup or restore session logs. |
IsPortableSoftware | Indicates if antivirus software is portable:
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Specifies the full path to the antivirus executable file. Note: Some antivirus software uses separate installation folders for different versions. Make sure that you add the full path to the antivirus executable file you use. | |
CommandLineParameters | Specifies antivirus commands that you want to execute during the scan. Make sure that the antivirus supports the specified commands. For example, the list of commands for ESET is available in this ESET KB article. Note: The %Path% variable is required for this attribute. During Scan Backup or Secure Restore, Veeam Backup & Replication substitutes this variable for the path to the directory with mounted disks (C:\VeeamFLR\<machinename> or /tmp/Veeam.Mount.FS/<UUID>/). |
Specifies the name of the antivirus service. The service must be responsible for data scanning. The attribute value can be an empty string if the value of the IsPortableSoftware attribute is set to True and the value of the ExecutableFilePath attribute is not empty. | |
Specifies the registry value of the anitivirus service. The attribute value can be empty if the value of the IsPortableSoftware attribute is set to True and the value of the ExecutableFilePath attribute is not empty. | |
ThreatExistsRegEx | Specifies regular expressions. A regular expression is a sequence of characters that form a search pattern. Veeam Backup & Replication will search the antivirus output messages for the specified regular expression. If any of the output messages match the expression, Veeam Backup & Replication will notify you on detected threat. Note: You must have a good understanding of the regular expression language to specify this attribute properly. For more information on the regular expression language, see Microsoft Docs. |
Indicates if the antivirus will run multiple jobs to scan files on mounted disks simultaneously. If you set this attribute to True, Veeam Backup & Replication will lock the antivirus to perform the scan for the current Scan Backup or restore session. The antivirus will not be available for other Scan Backup or Secure Restore sessions until the scan completes. The default value for antivirus lock time-out is 24 hours. If the scan does not complete after this period, Veeam Backup & Replication will finish other restore sessions as specified in the restore wizard: abort restore sessions or restore machines (or its disks) with restrictions. Note: You can change the lock time-out using registry values. For more information, contact Veeam Support. If the antivirus CLI does not support multiple scan jobs, set this attribute to False. | |
OutputSupported | Indicates if the antivirus software displays output messages in the scan results. The value of this attribute depends on the antivirus software. If this attribute is set to True, scan results will contain an exit code message and log messages generated by the antivirus software. If this attribute is set to False, scan results will contain only an exit code message and a default log message generated by Veeam Backup & Replication. |
- ExitCodes. Encapsulates messages that Veeam Backup & Replication displays on scan results.
- ExitCode. Describes the subject and the body of the message that Veeam Backup & Replication displays on scan results.
See ExitCode attributes
Attribute | Description |
Type | Specifies the subject of the message that Veeam Backup & Replication will display on scan results:
|
Description | Specifies the body of the message that Veeam Backup & Replication will display on scan results. |
Customizing Antivirus Configuration File
If you want to scan machine data with other antivirus software, make sure that it supports the command line interface (CLI). Then, add configuration for this software to the AntivirusInfos.xml file. The configuration must contain the AntivirusInfo element with all nested elements and attributes.
Note |
Consider the following:
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Tip |
You can distribute the XML configuration file among other mount servers in your backup infrastructure using Veeam PowerShell. For more information, see the Copy-VBRAntivirusConfigurationFile section in the Veeam PowerShell Reference. |