Updating your service

As a Service Provider you’re responsible for planning, building, and maintaining parts of your solutions and services. An important part of your service lifecycle is updating the applications that make up the SaaS data protection stack. Updating partially or all of the solution may provide new and improved features or address security issues.

This page will provide key considerations to be successful in your update and upgrade efforts.

Order of Operations

The order of software upgrades is likely the most important aspect in any service update.

NOTE: By default Veeam Service Provider Console begins it’s billing process on the 1st of the month. Depending on this timing and/or when your business gathers and reports billing data you must plan your software upgrades.

Veeam suggests the following order for updating software used in the SaaS use-case. Each hyperlink below navigates to the appropriate update/upgrade documentation:

1. Veeam Service Provider Console (VSPC)
2. Veeam Backup Enterprise Manager
3. Veeam Backup and Replication (=Cloud Connect)
   1. Remember that the VCSP and tenant (customer) can run different versions of Veeam Backup & Replication. Consider the requirements detailed here.
4. Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365
5. Veeam ONE
6. Veeam Backup for AWS/Azure/Google
7. Veeam Backup and Replication (managed customers)

Compatibility

Software compatibility is determined by the order of software upgrades detailed above. Losing compatibility with a managed customer or a system responsible for providing a service could be a serious issue so make sure to review the documentation for software used before updating.

NOTE: If you have private hotfixes in your environment, please contact support prior to upgrading to make sure these hotfixes are compatible with the new version.

The Veeam Service Provider Console is the “top-level” software in the SaaS software stack above, we will use this as an example:

1. Use the provided software compatibility for the latest (or appropriate) Veeam Service Provider Console version located in the System Requirements page of the Help Center.
2. Verify that there are no managed or administered systems that do not meet the specified compatibility.
   1. If any systems do not meet compatibility requirements resolve these first (likely by upgrading the appropriate software) and proceed to the next step.
3. Perform the software update for Veeam Service Provider Console.

Testing and Labs

It is suggested that software upgrades be tested in a lab environment before hand. Using a dedicated lab environment and a set of dedicated test accounts/organizations will allow you to predict how your production environment could look post-upgrade.

VB365 v7 to v8 upgrade specifics

VB365 v8 represents a major software architecture change. The introduction of PostgreSQL as the configuration database, NATS, and Proxy Pools fundamentally change how the software functions.

External PostgreSQL database server

It is best practice to utilize an external (not on VB365 controller) PostgreSQL database server for installations that protect more than 10k users. For simplicity, performance monitoring, and troubleshooting this server should not host other configuration databases or software.

NATS server

NATS (https://nats.io/) provides a messaging system for distributed systems. Most VB365 services on v8 relay on NATS to function.

When using NATS embedded on the VB365 controller Veeam provides a KB for optimizing memory utilization of the NATS service here.

To enhance the security of the NATS server we recommend enabling TLS encryption for the NATS server traffic. See more details here.

Post VB365 v8 upgrade

After upgrading the systems that exist in your SaaS stack as detailed above follow the “After Upgrade” guidance in VB365 documentation here.

In the event that the PosgreSQL or NATS passwords are rotated adjust saved passwords by following the KB here.

Permissions

For any VB365 software upgrade there is a possibility that new permissions are used for new or improvement of existing features. Comparing VB365 v7 to VB365 v8 new permissions are detailed here.

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