Upgrade Path and In-Place Upgrade for VBR v13 and Known Fixes
Due to lots of questions in the community that some customers cannot run VBR with other web applications on the same server. I decided to upgrade my VBR Server to v13, thereby showing the flawless upgrade process and documenting any errors I encounter similar to issues reported on Reddit etc. Therefore, in this article, we will discuss the “Upgrade Path and In-Place Upgrade for VBR v13 and Known Fixes. Please, see How to upgrade Veeam Backup and Replication 12.3, and how to update Veeam Backup and Replication [VBR].
Table of contents
According to Gostev and I quote “Generally we do not expect the backup server to be shared with 3rd party apps as that commonly leads to unpredictable behavior. And especially we don’t expect there would be 3rd party apps accepting incoming connections, as this is the recipe for security breaches resulting in complete take over of the backup server, which as you know contains keys to the entire production environment. Therefore, it’s considered a very bad deployment practice.“
Please, see Unveiling OOTBI Mini and New Features for v1.7 from Object First, how to perform Offline and Online Update for Object First Out-of-the-Box Cluster and How to update Object First OOTBI Cluster.
Verify 9392/443 Port Availability
In VBR v13, the Veeam Backup REST Service (the identity service) is hardcoded to prioritize Port 443. If another web applications is already running its Web UI on 443 on the same machine. The VBR service will fail to bind to that port, and stay in a “Stopped” state. This prevent the VBR console from connecting.
Now that you know what to do before upgrading. To reiterate, the VBR 13.0.1’s Web Service/API Gateway requires and hardcodes port 443, with no supported way to change the port or bypass the installer’s compatibility check when 443 is already in use.
Therefore, ensure that port 443 is open and available on your backup server, as it is required for Veeam Backup & Replication Web UI operations.
In-Place Upgrade Requirement for v13
The Veeam Backup & Replication installer blocks the upgrade to version 13.0.1 because it supports upgrades only from version 12.3.1.1139 or later. As you can see below, we are on 12.3.2.4165 and this requirement is not applicable to me.
If you are on a prior version lower than 12.3.1.1139. Please first upgrade to the last version of Veeam Backup & Replication 12.3 (available from KB4696). Else, you will be prompted with the error below.
Please, see how to upgrade Veeam Backup and Replication v12.3 to v13 on Windows. This is similar to this current article but has been expanded comprehensively.
Also, see How to create a two-way Active Directory Trust, how to create a new Azure SQL Database [PaaS], and how to Restore MSSQL Server on Azure VMs using Azure Backup.
VBR 13 Upgrade Path
If you are using a version of Veeam Backup & Replication (VBR) that has reached its End of Support (EOS) and cannot be directly upgraded to a supported version. You will need to install a new instance of VBR using the latest VBR version.
Here’s a clear upgrade path table to Veeam Backup and Replication 13.0.1 based on the official KB2053 upgrade‑path information (as published on Veeam’s site).
| VBR Version | Upgrade Step 1 | Upgrade Step 2 | Upgrade Step 3 | Final Target | Notes |
|---|
| 10a (10.0.1.x) | 12.0 | 12.3.2 | 13.0.1 | v13.0.1 | See KB Article for some clarification and ISO download |
| 11 (11.0.0.x) | 12.0 | 12.3.2 | 13.0.1 | v13.0.1 | “ |
| 11a (11.0.1.x) | 12.0 | 12.3.2 | 13.0.1 | v13.0.1 | “ |
| 12.0 | 12.3.2 | 13.0.1 | — | v13.0.1 | “ |
| 12.3 | 12.3.2 | 13.0.1 | — | v13.0.1 | Must first upgrade to 12.3.2, then to 13.0.1. |
| 12.3.1 | — | 13.0.1 | — | v13.0.1 | Direct upgrade to 13.0.1 supported (no intermediate step). |
| 12.3.2 | — | 13.0.1 | — | v13.0.1 | Direct upgrade to 13.0.1 supported. |
Please, see Upgrade Veeam Backup and Replication to version 12.2, how to install Pleasant Password Server, and Windows 11 System Requirements for those of you using Windows 11 for VBR deployment.
Hardware and OS Requirements
To perform upgrade of Veeam Backup & Replication on Microsoft Windows to version 13.0.1, you must be running version 12.3.1 (build 12.3.1.1139) or later as discussed above on the supported Microsoft Windows operating system. Below are some hardware Requirements I would advise you to adhere to.
- CPU: 64-bit x86-64 processor with minimum 8 cores.
- Memory: 16 GB RAM minimum, plus ~500 MB per concurrent job (actual need varies by workload).
- Disk Space:
- ~5 GB for the product itself (+4.5 GB for .NET if needed).
- 10 GB per 100 VMs for guest file system catalog.
- Instant VM Recovery cache ~100 GB minimum recommended.
- ~10 GB for logs, though this can grow depending on features used.
- Network: 1 Gbps (LAN) recommended for onsite backup/replication; 1 Mbps minimum for remote sites
The supported 64-bit Microsoft Windows versions include:
- Windows Server: 2016, 2019, 2022, 2025
- Windows Client: Windows 10 (22H2), Windows 11 (22H2 – 25H2)
For me, I will be performing the upgrade on a Server running on Windows Server 2025 as it ensures full compatibility and access to the latest Windows platform features. Windows Server 2025 includes newer security, performance, and stability improvements over older Windows Server releases. Running VBR on a newer OS can improve overall response under load and integration with newer APIs.
But if the OS does not meet the requirements, perform a configuration backup, install Veeam Backup & Replication 13.0.1 (build 13.0.1.180) on a supported OS, and restore the configuration backup created earlier
Please, see how to install Windows Server 2025 via iDRAC Virtual Media or PXE, and how to in-place upgrade of Windows Server 2022 to 2025. If you are on Windows Server 2016, here is how to “Perform an in-place upgrade from Windows Server 2016 to Windows Server 2019“.
Deprecated and Removed features
Veeam Backup & Replication v13 deprecates several legacy features, and they will removed completely in v14. Below are some deprecated features.
Deprecated features remain functional for upgraded jobs but are no longer available for new jobs and will be removed completely in v14. Discontinued features must be addressed before upgrading or the upgrade will be blocked.
Dropped support affects platform compatibility and supported operating systems for components and agents
Removed features
These features are no longer available in the product.
| Feature / Component | Status in v13 | Notes |
| Microsoft SQL Server (Configuration DB) | Removed | PostgreSQL is now the mandatory engine for the configuration database. |
| Enterprise Manager | Removed | The standalone Enterprise Manager role is gone; functionality is being consolidated into the main VBR console and API. |
| Legacy Backup Copy Jobs | Removed | All legacy backup copy jobs must be migrated to the new “immediate” or “periodic” copy engine. |
| Tape Support for File-to-Tape (Legacy) | Removed | Older file-to-tape mechanisms have been replaced by the modern File Backup to Tape engine. |
| VMware vSphere 5.5 and 6.0 Support | Removed | Support for these legacy hypervisor versions has been officially dropped. |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 & 2012 / 2012 R2 | Removed | These OS versions are no longer supported as managed servers or backup proxies. |
Please, see How to set up the OOTBI Virtual Appliance on Proxmox VE, OOTBI Security Best Practices: Enable Honeypot on Object First, and Best Storage for Veeam: Comparing OOTBI by ObjectFirst to VHR
Upgrade to Veeam Backup and Replication 13.0.1
To upgrade to Veeam Backup and Replication 13.0.1, you will need to download the ISO image first as shown below.
Upon download, please proceed and mount the ISO image as shown below
Double click on the setup file
If an existing instance of VBR is detected. The upgrade wizard will be launched
Please, see How to download and install the Windows ADK Patches, [AZURE] Procedure for creating an MSSQL Always On Cluster on Azure, and Unable to edit MDT XML unattended file: Could not load file.
Missing Software Prerequisites
When prompted to install Microsoft .Net 8.0.21, click on the OK button to do so as shown below. During installation, missing prerequisites such as:
- Windows PowerShell 7.x may be installed automatically
- Microsoft .NET Desktop Runtime 8.0 as you can see below
- WebView2 Runtime, and
- .NET Framework 4.8 etc.
When prompted, select “Upgrade Veeam Backup and Replication” as shown below.
Accept the license terms
Select your license provisioning method. Shortly, the license will be validated.
Veeam Backup & Replication 13 uses the same license file format introduced with version 10, so you can use your existing version 10, 11, or 12 license file to install version 13.
Next, the system configuration check will be performed.
On the service account wizard, enter your password and click on Next
Please, see How to setup Veeam Software Appliance v13, how to upgrade VBR to 12.3.1: Setup detected inconsistent configuration, and how to Create a User and Custom Domain in Entra ID.
VBR v13 Compatibility issues
The image below shows VBR’s pre-upgrade configuration check; each item needs addressing. But only the red “Outdated Veeam Agents” is a hard blocker. The yellow ones are warnings that I should review and mitigate where relevant. Please take a look at the upgrade checklist.
Though a warning message in the image below. Ensure that the backup server has sufficient disk space. The minimum disk space is calculated dynamically during the system configuration check in the upgrade procedure. It is based on the list of required packages to be installed on the machine and usually is about 9 GB.
Also, ensure ensure that the environment you are going to protect with Veeam Backup & Replication meets the requirements listed in supported Platforms, Applications and Workloads.
To fix this issue, you can see the recommendations when you hover your mouse over the issue.
I do not have an agent anymore running on my Mac, I will proceed and delete the job.
Confirm to have the job deleted by clicking on the Yes button.
All warnings will be fixed in subsequent guide with “Managed Hardened Repository v2 is deprecated” tops the list. To proceed, click on Next.
As you can see, below are the components to be upgraded. Additionally, check the “update remote components automatically” as shown below, and click on upgrade.
As you can see below, the upgrade is in progress, and the VBR server is currently being upgraded.
Shortly, the console will be upgraded
Followed by the Explorers
The “Veeam Agents Redistributables” are being upgraded
Plugins are beings upgraded
The upgrade process is being finalized and the services are starting.
Note: This steps completes, the upgrade process if there are no issues.
Please, see How to Configure Object First OOTBI Appliance, Object First OOTBI Appliance Unboxing and Quick Setup, and How to integrate ObjectFirst OOTBI Appliance with VBR
Unable to start services in v13
Veeam Backup & Replication 13 upgrades often fail at the end when VeeamBackupRESTSvc (REST API service) times out starting, blocking dependent services like VeeamBackupSvc and preventing console/web UI access post-reboot.
Note: This issue has been fixed in the latest build (13.0.1.1071) according to Veeam. But, I can confirm that the issue still persists. See the reddit link referenced in the first paragraph for more information and the following Veeam Forum post.
Root Cause
Limited server performance can cause the default 30-second Windows service startup timeout to expire before REST service initializes fully, especially on first boot after upgrade when PostgreSQL and configs load.
A secondary accelerator to this issue could be missing PowerShell 7, but it is not usually the sole root cause, but the Veeam module will only work with PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell does not load modules for your information). Upgrade PowerShell Core Windows or Mac and Linux System.
In this case, do not exit installer. Run the command below to extend the service timeout and click Retry. If you exit, the finalization might not be complete and you will not be able to login even when you are able to run all the services manually which is often not recommended in this case.
Extend service timeout (run as Administrator PowerShell):
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control" -Name "ServicesPipeTimeout" -Value 60000 -Type DWORDConfirm setting: Get-ItemProperty -Path “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control” -Name “ServicesPipeTimeout” shows 60000
Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control" -Name "ServicesPipeTimeout"
Now, click Retry
When prompted, ensure you perform a retry. Else, you might have to modify the setup by removing all components and perform a reinstallation. This is why, having a configuration backup pulled before the upgrade is important.
Confirm all services running in Services.msc (VeeamBackupRESTSvc, VeeamBackupSvc, Veeam PostgreSQL), then test console connection and web UI on port 9392/443.
Please, see Hyper V Disk allocation: Why Veeam reports full size after Shrinking, and Restore VM to Original location using Veeam Entire VM restore.
Extend service timeout via the Windows Registry
To do this, press Win+R, type regedit, Enter.
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control. Right-click and then New and then DWORD (32-bit) Value, name it ServicesPipeTimeout
Double-click it, Decimal and then Value data 60000 and press OK
As you can see, we have extended the service timeout value via Windows Registry
Note: If the above does not solve this issue, you might run in to the issue dscussed below “Failed to Connect to Veeam Backup and Replication”. If this is the case, proceed below to see how this was resolved.
Please, see understanding User Roles & Access Control in Object First OOTBI and how to create a backup job for Proxmox VMs using VBR.
Failed to Connect to Veeam Backup and Replication
Stay in Installer During VBR 13 Service Timeout. Do not exit the upgrade wizard if VeeamBackupRESTSvc fails to start (error 1053). Else, the error below will be prompted “Failed to Connect to Veeam Backup and Replication”.
In this case, you have to reinstall VBR. This is exactly why having a configuration backup in place is paramount. To fix “Failed to connect to the backup server local host. Make sure it is online and the version is v13 or later”.
Exiting skips finalization steps that initialize IdentityService config, DB schemas, certs, and token dirs, leaving services “running” but incomplete as shown below
Please, see Enable Virtualization in Windows: Fixing VirtualBox’s 32-bit Option, Domain Name System Protocol: Client Registration Issue, and how to fix VMware and HyperV are not compatible.
VeeamBackupRESTSvc upgrade Retry Failed
While VeeamBackupSvc etc., went through using the retry button. The Veeam Backup Server Restful API Service did not start. Forced restart via the Services Manager as shown did not restart the service or solve the issue “Token request was denied request was performed with the wrong HTTP method”
The extended (60s) or the default 30 second service timeout expires before the REST API service initializes fully, especially post-upgrade when PostgreSQL migrates and dependencies load. Event log “Token request was denied request was performed with the wrong HTTP method” appears because incomplete API startup rejects console authentication requests.
Please, see Linux System Update: Upgrade vs. Dist-upgrade Differences, how to Find the Pathname of a Mapped Network Drive, and Outlook Data File: Fix PST Error – Exceeded Maximum Large Items.
Remove [Uninstall] VBR v13
We will be using the setup file (ISO image) to do this in a clean way. To proceed, click on setup and click on Modify to proceed as shown below.
Select Veeam Backup and Replication
Click on Remove
In the components to remove, click on remove as well
Components are being removed
Click on Yes to restart your server
Please, see the “Migrate Veeam One Database from SQL Server 2017 to 2025” to a new Server. Also, see how to migrate Veeam Configuration Database to PostgreSQL Server, and Migrate Veeam MSSQL Database to a new Microsoft SQL Server
Install Veeam Backup and replication v13
Click on the setup file as shown below and follow the prompts to install VBR v13 on your server.
PostgreSQL 12.6 is being installed. This is the default Configuration DB for v13.
The VBR server itself it being installed.
Veeam console is being installed
Veeam explorers are installing
Same with Veeam Agents Redistributable
Plug-ins are installing
Lastly, the installation is being finalized, and the services will start very shortly.
Click on Finish.
Please, see The trust relationship between this workstation and the primary domain failed, Email Size Limits: Boost for High Profile Users in Exchange 2010, and OpenVZ template on Proxmox Server: How to Guide.
Connecting to VBR v13 Console
You should not have issues connecting to the console anymore as some of the service timeout issues were resolved before reinstalling VBRv13 once again.
Click Yes to trust the server
Click on sign in as a current user
As you can see, we have successfully launched the VBR console. This was the window we could not reach after we successfully performed the “Upgrade for VBR v13” above.
Please, see How to update Cisco ASA, how to set up Cisco ASA: Wiping Old Configurations, and Remove Microsoft Exchange Server: Using ADSIEdit Tool.
Restoring Veeam Configuration Backup
Veeam Backup & Replication configuration backups capture your entire backup infrastructure. The jobs, policies, credentials, proxies, repositories, and session history in a single encrypted file.
Losing your backup server to hardware failure, ransomware, or a botched upgrade doesn’t have to mean rebuilding everything from scratch as it was in my case above. Please, see how to restore a Veeam Backup & Replication configuration backup as part of migrating the configuration database.
Before restoring, stop all VBR services to prevent conflicts, else you can do this later as I will show you very shortly. Next, from the Hamburger Menu, click on “Configuration Backup” as shown below.
Click on Restore
Restore Mode
Select Restore and click on Next
Choose the right backup repository
The most current backup configuration file will be selected as shown below and click on OK
Below are the backup contents, click Next to proceed.
Enter your configuration backup password and validate
Click on Yes to proceed and then connect as shown below.
On the restore options, click on restore
Kindly exercise patience, currently analyzing VBR installation etc.
As mentioned above, if you previously did not stop your services. You can do so now by clicking on Yes.
The configurations are being restored. Click next to proceed
Now, we have the outdated issue we fixed above in the “Upgrade Path and In-Place Upgrade for VBR v13” section. Just click next to proceed as we will fix that at a later time. Also, see the deprecated and discontinued features as discussed in the tables above.
On the credential wizard, click next
On the Cloud credential, click on collect as shown below.
Please, see NSlookup Displays Error: UnKnown Default Server, how to Update Global Address List: Recognition Error, and Hub Transport Server: Resolving ‘Failed to Reach Running Status’.
Components upgrade
On the components wizard, click on Upgrade.
As you can see, we are currently unable to automatically upgrade the Proxmox Server with the status “Failed to open deployer service management port”. Since this is a warning, I will proceed and resolve this afterwards.
Below is the error message in detail “Failed to upgrade host components. Error: “Unable to reinstall deploy services. SSH Credentials are not specified”. This error is okay as we used only a single use credential when setting up VHR and VBR as discussed here “How to deploy and integrate VHR with VBR“.
To proceed with the components upgrade, click on start.
Services are being started
That is okay and a known issue at this time. Click on restart. Some other services will also fail, just click on restart when it does.
On the Summary window, click on “Finish” as shown below.
Please, see how to Integrate Active Directory with IPMI for Out-of-Band Management, Enhanced Proactive Monitoring with Veeam ONE and Unknown Error occurred when installing Veeam Software Appliance.
As you can see, we have successfully restored our VBR server. Out jobs, polices etc. are in tack.
In case of a Ransomware or Cyber Attack, attackers target backup servers to encrypt configs and delete jobs. Config backups (stored off-server, encrypted) let you nuke the infected server, deploy clean VBR v13 as we have done and, restore to pre-attack state.
Please, see How to perform Password Change with OWA, Command Prompt in Windows: Creating Volumes Guide, and Classes of IP Address: Understanding IP Address Classification.
VBR Server Clean up: Remove PostgreSQL 15
Now that we have PostgreSQL 17 installed, we have to remove PostgreSQL 15 from the server.
I have verified and very sure that I am using the PostgreSQL 17. Therefore, I will proceed to remove the entire application as shown below.
As you can see, PostgreSQL is being removed.
Hit the Ok button for the warning message below
Click ok as the uninstallation is complete.
Please, see how to implement N2WS Veeam Cloud Protection Manager (CPM 2.3.0d), and the advantage of using a 3rd party software for Backup (N2WS by Veeam) over AMI.
Upgrade Host Components: Unable to reinstall Deploy Service SSH
Note: The below steps will not work. As you can see, the component upgrade and Server upgrade are available. When you try to upgrade via this method, the upgrade will fail. This is because, we have to provide a single use credential for the VHR.
The same behavior from the Backup repository wizard as it does not offer the opportunity to enter the single use credential. The upgrade will also fail.
Click Next to proceed
The fix is to correctly edit the server as shown below.
Specify the single use credential and follow the rest steps to upgrade
Here is a comprehensive blogpost on this topic. As you can see, it is checking for SSH connection.
SSH connection succeeded, Click on Next. On the Summary window, click on Finish.
All components are now correctly upgraded on v13.
I hope you fund this guide on “Upgrade Path and In-Place Upgrade for VBR v13 and Known Fixes” very useful. Please, feel free to leave a comment below.
