Veeam File-Level Recovery – Powerful Open VM Backup and Restore Solution
introduction
After a virtual machine backup, there are typically many recovery methods available, each suited for different recovery scenarios. One widely used method is file-level recovery. This isn't some new technology—this need existed back when virtualization backups first emerged, and it was implemented early on by major backup software vendors. At first glance, this technology seems straightforward, but when it comes time to actually recover, Veeam can be a huge help.
Accidental file deletion or corruption can bring business workflows to a halt. Instead of restoring an entire VM, Veeam’s file-level recovery (FLR) allows administrators to quickly recover individual files from backups.
This makes it one of the most powerful features of Veeam Backup & Replication, ensuring businesses save time and reduce downtime during recovery operations.
Let's look at this situation: I've opened the file-level restore browser, which is usually an interface provided by the backup software vendor:
Check the content of the Files before recovering them
There's a bunch of PDF files here, but I have no idea what they are. Just looking at the filenames, I can't tell what they contain. Before restoring, can I open them to take a look? What if I restore the wrong files—wouldn't that make the recovery pointless?
This is a magical button. When we click it, we can see the file contents. Then I discovered that these PDFs I couldn't open before—I can now preview them locally before deciding to restore them. Isn't that great!
Recover the file in ZIP
Here's another scenario: with ZIP files, I might only want to restore specific files inside the archive. How do we handle that? The same incredibly versatile button can handle this, too.
This magical button opens up endless possibilities for recovery. For various objects that only special applications can recognize, as long as the application is pre-installed and can recognize the data format, this amazing button can help us extract objects and restore content. Data content is the core of our information systems—any recovery that doesn't care about the content is downright deceptive. So please, use this button before restoring!
Key Benefits of Veeam FLR
Fast recovery: No need to restore entire VMs.
Cross-platform support: Works for Windows, Linux, and other OS.
Granular restore: Recover single files, folders, or application data.
Secure process: Files are restored directly from backups without altering the source VM.
The Veeam file-level recovery feature is a must-have for IT admins who need fast, reliable, and granular recovery options. Instead of restoring full VMs, businesses can quickly bring back only the required data, reducing downtime and improving operational efficiency.
By integrating this tool into your Open VM backup strategy, you gain a secure and efficient way to recover files on demand.
A Brief History of FreeStor – Evolution of Open-Source Storage Solutions
Introduction
FreeStor has been a significant name in the world of software-defined storage (SDS). Originally designed as a unified storage management platform, FreeStor simplified backup, recovery, and data mobility across multi-vendor environments.
In this article, we’ll explore a brief history of FreeStor, its evolution, and its influence on modern enterprise data protection solutions.
Although the term "software-defined storage" only began to gain popularity in the storage industry around 2015, FreeStor's birth and technological evolution actually spanned over a decade, long before the concept of "software-defined storage" even emerged. In fact, the company had already been practicing "software-defined storage" for more than ten years prior and has consistently adhered to the "software-defined" philosophy while innovating for the past fifteen years.
📌 According to FalconStor’s archives, FreeStor was one of the first platforms to fully embrace storage virtualization.
To discuss FalconStor's history, one must mention ARCserve. ARCserve was the world's first client/server architecture backup software, launched by Cheyenne Software, and it dominated the backup software market in the 1990s. It's worth recalling that ARCserve began selling hotly in China in 1996. At that time, Veritas had just acquired OpenVision and was still figuring out how backup worked (has anyone ever wondered why NetBackup's installation directory is called /usr/openv?). BackupExec, under Seagate, could only rely on Microsoft's shadow to operate guerrilla-style, and Commvault had just been founded without any products yet. This client/server architecture remains the fundamental framework for nearly all backup software on the market even today. After Cheyenne Software was acquired by Computer Associates (CA), ARCserve continued to shine in the market for several more years, steadily holding over 40% market share—until the core R&D team left CA around 1999-2000 to establish FalconStor Software.
As a side note: after losing this team, ARCserve's market position declined sharply. Veritas/Symantec gradually took over as the market leader, and CA never recovered in the backup field until ARCserve spun off from CA last year—it remains to be seen if it can make a comeback. Those familiar with this history may note that, to this day, a significant proportion of FalconStor employees—from the CEO down to staff at various levels in countries including China—have Cheyenne or CA experience on their resumes. From this perspective, FalconStor Software can indeed be described as a team with tradition and history.
Only storage veterans have seen this old ARCserve software box.
IPStor: The Earliest "Software-Defined Storage"
When FalconStor Software was founded in 2000, its first product, IPStor, was "software-defined storage." The main use of IPStor was to install the IPStor software on a standard x86 server, turning it into a storage virtualization gateway. It connected upward via IP networks (later switching to FC, and adding iSCSI as it emerged) to all application servers, and downward via FC and SCSI (gradually incorporating iSCSI and FCoE later) to all disk arrays. This architecture enabled the integration of heterogeneous storage and remote connectivity over IP networks, while also providing various advanced management features.
The concept behind IPStor was absolutely ahead of its time. Looking back to the turn of the century in 2000, not only was "software-defined storage" unheard of, but even the concept of storage virtualization didn't exist. VMware had just been born not long before, and server virtualization was only possible on UNIX and mainframes.
It was precisely because it was too far ahead of its time that, although it caused a major stir and discussion within technical circles, IPStor was somewhat "born at the wrong time." At that time, corporate data volumes and the number of storage devices were far less than today, so the demand for heterogeneous storage integration wasn't strong. Additionally, IP network performance wasn't high back then, making the idea of integrating storage over IP networks seem too radical. Furthermore, FalconStor's capabilities in market promotion and sales lagged significantly behind its competitors. For these reasons, IPStor's market reception wasn't ideal.
"Software-Defined Backup Appliances" and "Software-Defined Disaster Recovery"
Nevertheless, IPStor remains a technically advanced platform. Building on IPStor, FalconStor integrated tape virtualization and management functions and was a pioneer in implementing deduplication technology, leading to the launch of its Virtual Tape Library (VTL) software. FalconStor's VTL software was once extremely popular, forming partnerships with most major storage vendors, including EMC, IBM, HP, HDS, as well as domestic companies like H3C, Huawei, and Tongyou, all of which OEM'd FalconStor's VTL technology. Combined, they once held over 50% of the market share. From today's perspective, FalconStor's VTL can actually be seen as a precursor to "software-defined backup appliances" or "software-defined deduplication."
FreeStor: Modern "Software-Defined Storage"
The reason we've discussed so much history is that IPStor is the predecessor of FreeStor, while CDP and VTL can be considered "derivative products" born from the same roots. In fact, FreeStor was developed as version 8.0 of IPStor. Therefore, IPStor's foundational architecture and design philosophy have been well preserved. Meanwhile, the various test results from IPStor, VTL, and CDP—especially regarding compatibility—remain largely valid. Thus, compared to other software-defined storage technologies and products on the market, FreeStor's advantage lies in its thousands of active users, meaning its stability and compatibility have been thoroughly proven, making it more mature in many aspects. FreeStor's slogan, "Fifteen Years of Software-Defined," is genuinely well-deserved.
Compared to the previous IPStor, FreeStor has undergone numerous improvements that fully justify the rebranding. The main enhancements in FreeStor include:
1) Significantly improved performance to meet the demands of emerging flash media;
2) Greatly enhanced scalability and parallel read/write capabilities;
3) Added support for OpenStack;
4) Designed a more user-friendly interface;
5) Switched to a usage-based pricing model.
With these improvements, FreeStor can finally be said to have been completely transformed.
We believe that FreeStor will carry forward and enhance IPStor's software-defined storage philosophy and achieve even greater success. This is because today's enterprise users face more complex storage architectures and more pronounced heterogeneous management challenges compared to fifteen years ago. Even with a single-vendor procurement strategy, the integration of heterogeneous systems remains difficult, especially with the addition of flash arrays. At the same time, storage costs have become a more pressing issue, and the strategy of continuously expanding existing high-end storage arrays is facing serious challenges. In response to these issues, FreeStor can break vendor lock-in, optimize storage resources, and improve the cost-performance ratio of the entire storage architecture—all while ensuring performance. It also enhances manageability, high availability, scalability, and provides comprehensive backup and disaster recovery mechanisms.
Conclusion
The history of FreeStor reflects the shift from proprietary storage systems to software-defined, vendor-neutral solutions. By introducing centralized management, efficient replication, and hybrid capabilities, FreeStor helped shape today’s enterprise storage landscape.
Organizations continue to benefit from its pioneering ideas, which paved the way for modern data mobility and storage virtualization.
Free Migration Tool by Veeam – Quick VM Migration with Backup & Replication
Introduction
As a VMware administrator, you often encounter awkward situations. There are always scenarios where VMware vMotion isn't suitable, leaving you wondering whether to migrate or not when proper tools are unavailable.
Don't worry - the free Veeam Community Edition comes to the rescue. What vMotion can't handle, Quick Migration can. While it takes more time, you get the migration completed without requiring any product licenses - it's a free, unlimited-use solution. During Veeam's Instant VM Recovery, there's an option called Quick Migration, which is an optional step in the Instant VM Recovery process. When we need to migrate data from backup storage to production storage but lack VMware Enterprise Plus licensing (making the sophisticated Storage vMotion unavailable), or when there's no vCenter available during recovery and only a single ESXi node is providing services, Quick Migration becomes an excellent choice. You only pay with slightly more downtime than Storage vMotion, but gain much broader compatibility, making it a perfect supplemental solution.
But Quick Migration's uses extend far beyond this. Let me briefly give a few examples:
Cross-vCenter, Cross-Datacenter VM Migration
This is typically a complex manual operation or requires sophisticated solutions. With Veeam, this operation becomes extremely simple - Quick Migration can handle it. As long as suitable proxies are available, Veeam can perform such migration operations without relying on backups. That means Veeam's migration can proceed directly without requiring backup or replication operations as prerequisites.
The operation is very simple - there's a button in Veeam's interface. Just click it and follow the wizard to complete. During migration, Veeam also supports basic operations like Thin/Thick conversion and disk redirection.
LAN-Free Migration
What? Can virtual machine migration be LAN-free? Yes, you read that correctly. Veeam's Quick Migration can achieve LAN-free operation through proper proxy configuration. Using Direct SAN Access technology, both Fiber Channel and Direct NFS technologies can be used in Quick Migration, thereby avoiding VMKernel bandwidth limitations. This helps effectively control data flow during large-capacity virtual machine migrations.
Of course, we might achieve similar results through other methods or tools, but Veeam provides additional options here, giving us more tools to tackle the challenges we face in daily virtualization data management.
Why Use Veeam Quick Migration?
Unlike manual methods, Quick Migration leverages backup and replication technologies to ensure data safety during VM moves.
Key Benefits:
Zero or minimal downtime for production VMs
Works even when vMotion is unavailable
Safe migration using existing backups
Simple wizard-driven interface
📌 According to Veeam’s official documentation, Quick Migration is included in all editions of Veeam Backup & Replication, including the free Community Edition.
How Quick Migration Works
Veeam creates a temporary snapshot of the VM.
It transfers changes to the target host or datastore.
The VM is powered on in the new location with minimal interruption.
The Veeam free migration tool (Quick Migration) provides IT administrators with a safe, reliable, and simple way to move VMware VMs without downtime.
By combining backup, replication, and migration, Veeam ensures business continuity while helping organizations optimize infrastructure and reduce risks.
Other Free unlimited tools from Veeam Backup & Replication Community Edition
Managing files in VMware ESXi environments can be challenging without the right tools. Veeam FastSCP, a free utility from Veeam, was designed to simplify secure file copy, backup, and VM data management for VMware admins.
This tool remains a favorite in the virtualization community because of its ease of use, speed, and reliability.
This feature might be completely unfamiliar to the vast majority of people—even seasoned Veeam veterans who've been using it for years might be completely unaware of its existence. However, if you're a die-hard Veeam fan and have been following them since 2008, you might not find it unfamiliar. Yes, this is Veeam's very first product from their startup days: Veeam FastSCP.
This product once had its own standalone software package, but now it's hidden within the Files view of the VBR Community Edition. In the Files view, all the operations above are standard Veeam FastSCP functionality. Here, any managed server node can easily transfer data using FastSCP's capabilities. Veeam enables data from these managed nodes to be effortlessly transferred to their destination through Veeam's data transfer service.
An even more powerful feature is that for VMware virtual machine text configuration files—such as VMX, VMDK descriptor files, etc.—FastSCP also provides online editing functionality. Administrators no longer need to open the ESXi Shell and access the console to modify these files.
There are also no quantity restrictions for managed nodes using this feature. Administrators can freely use FastSCP to transfer data.
Why Use Veeam FastSCP?
Traditionally, transferring files between ESXi hosts and local storage required complex SSH/SCP commands. Veeam FastSCP simplified this process with:
A graphical interface for file transfers
Secure connections using standard ESXi protocols
Faster performance than manual SCP commands
📌 According to Veeam’s official site, FastSCP became one of the most popular free VMware tools ever released.
Key Features of Veeam FastSCP
Free, no license required
Up to 6x faster file copy compared to standard SCP
Automatic resume for interrupted transfers
Full support for VMware ESXi free edition
Simple interface designed for VMware administrators
Best Practices for Using FastSCP
Use FastSCP for large ISO and VMDK file transfers.
Pair with Veeam Backup & Replication for a complete backup solution.
Always verify checksums after large transfers to ensure file integrity.
If upgrading to modern VMware environments, consider Veeam Backup Community Edition for advanced features.
Conclusion
The Veeam FastSCP free tool remains an essential utility for VMware administrators who need a fast, secure, and reliable way to copy files and backups in ESXi environments.
While newer tools now provide extended functionality, FastSCP still stands as a lightweight, free, and efficient option for file management in VMware infrastructures.
Free Tape Drive and Library Management Tool – VBR Simplify Backup and Archiving
Last time we talked about VeeamZIP and Veeam Storage Snapshots. This time, let's introduce another powerful free tool in Veeam Backup & Replication Community Edition (VBR).
Introduction
Tape storage may sound old-fashioned, but it remains one of the most reliable and cost-effective solutions for long-term data archiving and backup. Managing tape drives and libraries, however, can be complex without the right software.
This guide introduces a free tape drive and library management tool designed to make tape operations easier for IT admins handling enterprise backup and archiving strategies.
When you buy a tape drive, you typically need to pair it with expensive backup software to use it. Many backup software vendors even charge per drive for tape usage—adding just one drive can easily cost hundreds of thousands in licensing fees.
With Veeam Backup & Replication Community Edition, tape drive/library management and usage are completely free. Administrators can use the File to Tape feature to write data to tapes. The key point is, just like the previous two capabilities, no matter if your environment has 1 tape drive, 10 tape drives, 10,000 tapes, 10 million files, or 1PB of data, using Veeam's tape drive/library management is fully authorized and completely free, with unlimited usage.
So next time you buy a tape drive, don't foolishly spend money on expensive companion software just for file-to-tape functionality. Veeam Backup & Replication Community Edition is all you need.
Why Tape Still Matters in Modern IT
While cloud storage and disk-based solutions are popular, tape remains valuable because it offers:
Low cost per terabyte for archiving.
Durability with a lifespan of 20+ years.
Air-gap protection against ransomware.
📌 According to IDC Research, enterprises still rely on tape for compliance and disaster recovery due to its long-term reliability.
Conclusion
A free tape drive and library management tool can simplify the often-overlooked process of tape-based backups and archiving. With features for automation, monitoring, and compatibility with enterprise backup solutions, it helps IT admins reduce complexity while improving reliability.
For organizations seeking cost-effective long-term storage, tape remains an essential component of a strong data protection strategy.
