MaxBack Command-Line Reference

Reference documentation for the MaxBack command-line tool.

maxback.vssclient

The primary tool for managing MaxBack VSS Writer instances. Used during installation, configuration, licensing, and notification setup.

maxback.vssclient [command] [options]

Global options:

--help — Displays help for a command
-d, --dbname — Name of the database
-b, --batch — Batch mode (no interactive prompts, uses defaults)
--debug — Enable debug output
--ci — CI mode (simplified console output)

All commands prompt for required options if they are not provided on the command line — unless batch mode is enabled.

Database commands

db connect

Creates a service instance for the MaxDB database and configures the connection. Always updates the password of user vsswriter.

-u — Database administrator username. Can include password in MaxDB syntax: username,password
-p — Password for vsswriter user (optional)
-l — Name of log media to use (optional)

db disconnect

Disconnects the instance from the database. Removes the Windows service and deletes the vsswriter user.

-u — Database administrator username. Can include password in MaxDB syntax: username,password

db autorecovery

Triggers autorecovery manually, without a full VM or bare metal restore. See System Copy for usage.

-m — Path to the metadata file from the data volume restore

db info

Displays the current service status and local database information for a writer instance.

License commands

license install

Installs a license into the VSS Writer instance. If the license requires activation, requests an instance license from the dbosoft license server.

-f — Path to the license file
-b — Batch mode, uses default instance name {hostname}_{dbname} instead of prompting
--temp — Request a temporary evaluation license (requires an activatable license file)

license getkey

Outputs the instance license key. Used for offline license activation.

license info

Displays the current license status of a writer instance.

Configuration commands

options list

Lists all configuration options with their current values and origin (default, configset, or custom). See Configuration for details on the 3-layer configuration model.

options configset

Applies a configuration set.

-s — Config set name. Values: VSS, Veeam, AzureBackup. If omitted, applies the VSS defaults.

options upgrade

Migrates an existing MaxBack 3.x XML configuration to the new JSON-based format. See Upgrading from MaxBack 3.x for details.

option get

Gets the current value of a specific configuration option.

-o — Option name

option set

Sets a configuration option to a custom value.

-o — Option name
-v — Value to set

option reset

Resets a configuration option, removing any custom override. The value falls back to the config set or default value.

-o — Option name

Backup schedule monitoring

These commands manage backup schedule monitoring for individual databases. The Watchdog uses these schedules to detect missed backups and send alerts. See Backup schedule monitoring for background.

options backupmonitor list

Lists all backup schedules configured for a database.

maxback.vssclient options backupmonitor list -d PRD

Shows a table with index, backup type, cron expression, and window (hours).

options backupmonitor add

Adds a backup schedule to a database.

maxback.vssclient options backupmonitor add -d PRD --type Full --cron "0 22 * * *" --window 12

--type — Backup type to monitor: Full, Copy, or Any
--cron — Cron expression defining when the backup window opens (5-field format: minute hour day month weekday)
--window — How many hours the window stays open (default: 24)

Cron examples:

Expression	Meaning
`0 22 * * *`	Every day at 10 PM
`0 2 * * 0`	Every Sunday at 2 AM
`0 0 * * 1-5`	Weekdays at midnight
`0 6 1 * *`	First of every month at 6 AM

Use crontab.guru to build and verify cron expressions.

options backupmonitor set

Updates an existing backup schedule.

maxback.vssclient options backupmonitor set -d PRD --index 0 --window 18

--index — Index of the schedule to update (from list output)
--type, --cron, --window — Fields to change (only specified fields are updated)

options backupmonitor remove

Removes a backup schedule.

maxback.vssclient options backupmonitor remove -d PRD --index 0

--index — Index of the schedule to remove

Watchdog options

These commands configure the Watchdog service behavior. They do not require a database name. See Service Monitoring for background.

watchdog options list

Lists all Watchdog options with their current, actual, and default values.

maxback.vssclient watchdog options list

watchdog options get

Gets the current value of a Watchdog option.

maxback.vssclient watchdog options get -o CheckIntervalMinutes

-o, --option — Option name: CheckIntervalMinutes, GracePeriodMinutes, MaxRetries, or StartupDelayMinutes

watchdog options set

Changes a Watchdog option.

maxback.vssclient watchdog options set -o CheckIntervalMinutes -v 5 --restart

-o, --option — Option name
-v, --value — New value (must be a non-negative integer; 0 disables monitoring for CheckIntervalMinutes)
--restart — Restart the Watchdog service to apply the change immediately

Notification channels

These commands manage how and where notifications are delivered. Each channel is either an SMTP email target or a webhook endpoint. They do not require a database name. See Notifications for setup guides.

watchdog channels list

Lists all configured notification channels.

maxback.vssclient watchdog channels list

Shows channel name, type, target (host:port or URL), credential, and subscribed events.

watchdog channels add

Creates a new notification channel.

maxback.vssclient watchdog channels add --name AlertMail --type Smtp --host mail.example.com --from maxback@example.com --to admin@example.com --credential-name SmtpLogin --events BackupFailed,ServiceDown

Common options:

--name — Unique name for the channel
--type — Smtp or Webhook
--events — Comma-separated event types to subscribe to, or all to subscribe to every event type
--credential-name — Name of a stored credential for authentication

SMTP options:

--host — SMTP server hostname
--port — SMTP port (default: 587)
--usetls — Use STARTTLS (default: true)
--from — Sender email address
--to — Recipient email addresses (comma-separated)

Webhook options:

--url — Webhook endpoint URL (must be http:// or https://)

watchdog channels set

Updates an existing channel. Only the options you specify are changed.

maxback.vssclient watchdog channels set --name AlertMail --to admin@example.com,ops@example.com

Accepts the same options as channels add (except --type, which cannot be changed).

watchdog channels remove

Removes a notification channel.

maxback.vssclient watchdog channels remove --name AlertMail

--name — Name of the channel to remove

watchdog channels test

Sends a test notification through the Watchdog service to verify that a channel is working.

maxback.vssclient watchdog channels test --name AlertMail

--name — Channel to test (omit to test all channels)
--event — Event type to simulate (default: BackupFailed)

The Watchdog service must be running. The command shows OK or FAIL for each channel tested.

Notification credentials

These commands manage authentication credentials used by notification channels (SMTP and webhook). Credentials are stored locally with encrypted secrets. They do not require a database name.

watchdog credentials list

Lists all stored credentials with their type and whether a secret is set.

maxback.vssclient watchdog credentials list

watchdog credentials add

Creates a new credential. The command prompts for the secret (password or client secret) — secrets are never passed on the command line.

maxback.vssclient watchdog credentials add --name SmtpLogin --type Basic --username alerts@example.com

Basic auth:

--name — Unique credential name
--type — Basic
--username — Username

OAuth2 (client credentials):

--name — Unique credential name
--type — OAuth2
--client-id — OAuth2 client ID
--token-endpoint — Token endpoint URL
--scope — OAuth2 scope (optional)

Encryption

Secrets are encrypted using a certificate generated by the Watchdog service. The Watchdog service must have been started at least once before you can store credentials.

watchdog credentials set

Updates credential settings (username, client ID, etc.) without changing the secret.

maxback.vssclient watchdog credentials set --name SmtpLogin --username new-user@example.com

Accepts the same options as credentials add (except --type, which cannot be changed).

watchdog credentials secret

Changes the stored password or client secret for an existing credential.

maxback.vssclient watchdog credentials secret --name SmtpLogin

--name — Credential to update

Always prompts for the new secret interactively.

watchdog credentials remove

Removes a credential and deletes its encrypted secret.

maxback.vssclient watchdog credentials remove --name SmtpLogin

--name — Credential to remove

Fails if a channel still references the credential — update or remove the channel first.

Examples

Connect to a database:

maxback.vssclient db connect -u control,secret

Install a license:

maxback.vssclient license install -f c:\license.lic

Set a configuration option:

maxback.vssclient option set -d PRD -o MediaName -v Veeam

Set up daily backup monitoring:

maxback.vssclient options backupmonitor add -d PRD --type Full --cron "0 22 * * *" --window 12

Set up email notifications for failures:

maxback.vssclient watchdog credentials add --name SmtpLogin --type Basic --username alerts@example.com
maxback.vssclient watchdog channels add --name AlertMail --type Smtp --host mail.example.com --from maxback@example.com --to admin@example.com --credential-name SmtpLogin --events BackupFailed,RestoreFailed,MissingBackup,ServiceDown

Set up a webhook for all events:

maxback.vssclient watchdog channels add --name Monitor --type Webhook --url https://monitoring.example.com/maxback --events all

Test all notification channels:

maxback.vssclient watchdog channels test

Check service status:

maxback.vssclient db info -d PRD