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Configure MaxBack with Veeam Backup & Replication

Step-by-step guide to protecting SAP MaxDB with Veeam

By dbosoft
March 30, 2026
10 min

This guide walks you through configuring MaxBack to work with Veeam Backup & Replication for application-consistent SAP MaxDB backups.

Setting Up MaxBack for Veeam

Before you begin, make sure you have:

Windows Server with SAP MaxDB

A Windows Server with SAP MaxDB installed and running.

Veeam Backup & Replication

Veeam Backup & Replication with an active license. The MaxDB host must be added as a Veeam backup target (VM or physical).

MaxBack license

A MaxBack activation license file from dbosoft.

Administrator access

Administrator access to the database host.

Step 1: Install MaxBack

Download and run the MaxBack setup package on the MaxDB database host. The installer sets up the VSS Writer and all required runtimes automatically.

Step 2: Install the license

License installation
maxback.vssclient license install -f C:\path\to\license.lic

If the host has internet access, the license is activated automatically. For offline activation, see License Installation.

Step 3: Connect to the database

Open an elevated command prompt:

Database connection
maxback.vssclient db connect

The command prompts for your database name and DBA credentials. It creates a Windows service for the VSS Writer and a database user vsswriter.

When prompted, select the log media for log backups. It is recommended to use a dedicated disk for log backups.

Step 4: Apply the Veeam configuration set

Veeam configuration set
maxback.vssclient options configset -s Veeam

This enables the recommended settings for Veeam:

  • Log backup before snapshot — creates a log backup before the VSS snapshot, so the log is included in the backup
  • Log truncation after backup — truncates the log after a successful full backup to prevent log volume growth
  • Autorecovery — automatically recovers the database after a VM restore

Step 5: Configure the Veeam backup job

In the Veeam Backup & Replication console:

  1. Create or edit a backup job for the MaxDB VM
  2. Under Guest Processing, enable Application-Aware Processing
  3. Ensure VSS is selected as the quiescence method

No Scripts Required

No additional scripts or pre/post actions are needed — MaxBack handles everything through the VSS framework.

Verifying the Setup

Run a test backup job. Use the MaxBack VSSWriter LogViewer (installed via Start Menu) to monitor backup progress and review the backup history.

You can also verify the service status from the command line:

Writer status
maxback.vssclient db info -d PRD

If the VSS Writer does not appear in Veeam:

  • Verify the MaxBack Windows service is running: sc query "MaxBack.VssWriter$PRD"
  • Check the MaxBack log files at C:\ProgramData\dbosoft\MaxBack\VSSWriter\<DatabaseName>\logs\
  • Ensure the Veeam job has Application-Aware Processing enabled
  • See Troubleshooting for more diagnostic steps

Next Steps