Series Index

• VAO Basics (1) – Introduction
• VAO Basics (2) – Installation & Deployment
• VAO Basics (3) – Core Components · Part 1
• VAO Basics (4) – Core Components · Part 2
• VAO Basics (5) – Essential Configuration Notes
• VAO Basics (6) – The First Step to a Successful DR Plan
• VAO Basics (7) – Plan Step · Part 1
• VAO Basics (8) – Plan Step · Part 2
• VAO Basics (9) – Document Template Deep Dive

With the earlier configuration work completed, VAO is ready for day-to-day use. Plan Authors can sign in, see only the scopes they’re allowed to touch, and work with the objects inside those scopes—Orchestration Plans, DataLabs, and Reports.

Series Index

• VAO Basics (1) – Introduction
• VAO Basics (2) – Installation & Deployment
• VAO Basics (3) – Core Components · Part 1
• VAO Basics (4) – Core Components · Part 2
• VAO Basics (5) – Essential Configuration Notes
• VAO Basics (6) – The First Step of a Successful DR Plan
• VAO Basics (7) – Plan Step · Part 1
• VAO Basics (8) – Plan Step · Part 2
• VAO Basics (9) – Document Template Deep Dive

In the previous articles, we’ve covered the basic architecture and components of VAO, all of which involve settings in the Administration section—operations that can only be performed by accounts with VAO administrator privileges. VAO administrators can set different Scopes for each application group here and assign these Scopes to relevant personnel for use. This feature enables effective grouping and isolation—isn’t this somewhat similar to multi-tenancy or multi-user systems? But there are significant differences.

Series Index

• VAO Basics (1) – Introduction
• VAO Basics (2) – Installation & Deployment
• VAO Basics (3) – Core Components · Part 1
• VAO Basics (4) – Core Components · Part 2
• VAO Basics (5) – Key Configuration Points
• VAO Basics (6) – The First Step of a Successful DR Plan
• VAO Basics (7) – Plan Step · Part 1
• VAO Basics (8) – Plan Step · Part 2
• VAO Basics (9) – Document Template Deep Dive

Plan Components

The following components must be configured for each scope. Part 3 showed you where to edit them; now we’ll discuss what each component is and how to configure it.

Series Index

• VAO Basics (1) – Introduction
• VAO Basics (2) – Installation & Deployment
• VAO Basics (3) – Core Components · Part 1
• VAO Basics (4) – Core Components · Part 2
• VAO Basics (5) – Key Configuration Points
• VAO Basics (6) – The First Step of a Successful DR Plan
• VAO Basics (7) – Plan Step · Part 1
• VAO Basics (8) – Plan Step · Part 2
• VAO Basics (9) – Document Template Deep Dive

VAO defines a special set of concepts for the components it uses. Names may change as releases evolve, but this article reflects v2.0 (and later). If a future version changes again, I’ll update it in a later post.

Series Index

• VAO Basics (1) – Introduction
• VAO Basics (2) – Installation & Deployment
• VAO Basics (3) – Core Components · Part 1
• VAO Basics (4) – Core Components · Part 2
• VAO Basics (5) – Key Configuration Points
• VAO Basics (6) – The First Step of a Successful DR Plan
• VAO Basics (7) – Plan Step · Part 1
• VAO Basics (8) – Plan Step · Part 2
• VAO Basics (9) – Document Template Deep Dive

Getting the VAO Installer

You can download VAO directly from Veeam’s website – here’s the shortcut.

There’s exciting momentum building in the Veeam ecosystem. With Veeam Availability Suite v10 just around the corner, we’re also anticipating the release of Veeam Availability Orchestrator v3.0. Right now, VAO is still at version 2.0, but I’ve been spending considerable time diving deep into this powerful yet often misunderstood product.

Many Veeam users I talk to find VAO intriguing but mysterious. It looks sophisticated and powerful, yet they’re unsure how to leverage it in their environment. That’s exactly why I’m starting this introductory series—to share what I’ve learned and help demystify VAO for the community.