Installing the Veeam v13 Console and Windows Deployment Kit
Installing the Veeam v13 Console and Windows Deployment Kit
This guide covers two distinct tasks shown in the video tutorial: installing the standalone Veeam console on a management workstation, and using the Windows Deployment Kit to add a Windows server to your VBR environment with certificate-based authentication. The console install takes up roughly the first 13 minutes of the video; the deployment kit covers the rest.
The standalone console is how you administer VBR without logging directly into the backup server. The deployment kit is what enables certificate-based authentication when adding Windows machines - replacing the legacy credential-based approach with a more secure, certificate-trust model.
Before You Start
Both the console installer and the deployment kit are included in the Veeam v13 ISO - no separate downloads needed.
| Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Veeam v13 ISO | Mount it or extract to a local folder before starting |
| Management workstation OS | Windows 10 / 11 or Windows Server 2016 and above |
| Network access to the VBR server | Console connects on port 9392 by default |
| Local admin rights | Required for both the console install and running the deployment kit on target machines |
Installing the Standalone Console
The standalone console is a lightweight client-only install. It gives you the full Veeam management UI without the backup server engine behind it. Run this on whichever workstation you'll be managing Veeam from day to day.
Mount or open the Veeam v13 ISO and run the autorun. The main Veeam setup screen appears listing all available components.
On the component selection screen, choose Veeam Backup & Replication Console. This is a separate option from the full server install. Make sure you are selecting the console-only option and not the full Veeam Backup & Replication installation.
Read and accept the Veeam license agreement to proceed.
The installer checks for required prerequisites - primarily Microsoft Visual C++ redistributables and .NET components. If anything is missing it installs them automatically at this step. Click Install if prompted, then let it proceed.
Review the summary of default settings. For most installs the defaults are fine. The console is a lightweight component with minimal configuration at this stage.
Confirm or change the installation folder. The default path is fine for most environments. Click Next.
Click Install on the summary screen. The installer runs and completes quickly. Once finished you will have the Veeam Backup & Replication Console shortcut on your desktop.
It keeps you off the backup server for day-to-day management. In environments where the VBR server is in a restricted VLAN or a hardened segment, you administer it from your workstation through the console rather than opening RDP to the server itself. Multiple admins can also manage the same VBR instance without shared sessions.
Updating and Connecting to the Backup Server
When you launch the console for the first time and enter your VBR server address, it checks that the console version matches the server version. If the server has been upgraded independently, the console will detect the mismatch and prompt you to update before completing the connection.
Open the Veeam Backup & Replication Console. In the connection dialog, enter the hostname or IP address of your VBR server, your credentials, and the port (9392 by default). Click Connect.
If the console version is behind the server, an update prompt appears before the connection completes. Accept it. The console downloads and applies the update automatically, then closes and restarts. After the restart, connect again with the same credentials. The version check will pass and you land in the main VBR interface.
A console that is behind the server version - even a minor version - will be blocked from connecting entirely. There is no way around this. If you manage multiple VBR servers on different patch levels, you need a console version matching each, or use the web-based UI directly in a browser instead.
Creating the Windows Deployment Kit
The Windows Deployment Kit is a package containing the Veeam Installer Service, OpenSSL, and temporary certificates signed by your VBR server. Running it on a target Windows machine bootstraps that machine into your VBR environment using certificate-based authentication - no stored passwords required.
Without the deployment kit, adding a Windows server requires Veeam to connect using Windows credentials stored in VBR. With the kit deployed on a machine, VBR connects using the pre-installed certificate trust instead, which is the preferred and more secure approach.
In the Veeam console, switch to the Inventory view using the left navigation panel. Click the Physical and Cloud Infrastructure node in the inventory pane. The Create Veeam Deployment Kit button appears on the ribbon at the top of the screen.
Alternatively, right-click the Physical and Cloud Infrastructure node and select Create Veeam deployment kit from the context menu.
The deployment kit option lives in the Inventory view under Physical and Cloud Infrastructure - not in any menu or the Help section. If you cannot see the button, make sure you have the Inventory view active and the Physical and Cloud Infrastructure node selected.
In the Create Deployment Kit dialog, specify a path to export the kit to. A network share accessible from the machines you will be adding is a good choice. Veeam assembles the kit from the local server components and writes the output to the folder you specified.
The output folder will contain: the Veeam Installer Service package, OpenSSL packages, a Certificates subfolder with the VBR server's temporary trust certificates, and an InstallDeploymentKit.bat script that automates the whole install.
The deployment kit is built from the components on your current VBR server and contains version-matched certificates. If you upgrade VBR, regenerate the kit before using it on new machines. Running an old kit installs a mismatched Installer Service version, which causes component deployment failures when you try to add the machine.
Installing the Kit and Adding a Server with Certificate Auth
Once the kit is on the target machine - either from a network share or copied directly - installation is straightforward. There are two ways to do it: automated via the provided batch file, or manually step by step.
On the Windows machine you want to add to VBR, navigate to the deployment kit folder and run InstallDeploymentKit.bat as administrator. This script handles everything automatically: it installs OpenSSL, installs the Veeam Installer Service, and imports the VBR server's certificates into the local trust store.
If you prefer to do it manually: open the Windows subfolder and install OpenSSL and the Veeam Installer Service individually, then open the Certificates subfolder and install the certificate files.
If you build Windows servers from a template or runbook, include a step that runs the deployment kit as part of provisioning. Every server that gets built will already be ready to join the VBR environment when you need to add it - no manual intervention required at that point.
Back in the Veeam console, go to Backup Infrastructure and select Managed Servers. Click Add Server and choose Microsoft Windows.
Enter the hostname or IP of the target machine. At the credentials step, select Connect using certificate-based authentication instead of entering Windows credentials. Because the Installer Service and the VBR certificates are already installed on the machine, Veeam connects cleanly without prompting for a username and password.
VBR will scan the machine, confirm the components, and finish adding it to the infrastructure inventory. From here you can assign the server a role - backup proxy, repository, tape server - and Veeam will deploy the required components automatically.
What You Have Covered
- Standalone console installed - all 7 wizard steps completed, console ready on management workstation
- Console updated and connected - version matched to the VBR server, connection confirmed
- Deployment kit generated - exported from Inventory view, version-matched to current VBR
- Kit installed on target machine - Installer Service, OpenSSL, and VBR certificates in place via InstallDeploymentKit.bat
- Server added with certificate auth - no stored Windows credentials, cleaner security posture
With the console and deployment kit in place, the workflow for expanding your Veeam environment is repeatable. New Windows machines get the kit run on them during provisioning, the console is where you manage everything remotely, and certificate-based authentication means VBR is not holding Windows credentials for every managed server. That reduction in stored credentials matters - a compromised VBR server that holds no Windows passwords has a smaller blast radius than one that does.
This article follows the full video tutorial covering the standalone console install (0:00 to ~13:00) and the deployment kit and certificate auth setup (~13:00 onwards). If you want to see every screen, the complete walkthrough is on YouTube.
