Windows Servers: Check backup status on local and remote servers using PowerShell

In this blog I will share one way to check Windows Server Backup on local, remote single serve or remote multiple servers using PowerShell. In a later blog I will show how to integrate this with Azure Automation Accounts to send an automated status email.

My blogs have relatively simple, and sometimes complex, examples and I’m hoping that you will be able to tailor them to your need or use them in your own scripts.

Get-WBJob is used to get status of last backup job, Get-WBSummary can also be used.

Prerequisites

1. Install Windows Server Backup Tools. There are multiple blogs on the internet explain how to do that.
2. You must be a member of the Backup Operators or Administrators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

Introduction

I have multiple on-premise servers configured with Windows Server Backup. I needed a process to check last backup and send an automated backup status email. The first step is to check backup status, included in this blog. The second step is to send an automated email, in a later blog, using Azure Automation Accounts.

Using PowerShell, I will show you how to check backup status on:

1. a local server.
2. remote server.
3. multiple servers.

Check backup status on a local server

1. Log on to the server with an privilege account.
2. Start Windows PowerShell ISE.
3. Run Get-WBJob cmdlet to get last backup job status
   
   PowerShell

   Get-WBJob -Previous 1

   1	Get-WBJob -Previous 1

   
4. A simple, or complex, status message can be displayed. 
   
   PowerShell

   $WBJob = Get-WBJob -Previous 1 if ($WBJob.HResult -eq 0) { Write-Host "Backup was successful" -ForegroundColor Green } else { Write-Host ("Error " + "[" + $WBJob.HResult + "][" + $WBJob.ErrorDescription +"]") -ForegroundColor Red }

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   $WBJob = Get-WBJob -Previous 1 if ($WBJob.HResult -eq 0) {     Write-Host "Backup was successful" -ForegroundColor Green } else {     Write-Host ("Error " + "[" + $WBJob.HResult + "][" + $WBJob.ErrorDescription +"]") -ForegroundColor Red }

Check backup status on a remote server

1. Invoke-Command is used to check backup status on remote server, Server02.
   
   PowerShell

   Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server02 -ScriptBlock { Get-WBJob -Previous 1 }

   1	Invoke-Command -ComputerName Server02 -ScriptBlock { Get-WBJob -Previous 1 }

   

Check backup status on multiple servers

1. Invoke-Command is used to check backup status on multiple servers: Server02, Server03 and Server04
2. The following are two ways, and there more ways, to write the script.
   
   PowerShell

   # 1. Use variables $Servers = @("AppSV","DALP-AD04","DALP-PRN01") $rStatus = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Servers -ScriptBlock { Get-WBJob -Previous 1 } $rStatus | Select PSComputerName, JobType, JobState, DetailedHResult, ErrorDescription, StartTime, EndTime | Format-Table # 2. Use parameters $parameters = @{ ComputerName = "Server02","Server03","Server04" ScriptBlock = { Get-WBJob -Previous 1 } } Invoke-Command @parameters | Select PSComputerName, JobType, JobState, DetailedHResult, ErrorDescription, StartTime, EndTime | Format-Table

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   # 1. Use variables $Servers = @("AppSV","DALP-AD04","DALP-PRN01") $rStatus = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $Servers -ScriptBlock { Get-WBJob -Previous 1 } $rStatus | Select PSComputerName, JobType, JobState, DetailedHResult, ErrorDescription, StartTime, EndTime | Format-Table   # 2. Use parameters $parameters = @{   ComputerName = "Server02","Server03","Server04"   ScriptBlock = { Get-WBJob -Previous 1 } } Invoke-Command @parameters | Select PSComputerName, JobType, JobState, DetailedHResult, ErrorDescription, StartTime, EndTime | Format-Table

   

Recommended content

• WindowsServerBackup PowerShell module This reference provides cmdlet descriptions and syntax for all Windows Server Backup cmdlets. It lists the cmdlets in alphabetical order based on the verb at the beginning of the cmdlet.
• Windows Server Backup Command Reference  Subcommands for wbadmin provide backup and recovery functionality from a command prompt..
• Install and upgrade Azure Backup Server This article explains how to prepare your environment to back up workloads using Microsoft Azure Backup Server (MABS). With Azure Backup Server, you can protect application workloads such as Hyper-V VMs, Microsoft SQL Server, SharePoint Server, Microsoft Exchange, and Windows clients from a single console.

Conclusion

In this blog we explored one way to check Windows Server Backup on local, remote single serve or remote multiple servers using PowerShell.

Did you find this blog easy to follow and helpful to you? Let me know in the comments below.