Validation

By validating a backup, you verify that you can recover the data from it.

To validate a backup as an off-host data processing operation, you create a validation plan. For more information about how to create one, refer to Creating a validation plan.

The following validation methods are available:

• Checksum verification
• Run as virtual machine
  • VM heartbeat
  • Screenshot validation

You can select one or more of these methods. When more than one method is selected, the operations for every validation method run consecutively. For more information about the methods, refer to Validation methods.

You can validate backup sets or backup locations. Validation of a backup location validates all backup sets in it.

Supported locations

The following table shows the supported backup locations and validation methods.

Backup location	Checksum verification	Run as virtual machine
		VM heartbeat	Screenshot validation
Cloud storage	+	+	+
Local folder	+	+	+
Network folder	+	+	+
NFS folder	–	–	–
Secure Zone	–	–	–

Validation status

After a successful validation, the backup is marked with a green dot and the label Validated.

If the validation fails, the backup is marked with a red dot. The validation fails even when only one of the used validation methods fails. In some cases, this might be the result of a misconfiguration of the validation plan – for example, using the VM heartbeat method for virtual machines on a wrong host.

The validation status of a backup is updated with every new validation operation. The status for each validation method is updated separately. That is why the validation of a backup in which one method failed, will be shown as failed until the same validation method succeeds, even if the latest validation operations do not use the failed method and complete successfully.

For more information about how to check the validation status, refer to Checking the validation status of a backup.