Initial full backup concers with Azure DevOps 2020 on prem. Need advice
Hi everyone,
I have recently taken over the administration of an Azure DevOps Server 2020 (on-premises) environment. The previous administrator is no longer with the company, and unfortunately, there is no existing documentation regarding the backup strategy. It appears that no automated backups have been configured via the Administration Console so far.
Environment Details:
Version: Azure DevOps Server 2020.
Scope: Single server instance containing one Collection with two active projects.
Content: Includes source code (TFVC/Git) and several CI/CD YAML/Classic pipelines.
Status: The environment is live and business-critical.
My Goal:
I want to use the built-in Scheduled Backups tool within the Azure DevOps Administration Console to create a backup plan, including an initial full backup and subsequent scheduled increments.
My Concerns:
Since I am new to this specific instance, I want to ensure that enabling the backup plan won't inadvertently disrupt the production services or lock any databases in a way that affects the pipelines or developer access.
Specific Questions:
Impact on Live Environment: Does the initial full backup via the Admin Console trigger any significant downtime or "Read-Only" states for the collections?
Permissions: Besides the service account having sysadmin rights on SQL Server, are there any easily overlooked folder permissions required for the backup network share?
TFS Integration: As there is still legacy source code on the instance, are there specific metadata files outside of the SQL databases that I need to manually include, or does the wizard cover all necessary components (databases + reporting + encryption keys)?
Common Pitfalls: Are there any known issues when running the backup wizard for the first time on a "neglected" 2020 instance?
I want to avoid breaking anything while securing the data. Any advice or checklists from experienced Azure DevOps admins would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!