Pairing a Target System for Agentless Backups
This article describes the process of protecting a target machine with Datto's agentless backup solution available for Datto SIRIS devices. This process is the same for systems that are paired with the Agentless and Universal VM backup. The device will decide which pairing is appropriate based on the host hypervisor and the guest OS.
Environment 
- Datto SIRIS
Description 
This article assumes that your production machine meets the requirements described in the Getting Started with Agentless Backups article. Virtual machines that are not compatible with standard agentless backups will default to the Universal VM Backup option. Universal VM Backup provides an alternative agentless method for protecting your machine.
An agentless pairing requires the hypervisor host to already be paired with the Datto device. If it has not been paired yet, you will need to do that first by following:
Pairing a Target System for Agentless Backups 
From the Remote Web for your Datto appliance, open the Protect tab.
Select + Add a New Agent in the top right of the page.
Once the Protect a System wizard opens, click Protect agentless system to create the pairing using the hypervisor host.
Expand the hypervisor list as needed and select the protected system(s) you would like to pair by checking the box next to their name. The IP Address and Operating Systems will be listed if the information is available.

If your VM is not listed, click the Add Hypervisor Wizard link to create a new hypervisor connection.
Under Options, select to use the settings from a previously paired machine or create new settings. If you use settings from an existing system, another dropdown will appear to select the system to copy the settings from.
These settings include:
- Local Backup and Retention schedule summary
- Cloud Backup Schedule and Retention
- Verification Schedule
- Email Notifications
These settings do not include:
- Volume Level Backup Control
- VSS Writer Exclusion
- Virtualization Storage Controller
- Virtualization Network Controller
In the Encryption dropdown, select whether or not to encrypt the backups on the protected machine. This cannot be changed once the agent is paired. For more information on agent encryption, review: Getting Started with Backup Encryption.
Click Next.
Select the Agentless backup type either individually for each agent, or for all agents selected for pairing. Systems not compatible with Agentless backup will not be able to select Agentless. If you select Agentless Backup for all systems, it will be used for all supported systems and default to Universal for the systems that are not supported.
Click Next.
The rest of the pairing process is the same as for agent-based systems. Follow the process outlined starting on Step 6.
When the process is complete, you will see a Successfully Paired notification appear next to the selected system(s). You will also see a new entry for each agent on the Protect tab of the Remote Web when you click Return to Agent Overview.
