Backing up Server 2012 To Freenas CIFS share

[Robert Smith]

I am wondering why restore from iSCSI is not working. Were you able to build a restore disk with iSCSI initiator?

Windows Backup expects block level access to the backup target. With file level access (CIFS) Windows Backup falls down to degraded mode of operation, about which I know little about.

 

[Prime03]

I am wondering why restore from iSCSI is not working. Were you able to build a restore disk with iSCSI initiator?

Windows Backup expects block level access to the backup target. With file level access (CIFS) Windows Backup falls down to degraded mode of operation, about which I know little about.

I had forgotten about creating a restore disk with iSCSI...I briefly saw a post somewhere on the web the other day that detailed the steps involved in including it into the windows disk. This is likely a viable option I should pursue. My concern is that if I eventually bring more windows machines into the mix (Win 8/7), that I'll need a disk for each environment...and what if I'm not around to perform this for someone? It just involves too much for me to expand the backup solution beyond the machines I need to support currently.

It's interesting you saw that about the access type it expects to see. I don't have that level of understanding all together, but it just irks so much that 1 machine will successfully back up (and recover, I tried that too) to the CIFS, but an identical OS give or take a few physical drives and programs fails.

Edit: I should note that it's unlikely adding windows 7 backups to the mix shouldn't be an issue with CIFS I'd like to believe, but then I have some machines backing up to CIFS, some to iSCSI, few linux boxes are ssh/rsyncing...ugh.

 

[Robert Smith]

If the servers are in the same geographical location, how about virtualizing them under a hardware hyperwiser? Then employ the top-down backup, where the hyperviser makes a snapshot of all the VMs, and you do not have to mess with each one individually.

For client machines, consider the restore procedure based on re-imagining computers to a fresh state, as needed, rather than recovering computers from backup. You can store user settings in Active Directory and user files on in NAS.

 

[depasseg]

Could you enlighten me a bit when you say iSCSI requires clustered FS? What is running that file system? Who is providing it. Why is it not supported by desktop OSes? How would user machines utilize that iSCSI storage space? I don't mind going the extra disk route, but unfortunately most of the machines have full bays.

Think of it this way: All iSCSI does is provide a disk. Could you imagine connecting an external hard disk up to multiple machines and expect it to work? Of course not. However, there are filesystems that allow this sort of access. Instead, you could create 1 iSCSI volume per machine, but that might be a management nightmare.

What about using CrashPlan? It's free and there is a plugin for FreeNAS. You can back up any of your machines to any of your other machines and to your FreeNAS.

 

[Prime03]

Think of it this way: All iSCSI does is provide a disk. Could you imagine connecting an external hard disk up to multiple machines and expect it to work? Of course not. However, there are filesystems that allow this sort of access. Instead, you could create 1 iSCSI volume per machine, but that might be a management nightmare.

What about using CrashPlan? It's free and there is a plugin for FreeNAS. You can back up any of your machines to any of your other machines and to your FreeNAS.

Ha when you put it like that it makes the picture pretty clear.

At this point in time, I've settled to just back up each windows server to an iSCSI target, and if a recovery needs to be performed I will transfer the data from the iSCSI using another machine to a CIFS share so a BMR can be done. It's not perfect, but it covers my ass for the time being. I'll look into CrashPlan soon, sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.

 

[Robert Smith]

...if a recovery needs to be performed I will transfer the data from the iSCSI using another machine to a CIFS share so a BMR can be done.

I think this is not going to work for the same reasons you could not backup to a CIFS share in the first place.

Feel free to prove me wrong, but definitely test your restore procedure to avoid nasty surprises in the future.

 

[vinnyboyescher]

Forget everything else, had the same problem but fixed it : Just set the protocol to "NT1".

Samba was the culprit, works like a charm!

 

[Stux]

Forget everything else, had the same problem but fixed it : Just set the protocol to "NT1".

Samba was the culprit, works like a charm!

Cool.

I spent a few minutes the other day trying to get this to work before giving up for the time being...

Will try again :)