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Forum Discussion
Readynas Backups and snapsots
I have been using my readynas for 3 months now. I am using snapshots to backup my data and have now finally had the time to set up automated backups to a USB to take offsite. I have come up with the following issue.
The auto backup only allows you to select one folder to backup. You can't pick a folder within the tree of folders not to backup.
Also, you can't move your snapshot to outside the folder tree. So in order to back up the folder tree you have to include the snapshots whcih just grow out of control.
To me it seems crazy that you can't select individual folders in one backup and that you can't move the snapshot folder.
Any solutions that I am not seeing to backup everything besides the snapshot folder?
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What I have done as a workaround is to use "Remote: Rsync over Remote SSH" to 127.0.0.1 (localhost IP address) as the backup destination. That backup method has an "Excluded File & Folders" list under Advanced settings. Of course, that does involve setting up the SSH keys, etc.
Thanks again to StephenB for the idea, in this thread:
Your solution makes total sense although I am running into issues. I cannot seem to get the backup to pass the TEST CONNECTION. I tried using my login, but it doesn't let me put in a password. So I created a user called rsyncoverssh. I created a public key in the SSH settings, but when I tried Importing the key using the file it said error.
Arnav wrote:Your solution makes total sense although I am running into issues. I cannot seem to get the backup to pass the TEST CONNECTION. I tried using my login, but it doesn't let me put in a password. So I created a user called rsyncoverssh. I created a public key in the SSH settings, but when I tried Importing the key using the file it said error.
I don't remember what all I tried when setting this stuff up, but the only way I could get everything to work was:
- set up SSH keys for root user to authenticate as itself; leave Login and Password blank, which apparently implicitly uses root user.
Don't remember if that would have been because of problems authenticating other accounts, or because of access to the destination path. Anyway, that's how all of those jobs are currently configured.
The auto backup only allows you to select one folder to backup. You can't pick a folder within the tree of folders not to backup.
-- For Rsync protocol, there is the option "Excluded Files & Folder", you can choose the files or folder which you don't want to backup.
After getting frustrated with the backup remote solution, I decided to test out the backup from my root folder to the flash drive that I will take off site daily. Low and behold it copied all the files EXCEPT the snapshot folder! Sorry to have wated your time, I just kept seeing all the posts of people having their snapshot folder take up all the space on the backup. I guess Netgear updated their backup protocols to ignore the snapshot folder.
In any case I appreciate your help.
Arnav wrote:After getting frustrated with the backup remote solution, I decided to test out the backup from my root folder to the flash drive that I will take off site daily. Low and behold it copied all the files EXCEPT the snapshot folder! Sorry to have wated your time, I just kept seeing all the posts of people having their snapshot folder take up all the space on the backup. I guess Netgear updated their backup protocols to ignore the snapshot folder.
Hmm, maybe it's only an issue if "Allow Snapshot Access" is enabled for the share, which changes the hidden .snapshots folder into a not-hidden snapshot folder? Now, I'm curious... Do you have that enabled on your share?
capaz wrote:maybe it's only an issue if "Allow Snapshot Access" is enabled for the share, which changes the hidden .snapshots folder into a not-hidden snapshot folder? Now, I'm curious... Do you have that enabled on your share?
I just tried the following:
- Created a share.
- Transfered some files.
- Took a snapshot.
- Delete the files.
- Transfered some other files.
- Took a snapshot.
- Allowed Snapshot Access on the share.
- Created a backup job with the share as source and a USB stick as destination.
- Ran the backup job.
- I don't have any snapshot on the USB stick.
Arnav wrote:The auto backup only allows you to select one folder to backup. You can't pick a folder within the tree of folders not to backup.
Is "auto backup" something specific?
Because I'm able to select a subfolder with no difficulty from the "new backup job" wizard:
jak0lantash wrote:
Arnav wrote:The auto backup only allows you to select one folder to backup. You can't pick a folder within the tree of folders not to backup.
Is "auto backup" something specific?
Because I'm able to select a subfolder with no difficulty from the "new backup job" wizard:
I assumed that he meant, for example, that you can't multi-select, i.e., at a given level, select all folders *except* the one(s) you want to avoid. In your screenshot, suppose, instead of folder, there were folder1, folder2, and folder3. If you wanted to skip folder2, you couldn't multi-select folder1 and folder3.
capaz wrote:
jak0lantash wrote:
Arnav wrote:The auto backup only allows you to select one folder to backup. You can't pick a folder within the tree of folders not to backup.
Is "auto backup" something specific?
Because I'm able to select a subfolder with no difficulty from the "new backup job" wizard:
I assumed that he meant, for example, that you can't multi-select, i.e., at a given level, select all folders *except* the one(s) you want to avoid. In your screenshot, suppose, instead of folder, there were folder1, folder2, and folder3. If you wanted to skip folder2, you couldn't multi-select folder1 and folder3.
Mmmm OK. He said "a folder", but if that's what he meants, then indeed, you can't do that directly. Either you create several backup jobs (one per subfolder) or you use rsync backup job with exclusions (which can be tricky because your exclude by name, not path, so an object further down the tree may match the exclusion too).
about back up snapshot
if back up job from remote to local , it will back up snapshot to destination , else it wont
thanks!
crazy_toy wrote:
if back up job from remote to local , it will back up snapshot to destination , else it wont
That has to be backwards. The NAS has no way to tell that the remote source is another ReadyNAS, and it would need to know that in order to back up a remote snapshot.
On the other hand, if the back up is local->remote, then the NAS can make a snapshot on its own (and delete it when the backup is finished).
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