Readynas nvx file level restore via snapshots or backup
I would like to know how to restore files from a snapshot that took place yesterday for any of the shares i created? is there any documentation on how this works with my RNDX4210 Readynas NVX?
Model: RNDX4210|ReadyNAS NVX 2TB (2 x 1TB Desktop)
Re: Readynas nvx file level restore via snapshots or backup
The snapshot capability on RAIDiator 4.x doesn't have that capability. I believe it's there just for use during backup jobs to keep files from being changed while backed up. The recycle bin is the typical way of recovering lost files in that generation of ReadyNAS.
I frankly have no idea if a backup made when a snapshot contains files that have been deleted will have those files included in the backup. But you could try it.
I believe those snapshots are LVM snapshots (RAIDar uses LVM as a component of XRAID). If you have no other means of recovery, you can find a lot of info by Googling "Restore LVM snapshot". But doing so is going to require SSH to a Linux command prompt. If you have no Linux experience, this is probably not the time to try to learn.
Netgear per-incident support may be able to do this for you. It won't hurt to ask.
I would like to know how to restore files from a snapshot that took place yesterday for any of the shares i created? is there any documentation on how this works with my RNDX4210 Readynas NVX?
Is this hypothetical, or did you accidentally lose some files? As @Sandshark says, the network recycle bin is an easier way to recover accidental deletions. So enable that if it isn't enabled already.
If the snapshot is still available, you should see the -snap folder(s) listed in windows along with the shares, and you should then be able to copy the files from windows. A snapshot isn't really a backup, as it isn't independent from the main share - and in the case of the NVX the total space for the snapshot is fairly small, so it can't hold many changes (and can disappear without warning).
If you don't have a backup plan in place for the NAS, then you should take care of that. Your NVX is old, and won't last forever. Plus disks can fail at any time (and RAID isn't enough to protect the data).
You could connect a USB disk to the NAS, and set up backup jobs on the NAS to back up each share on a schedule to the USB drive. But you'd also need to make sure the permissions for the USB drive are set to prevent your kids from accessing the backup of the parent share.
So I suggest that instead you might connect the USB disk to your PC, and use a PC backup tool to copy data over the network (FreeFileSync will work; there are other choices too). You can do this manually (say weekly), or set up an automatic schedule (most windows backup tools support this). Of course if you are using a laptop, then the automatic approach requires that the USB drive be connected to the laptop, etc at the scheduled times. FreeFileSync just added a feature to sync to Google Drive, so that might be an alternative to the USB drive - I don't know if it will back up a network share directly to the Google Drive or if that is limited to local files on the PC. (Note that I use other ReadyNAS for backup myself, and use Acronis TrueImage to back up my PCs to the NAS. So although I know about FreeFileSync, I don't actually use it).
Also, what firmware are you running on the NVX?
BTW - you should also make sure the "home" share feature is disabled on your NAS, as the kid's "home" shares are private, and can't be accessed from the parent accounts. The home share as the same name as the username - if you don't see it on the share list on the two kid's PCs, then the feature is already disabled.
This was exactly what i needed but I am confused on how this works:
i configured it to take a snapshot every 24 hours between 2-4 AM and to keep it live for 24 hours. I did this thinking that if a file was lost or deleted today it could be restored using the Sharename-snap folder from 2 AM the previous day. I also have 100GB reserved for snapshots. Will this work as i expect it too or no?
If so like you said I will basically setup an external to the NVX and setup daily incrimental backups.
My firware version: RAIDiator-x86 4.2.31
I was also able to disable home shares and this is not an issue for me.
Yea i dont want to learn Linux just to restore a file. I have enabled Recycle bin for both my shares and put a 30 day retainer on it. That should be good enough. Thanks for your help!
i configured it to take a snapshot every 24 hours between 2-4 AM and to keep it live for 24 hours. I did this thinking that if a file was lost or deleted today it could be restored using the Sharename-snap folder from 2 AM the previous day. I also have 100GB reserved for snapshots. Will this work as i expect it too or no?
It should - though it is easy to test it, so you should try it and see.
