Source:How to use CIFS share (NAS) as data store and how to back up data from CIFS share

Overview

Quick setup

Create on the storage/target side a backup user with read/write access on the volumes you want to back up. Create the same user with the same password at the backup server. Put this user to the group administrators. Set SEP sesam service permission. Go to Services.msc, edit the SEP sesam service and set start as <user_name> you created before. Restart the sesam service. Configure a data store and a regular media pool for backing up to CIFS share. Create local backup tasks. Example: //QNAP/media/* and turn off VSS.

	Warning
	Do not use CIFS share for deduplication!

SEP sesam provides efficient backup from as well as to Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, such as QNap and Synology, which support data transmission through the CIFS protocol. You can use SEP sesam to save your data to CIFS shares (by creating a data store) or to back up your files on CIFS shares to another storage. Note that an Si3 deduplication data store is not supported for backing up to CIFS shares.

Using a CIFS share as a backup repository

If you want to use a CIFS share as a data store, follow the configuration steps below.

Prerequisites

• Make sure that the volume, which is going to be used as a data store, is dedicated to the SEP sesam data store exclusively and not shared by other users or applications!
• Ensure maximum network connection stability between the SEP sesam Server and your CIFS share.

Creating a new backup user

1. Create a new backup user <user_name> on your network-attached storage (NAS) device with read/write access on the volumes you want to back up.
2. Create the same user <user_name> with the same password at the backup server.
3. Put the newly created user to the Administrators group.

Setting SEP sesam service permission

To be able to back up to CIFS or from CIFS shares, the SEP sesam service has to run as a local Administrator account. By default, SEP sesam starts as a local System account, which does not have access to network drives.

	Note
	It might be necessary to use the Domain Admin account (WINDOWS_DOMAIN/Administrator), if the target is a domain member.

1. Run services.msc to open the Services Manager.
2. In the details pane, double-click the SEP sesam service to open the Properties.
3. Switch to the Log On tab to specify the user account that the SEP sesam service will use and select This account. Then specify the <user_name> account and type the password for this account in the Password and Confirm password fields. Click OK to save the changes.


4. After setting up service permission, restart SEP sesam service.

Checking access to the CIFS share

To check the access to the CIFS share, log in with the <user_name> which you have just configured in the service settings. Check if you can access the share by using Explorer via UNC path as shown in the screenshot below. In our example, the storage is represented as \\sepnap.sep.de\winfix.

Note

When checking the access with the Explorer, you must not be prompted to provide a username and/or password. Ensure that no authentication is required to enable SEP sesam to access the network share without any problems. When sharing a folder for CIFS backup on a newer Windows system, you need to have a user with the same credentials as the SEP sesam service user on the machine that serves the share. The CIFS share should not be mapped as a network drive at the same time! The $ symbols are recommended but not required.

Configuring a data store for backing up to CIFS share

Create a data store which will be able to back up to a CIFS share. Note that an Si3 deduplication data store is not supported for backing up to CIFS shares. For details on how to configure a data store, see Configuring a Data Store.

1. In the Main selection -> Components, click Data stores to display the data store contents frame.
2. From the Data stores menu, select New data store. A New data store dialog appears.


3. In the Name field, enter a meaningful name for the data store, for example, CIFS_DS.
4. From the Store type drop-down list, select Path.
5. Make sure that the option Create drive for data store is checked under the Drive parameter properties. The predefined value for the drive is automatically added to the Drive number field.
6. In the Path field, enter the location for your data store, for example, \\sepnap.sep.de\winfix$, or use the Browse button to select the relevant folder and click OK.
7. Under the Drive group properties, select Create new drive group if you want to create a new drive group, for example, DS_group, or select Use existing drive group to add a drive to one of the configured groups, available in the drop-down list.
8. The predefined number of channels is already displayed in the Max. channels drop-down list. The number of available channels depends on your SEP sesam Server package. The standard license supports 5 concurrent streams, enabling 5 backup processes to run simultaneously. For details on SEP sesam licenses, see Licensing.

	Note
	You cannot set this data store capacity during its creation. Upon the first backup to this data store, the free space on the CIFS share will be added to the data store information.

9. Click OK to configure your data store. You will be prompted to create a new media pool for it immediately.


10. Click Yes to configure a new media pool.

Configuring a media pool for backing up to CIFS shares

Enter the following information in the New Media Pool dialog. For details, see Configuring a Media Pool.

Enter a media pool name, for example, MP_CIFS_dly, select a preconfigured drive group and set up the Retention time, for which the media from the pool are protected from writing (see Managing EOL).

Backing up data from the CIFS share

You can back up your data on CIFS share without installing any SEP sesam software. You have to create local backup tasks, for example, //QNAP/media//*, and turn off VSS. For more details on backup configuration, see Standard Backup Procedure.

If you want to start the newly created task immediately, right-click the name of the task and click Immediate start. If you want to schedule the task, click New schedule under Main Selection -> Scheduling -> Schedules. Once you have configured a schedule, you must create a new backup event for it. For details on how to configure a backup, see Standard Backup Procedure.

	Note
	If the backup fails with a WIN32 API Error: Access denied, the SEP sesam Server still has issues accessing the UNC path correctly.

If your CIFS backup fails, make sure the following conditions are met:

• The service runs under a local Administrator account.
• You are able to create files in the CIFS directory by using Explorer.
• There is enough free space on the CIFS share to store the backed up data.
• The CIFS share to which you want to back up data is not mapped as a network drive.