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Backup From Network Shares

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Adis Alisic
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If the share is on a NAS device, we STRONGLY recommend utilizing the built-in capabilities of your NAS device to copy data from NAS devices. These utilities will allow native file access and permission to the files you wish to protect.

Look for Replication (sometimes in the Snapshots area), Backup, Copy, or RSYNC in the user interface for your NAS.

  • Replication utilizes snapshots of the device to copy all information from one NAS to another, usually offsite. This is the best way to get your data offsite, and it will be bandwidth-efficient since it only sends the information that has changed since the last time it ran.
  • Backup/Copy will usually send a copy of your data to a location you specify, usually on the same device or USB attached storage.
  • RSYNC will function the same as Backup/Copy, it is just a Linux-based utility to perform the action (very similar to RoboCopy, with a few different options)

You are attempting to perform a backup of a network share. 

NovaBACKUP is designed to perform backups of local files and store them to a destination of your choice, such as external HDD, tape, or NAS.

The user account that is performing the backup must have active access to all selected resources when the backup job runs, meaning there are only 2 possible ways to perform a backup of a network share: 

1) Map the drive and make sure the user account is logged in when the job runs

2) Change the user account the backup service is running as using the below instructions: 

The only way NovaBACKUP is able to backup the contents of Network Shares is to ensure the configuration matches as follows: 

A) Mapped Drive option

  1. Make sure the user performing the backup (Run As) is logged on when the backup job runs.
  2. Map the network share you wish to include in your backup, select it through the mapping in NovaBACKUP

B) Change Service Credentials

NOTE: Scheduled Image Backups will not function correctly if you make this change. You should still be able to perform Manual (One-Time) Image Backups.

  1. The SAME username and PASSWORD must exist on all devices your network shares are located on.

    • This account MUST be an administrative account with READ, Write, Modify access on each device
    • You will likely need to add the account to the network device, unless you create a matching Windows user with the same name and password, or it is a Windows Share.

  2. NovaBACKUP Backup\Copy Engine Service MUST be set to run as this user in services.msc

    • Close the NovaBACKUP software.
    • Click on the Windows start button
    • In the Search or Run field, type services.msc
    • Locate the NovaStor NovaBACKUP Backup/Copy Engine
    • Right click on it, choose "Properties"
    • Select the Log On tab.
    • Change the account to a Windows User account that has full administrative rights to both the local computer and the network share.
    • Click [OK]
    • Right click on the same item, and choose "Restart"

  3. The Backup job MUST be set to use this account

    • For each backup job scheduled to run, locate them on the Schedule tab
    • Double-click on each job
    • Fill-in the credentials for the account that will be running the job
    • Click [OK] to save changes
    • NOTE: you can save this account in your default settings by opening the Main Menu (Top Left Corner "N" logo"->Default Settings). These settings only apply to new jobs. 

Once the service is restarted, you should be able to backup files located on network shares.

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