Use UNC paths to back up network shared folders

On this page

Commonly used to backup NAS shares or partitions.

Example scenario

You have a network share on a NAS server you want to back up.

disaster recovery backup agent cannot be installed directly on the NAS server because it runs an operating system, which is not supported by the backup agent.

In this case, you have to use UNC to back up the said share:

  1. Log in to the Management Console of the Cloud Failover Appliance (CFA).

  2. In ClientsSummary, add a new client or use an existing one.

  3. Edit the backup file set of the client to include the UNC path to the NAS share.

    The path must start with //?/UNC/. For example, //?/UNC/serve_name/share or //?/UNC/IP address/Folder_to_start_in.

    The backup agent must be configured to run as a user, who has access to this path rather than the default Local System. You can configure this either in the RVXConfig tool or in Services of the client computer. This account must also have backup operator permissions in the network.

    If the share you are backing up is not a Windows file server, you will need to select the File Set option to ignore Win32 attributes.

    If the job log contains ERR=00000522: A required privilege is not held by the client for each file, you have to select the File Set option to ignore Win32 attributes.

    A less optimal alternative is to set up a mapped drive from a Windows computer, and include that mapped drive as part of the backup for that Windows client. This method will require the backup agent to be manually started by the user as a program rather than as a service.