I'm looking at using a Synology DS218+ as a 'Raid' NAS for windows and other clients. If some of you are happily using Macrium Reflect [the devil I know] and Synology hardware for the target backup archive, can you explain your setup pls?
thx
c
Can't say mine is the best but this is what I'm doing. DS918+. I just set NAS up as one large pool using their raid protocol. ( four drives)
I forced the NAS to have a specific IP address. I set up a parent directory for each computer. Under the parent, for some machines, I set up sub-folders, for Clean Image, System Images and Data Images. (System and Data are backed up on different schedules). I say for some machines as those computers that don't have a lot of data I just image whole machine to System sub folder.
The parent directory for each machine on NAS is password protected with unique password.
Then within Macrium I setup Network defaults. I used the specific IP address when adding network to Macrium and as part of setup you add password. There is no mapping in Windows, just within MR. Don't want Ransomware following Window paths to my NAS. As my NAS is just for backups I power off during the day. As well Windows Credential manager does not store password.
Within edits I set up the email to email me with Success, Warning and Failed.
Then I created definitions in MR to handle backups on Schedules.
Then I created specific rescue media by computer. (It is supposed to carry forward the network setup and password to boot media.)
Hope this is what you were looking for.
Ken
I to will I do somethings similar to KEN does, but not quite at that level. The bigger systems have their own dedicated hardisks for backups, but "Tablets, Phones, ETC", primarily use the Synology NAS system. It works well except for the WINDOWS tablets where Macrium doesnot support "Tablet mode" via their PE recover system. Restores are a bit more difficult.
Its a good strategy.
and I also Macrium the system drive to an internal drive. Weekly full and daily incremental. It is protected by Macrium image Guard. This way I can restore on the fly without having to power up NAS.
Agree. I also mentioned I have MR send me emails on backup status and that too is only available in Paid for version as are incrementals.
Using the NAS, how do you go about mounting the image as a drive on a User WS so they can go looking for file? Does the image "look like" a typical Macrium image file or is it masked somehow by the NAS?
The user does not know the difference.
Assuming NAS is powered on you click on the Restore tab. Instead of seeing drive letter they see IP address
Ken
ken thanks for sharing your knowledge. helps.
i've used Macrium for a long time for my own device backups here, using a Rom-based-Raid older HP desktop as the server and have never had a hitch. However, you got me thinking I should switch to only using the IP address with MR and not mapping the drive. Let me ask about this blessing/curse: I'm running windows 10 enterprise [not windows server] on the backup system, with a pair of matched/mirrored drives. MR is setup per usual to automatically run the schedule. it does so, IF the mapped drive on the windows 'clients' is up/running. As you know, windows will drop idle connections - which is a benefit if lightning-strike ransomware gets in somehow. its a problem though also for obvious reasons [but manageable, if alerts are being monitored by we users]. In the case of mapping to the fixed IP of the backup system, is that connection always 'hot' ?
If not, what alerts the users?
I really can't answer if it is hot. I would say no for Macrium as it only needs the connection to perform the backup or the restore.
As I run some internal Macrium backups during the day and I power off the NAS during the day I would assume if it were hot, or needed, Macrium would provide errors. It doesn't.
Not sure why the users would need to know if connection is present. What they need to know, I think, was the backup successful or did it fail ?
I use email and that email can be sent to the machine owner and an admin. (It supports multiple to's). So you could set up to send each user the status of their backups, or just the warnings and fails.
Lots of options.
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