The Network Shares data source lets you back up data from a local network (NAS). The Network Shares data source on the Backup Manager is currently available on Windows devices only.
See the Network Share backup requirements - Windows page for details on the requirements for backing up Network Shares on Windows devices and see Backup Network Shares - Windows for steps on configuring these.
Solutions for macOS and GNU/Linux
If you want to back up shared network drives on a macOS or Linux device, these need to be mounted first (connect to your computer) so Backup Manager can recognize them in the Files and Folders data source.
There is no common way to mount a network share on Linux, follow specific instructions from a respected source for the required distribution.
For details on configuring a macOS device, see: Pre-backup settings for macOS
There is no limit to the number of network shares you can back up.
Limitation
- Network Shares are only supported if they utilizes SMB (Server Message Block protocol)
Other share setups may work, but are not supported
- Network Shares cannot be backed up on DFS replication
Network shares versus Files and folders backup
Backing up data on a shared network drive is almost the same as backing up files and folders on the main computer (the one that Backup Manager is installed on). There are only two differences:
- Network shares often need user authorization
- Network shares do not support the backup of open files (because the Volume Shadow Copy Service used for that purpose is unavailable on the network)
Recovery
Instructions on restoring data from this data source can be found on Recovering data in Backup Manager.
What's inside: