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Thread: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

  1. #1
    Jay
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    Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    I have a backup server that conects to a NAS. Every directory on the NAS is a redirected "My Documents" folder for users of a small area of my network. To backup these directories I need to mount them all as drives as the main drive can not be directly mounted due to limitations of the NAS

    The issue I now have is that I am runing out of drive letters. What can I do?
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    Comfortably Numb directhex's Avatar
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    can't you reference the SMB paths directly? are drive letters REALLY needed?

  3. #3
    Jay
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    thats a very good point.

    I will have to give this a go.

    I can access \\nas\username\my documents

    for these users I just mount them as drives so in NT backup I just need to backup that drive with a simple click (or a few clicks to back them all up!)
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    If all your user directories were in a folder called "users" (or whatever) then surely you'd just need to map the "users" folder and backup that and all it's contents?

  5. #5
    Jay
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    No, this NAS has to have individual folders for each user so I can only directly access \\nas\username. I can not directly access the file system on the drives. I could add them to "my network places" and do it that way I suppose. I may just scrap the n299.

    What NAS do you recommend for about 30 users?
    Last edited by Jay; 30-04-2008 at 01:00 AM.
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    Suggestion 1
    A bit long winded but write a script that runs in conjunction with the backup along the lines of:

    Start backup
    Map dir 1 to X
    Backup X
    Unmap X
    Map dir 2 to X
    Backup X
    etc.....

    OFC it depends on when your backup solution allows scripts to be run.

    Suggestion 2
    Do you have large local scratch (temporary) storage on the backup PC/Server?
    If write a similar script to above with remappings etc but don't backup, copy the data to a local dir.
    Then your backup program can backup the local storage.
    It'll be faster for a start and make writing to tape (if you're using it) more efficient as it won't be left waiting for network traffic.
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    Dell make some nice rackmount NAS boxes

    Network Attached Storage

    Can be expensive though
    ... edit - the NF500 looks reasonably priced:
    The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

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    Jay
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    Way out of my price range!
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    How about this, map the \\NAS\ to a drive letter, from there run your backup routine to be drive letter\username.

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    Comfortably Numb directhex's Avatar
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lucio View Post
    How about this, map the \\NAS\ to a drive letter, from there run your backup routine to be drive letter\username.
    he can't. that's the problem.

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    Seething Cauldron of Hatred TheAnimus's Avatar
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    What's wrong with just referencing the full UNC path?
    throw new ArgumentException (String, String, Exception)

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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    As DirectHex pointed out. Most modern apps can handle UNC paths, no reason why it shouldn't work.
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    The late but legendary peterb - Onward and Upward peterb's Avatar
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    Which NAS device is it?
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    I'm going with a Thecus N299 going by post #5.

    See, if we had a bigger alphabet, you'd be fine with 30 users!
    "If you're not on the edge, you're taking up too much room!"
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    The late but legendary peterb - Onward and Upward peterb's Avatar
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    I think I may have misunderstood your set up. Having re-read the post, am I right in thinking that your users connect to the NAS as their remote storage, and then the NAS is backed up to the backup server?

    If that is the case, it seems a rather complex way of doing things. Personally I'd be looking at a central file server (I'd use Linux - but you could use server 2003/2007) with a tape drive in it - something probaly an LTO device - which level depending on the amount of data you expect to be backing up and the backup strategy. The (linux) server would have a separate partition or logical volume for /home just back up that file system using something like DUMP or RSYNC, or TAR.

    If, as I initially read it) users have their data on the backup server which is using the NAS as its storage device - then that still seems an odd way of doing it - so odd that that is why I went back and looked at it again when I had had a moment to think about it.

    I would guess that thge situation has arisen as the network has grown, but now might be the time to carry our a review of how you implement this, with a view to future scalabilioty as the business continues (we hope!) to grow, and more users are added to it.
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    Jay
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    Re: Am I going to hit the limitation of current operating systems?

    Here is a really basic diagram



    The backup DC (now its actually an app server but I don't want to have to redo the diagram) has a tape drive all the users profiles are on the DC and their my docs are redirected to the NAS by having a H: Drive (setup using AD) to their own directory on the NAS. I simply redirect their my documents to H:.

    I then map a new drive on the old backup DC for each of the users folders (eg I map e: drive as \\nas\jay) and then back it up as a drive onto tape. We don't really have the money for a true rack NAS setup and this N299 is way underspec for what we need but thats what I have and so I have to make it work! Its not unusual for a user on this side of the network to have a 1GB my documents folder hence the need to redirect.
    Last edited by Jay; 30-04-2008 at 01:46 PM.
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