Adding & Managing Network Drives (SMB/CIFS/NFS)

Adding & Managing Network Drives (SMB/CIFS/NFS)

This article provides step-by-step instructions to add and manage network drives as storage volumes in BDRShield Backup Server. It also outlines important considerations and best practices to ensure reliable backup operations.

Important Recommendations

• Network shares may not always guarantee data integrity during high backup workloads

• Continuously Available (CA) SMB improves availability, not data consistency

• Improper caching or buffering may lead to data corruption

• Low end or Consumer-grade NAS devices are not recommended

Recommended Approach

For better reliability, use:

• Local Disk (Direct Attached Storage)

• iSCSI-based storage (block-level access)

• Use enterprise-grade storage for backup targets.

Recommended Storage Options

Priority

Storage Type

Recommendation

     1

Local Disk (DAS)

Best performance and reliability

     2

iSCSI LUN (mounted as local volume)

Recommended for production

     3

SMB / NFS

Use with caution


Using NAS / SMB / NFS as Backup Repository 

Key Considerations

Backup operations involve intensive read and write activity.

Some NAS devices:

  • Acknowledge write operations before committing data to disk

  • Use caching mechanisms without durability guarantees


This behavior may lead to:

  • Incomplete backups

  • Data inconsistencies

  • Restore failure 

Using SMB (CIFS) Share   

Minimum Requirements

  • SMB version 3.x or later

  • Storage systems that support Continuously Available (CA) shares (preferred)


Note: CA improves availability during failover scenarios but does not guarantee data integrity.

Guidelines

 Ensure the following:

  • Write cache is disabled or protected (for example, battery-backed cache)

  • Network connectivity is stable with low latency 

Avoid the following:

  • Consumer-grade or entry-level NAS devices

  • SMB shares with unknown or unverified caching configurations

Windows Environment

SMB Transparent Failover requires Windows Failover Clustering and is typically available only in clustered server environments.

Using NFS Share (Linux) 

Recommended Configuration

  • Mount the NFS share with sync enabled

  • Avoid Using async mode, as it may lead to data loss during system crashes or power failures

Not Recommended Configurations

The following setups are not recommended for backup repositories:

  • Consumer or entry-level NAS devices

  • SMB shares without enterprise-grade storage features

  • NFS shares configured with async mode

  • Storage over unstable or high-latency networks

Storage Validation (Recommended) 

Before configuring backups, it is recommended to validate the storage:

  • Perform read and write tests

  • Verify data integrity using checksum validation

  • Monitor latency and consistency under load

Best Practices

  • Avoid excessive parallel backup jobs to the same NAS

  • Monitor storage and network performance regularly, including: Latency, Network stability, Disk health.

To Add Network Drives 

Step 1: Navigate

Go to Inventory → Backup Repository → Block Storage → Create New Block Storage Repository

Click Manage Network Drives

Step 2: Acknowledge

Review the recommendations and enable the confirmation checkbox

Step 3: Enter Drive Path

Provide the network path (Example: \\server\share)

Assign a display drive name (Example: G:)

Step 4: Enter Credentials (Optional)

Provide username and password if required

Step 5: Save

Click Save to add the network drive

Manage Network Drives

Navigate to Backup Repository Configuration → Block Storage

Click Manage Network Drives

• Add: Add a new network drive

• Edit: Modify credentials

• Delete: Remove an existing network drive

Note:

Improper configuration or use of NAS/SMB/NFS storage can result in:

• Backup corruption

• Incomplete or failed restores

• Permanent data loss

Summary

• Prefer local disk or iSCSI storage

• Use SMB/NFS only with proper configuration

• Ensure storage supports backup workloads