Can I backup from NAS to PC?

[chhuber]

I would like to backup from my NAS to my PC and cannot find software that will allow me to do this.

Why am I doing it this way? I pay for a Carbonite cloud subscription on the PC only, so I have to pull files from the NAS and place on the PC so they are backed up to the cloud.

I have a second HDD on the PC that I want all the backups to go to.

Any suggestions? TY

 

[drtweak]

You can use a program like Unstoppable copier that you can set a Batch script for to have it copy new files from the NAS (Via mapped drive) to your other hard drive and then set it up as a Schedualed Task in windows.

 

[tsnor]

You could run one of the zip programs to make a zip file of the directories on your NAS on your PC then backup that file. This would work if you have enough room on your PC. Something like 7-zip would do a good job of compressing the data.

You could use a good, free backup program. For example:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-hard-drive-backup-program.htm

You would select from programs that support "File Based Backup" to backup your NAS.

If you bought the NAS then check the product website to see if it ships with backup software.

(Assume this is not a large, expensive NAS that supports the NDMP protocol to do incremental backups. Google your nas and NDMP and post if NDMP is supported. )

 

[chhuber]

You could use a good, free backup program. For example:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-hard-drive-backup-program.htm

You would select from programs that support "File Based Backup" to backup your NAS.

If you bought the NAS then check the product website to see if it ships with backup software.

(Assume this is not a large, expensive NAS that supports the NDMP protocol to do incremental backups. Google your nas and NDMP and post if NDMP is supported. )

You are correct, this ReadyNAS Duo apparently does not support NDMP. The NAS does in fact have backup software, but it will not allow me to choose the PC as the location to backup to.

 

[tsnor]

Thinking that a file/directory level backup running from your PC pointing to the directories on the NAS and pointing to a backup directory on that 2nd drive of yours would work. But before doing that try just using 7zip. http://www.7-zip.org/

Once you launch 7zip select the drive name of the NAS drive, use 'select all' from the view menu and click add. when prompted select a new file name on the second drive as the backup location.

One note, I have a good wireless network. I've never had any luck transferring more than a few GBs using windows support. If you do not have a wired connection between your NAS and your backup machine you may hit issues.

update: forgot to say (1) the 7zip lzma2 compression algorithm uses a lot of CPU, but its the best. You'll create the smallest archive. And (2) , if it were me, I would password protect anything I sent to an off premises cloud backup. You'll see the option in the menu. Since the data is already compressed you lose nothing by encrypting it.

 

[chhuber]

Thank you for your help again.

I may have to go to the 7zip method, only issue is that I was hoping to have this setup so backups would occur automatically each night.

As you said, I would also guess that I could easily create a backup from NAS directories to my PC. The ReadyNAS includes backup software, but that software does not allow me to select the PC as a backup location (it gives options to backup to one of the NAS drives or to an external HDD via one of the NAS USB ports, which is no good because I want the backup to also be store in the cloud....thinking, office fire!). Also, when I try to use Windows 7 backup software, it doesn't allow me to select the NAS as the source. I do have the NAS shares (folders) mapped to drive letters on the PC.

Also, everything is wired and not dependent on wireless.

Another seemingly easy task confounding me!

 

[tsnor]

Maybe this?

Use a Bat file to
1. Delete two days ago backup backup from your PC (which hopefully has been backed up to the cloud
2. Rename yesterdays backup as two days ago backup on your PC
3. Use command line 7zip to create today's backup archive on your PC

Schedule the bat file to execute once daily using windows task scheduler

Assume that your cloud backup will monitor the folder containing the backup files on your PC and will trigger automatically based on the changes in the files, or you can use the bat file to explicitly trigger cloud backup.