Cannot Connect To Nas Share Points As Guest

[137492284F8F8DE1E040000A2A666149]

hello everybody,

 

just upgraded to v8.2 from 6.1 and am at a loss. I cannot define my NAS Apple Share Volumes as sources which I can backup. I would like to (simply) add the mounted share points to the list of available soures but that seems to be impossible. Trying to add the server with its IP number (with or without afp:// before the number) isn't working, either. It seems to be expecting a user/password combination but there isn't any because I have configured the server for password-free guest access (we are a very small company). Unmounting the volumes for Retrospect to mount them as another user of my Mac which has been suggested elsewhere isn't working either (I would have found that absurd anyway).

 

Retrospect has never been too intuitive to use but this is a new level for me. Any suggestions?

 

My config: Mac mini 2.53 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM, Mac OS 10.6.8 (German), ReadyNAS NV+ with Raidiator 4.1.7, AFP and CIFS guest access allowed, 9 share points defined (of which I want to backup just 2).

[f30e6e60-a263-4d69-8f60-c92703669308]

It seems to be expecting a user/password combination but there isn't any because I have configured the server for password-free guest access

It is correct that Retrospect 8.2 does not have provisions for mounting a shared volume without a password. Perhaps that will change in the next version.

 

It should be possible to create a user/password combination for the NAS and provide access for that user to the shares you want to use.

 

 

I would like to (simply) add the mounted share points to the list of available sources

Unmounting the volumes for Retrospect to mount them as another user of my Mac ... isn't working either (I would have found that absurd anyway).

 

 

The limitation OS X (and any unix os) imposes on allowing the same filesystem to be mounted at the same mount point by different users at the same time is very real, is not absurd, and is something beyond Retrospect's ability to change. Retrospect runs as root so it can have complete access to every file on your drive. So if you want to use a remote share as a Source in Retrospect, you should not have it mounted in the Finder of the Engine host machine at the same time (unless you are logged into the Finder as System Administrator, which is generally a Bad Idea).

 

dave

[137492284F8F8DE1E040000A2A666149]

Thank you Dave.

It is correct that Retrospect 8.2 does not have provisions for mounting a shared volume without a password. Perhaps that will change in the next version.

Thing is I don't want it to mount a volume, I want it to use and backup the volumes that I have alreay mounted. The way it used to work in the old version.

It should be possible to create a user/password combination for the NAS and provide access for that user to the shares you want to use.

No, unfortunately it isn't. You can have either a level where every user must have a name and password, or where everybody can connect as guest (which is what we have).

The limitation OS X (and any unix os) imposes on allowing the same filesystem to be mounted at the same mount point by different users at the same time is very real, is not absurd, and is something beyond Retrospect's ability to change. Retrospect runs as root so it can have complete access to every file on your drive. So if you want to use a remote share as a Source in Retrospect, you should not have it mounted in the Finder of the Engine host machine at the same time (unless you are logged into the Finder as System Administrator, which is generally a Bad Idea).

It is working under OS X 10.6.8 with Retrospect 6 but not with Retrospect 8. So from my point of view Retrospect has changed and become imprractical for me. I think computer software should help make people's lives easier, not harder, especially upgrades.

 

So for me it looks like I shall have to stick with the old version for my backups, is it so? A bit of a shame though, not only for the money I spent on the upgrade but also technologically.

 

Thanks again - Christian

[f30e6e60-a263-4d69-8f60-c92703669308]

I wrote:

 

It is correct that Retrospect 8.2 does not have provisions for mounting a shared volume without a password

But I should have been more clear, and written:

 

It is correct that Retrospect 8.2 does not have provisions for adding a remote network volume lacking a name/password to the Sources list.

 

 

from my point of view Retrospect has changed and become imprractical for me. I think computer software should help make people's lives easier, not harder, especially upgrades.

You start by making clear it's an issue for you, but then try and make the connection to all people.

 

In Retrospect "Classic," if the program runs (either manually or via a Scheduled Script) while a user is logged into the Finder, that user cannot logout without canceling the backup.

And if the program runs via a Scheduled Script while _no_ user is logged into one Finder, a user can log in without disturbing the backup but then cannot log out again without canceling the operation.

 

In Retrospect 8, not only can a user configure and monitor backup operations from the Engine host machine, the Console application can be run from _any_ machine with network access.

 

I want it to use and backup the volumes that I have already mounted

 

It's not that it would be impossible to configure Retrospect to backup a volume currently mounted on a user's Desktop. The problem would be when you restart, or do things in a different order. Mac OS X does some dynamic naming of mounted volumes that would likely result in a mismatch between what Retrospect is looking for and what OS X is presenting.

 

I don't know if the original design of Retrospect 8 considered this (I tend to think it did not), or if it was an intentional trade-off in order to provide the significantly more powerful model of breaking the Engine out from the Console.

 

 

ReadyNAS NV+ with Raidiator 4.1.7

The ReadyNAS NV provides lots of options for backing up (both to and from). You don't describe where you are backing up your data _to_ with Retrospect, but perhaps you could use ftp or rsync to pull the data from the NAS before writing it to your backup media. Or if your system design goal was exclusively to backup the NAS data it might have been more appropriate to allocate the funds for a second ReadyNAS and use it to backup the first.

 

A bit of a shame though, not only for the money I spent on the upgrade but also technologically

The Retrospect.com website has offered very generous trial licenses since the day of the product's release. It is not necessary for anyone to pay any money before qualifying the product for use in their unique environment.