iSCSI local NAS access

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dliff
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Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:46 am

iSCSI local NAS access

Post by dliff »

Hello, I'm having an issue trying to find a backup solution. I have the TS-569 Pro.

I am attempting to create daily backups of a Quickbooks POS database. The software, however, is very limited. It will only store the DB file in C:\Users\...\Intuit...

Using an iSCSI target, I believe I will be able to store the DB on the QNAP, and mount the iSCSI volume inside the C:\ (Using the 'Mount in NTFS folder' option under disk management on Win7.) This way, Quickbooks won't know it's actually storing the database on the QNAP.

Only issue is, the QNAP needs to run a shell script every night that creates a copy of the database and stores it on a different hard drive (a 2nd RAID volume in the NAS).

Is there a way to mount and access the iSCSI volume from the NAS via shell commands? I realize you only should have one device accessing a single iSCSI device, but the computer running Quickbooks would be turned off at night.

Please let me know if this is possible (or if there is a better solution). I initially tried using a simple network drive, but the disabilities of Quickbooks POS forced me to find a solution that kept the files located in the C drive.

Thanks,
-Daniel


Edit: Another possible solution would be to simple make the iSCSI target small (just big enough for the QB database), and back up the entire iSCSI target file. Does anyone know how an iSCSI target is stored in the QNAP? I assume it's some sort of single file that always takes up the maximum capacity of the target. Of course, the file would have to be able to be mounted again in the case that a backup needed to be restored.
dliff
New here
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:46 am

Re: iSCSI local NAS access

Post by dliff »

Looks like I figured out that I can mount the iSCSI target through the Virtual Disk setup. If I'm using the QNAP as read-only for the FAT32 iSCSI target to back some files up, will there be any issues?
dliff
New here
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:46 am

Re: iSCSI local NAS access

Post by dliff »

Got a backup script running. I configured the NAS to only have read access (with LUN ACL). However, it still shows different files than what show up on the unit with read/write ACL.
dliff
New here
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:46 am

Re: iSCSI local NAS access

Post by dliff »

It appears I need to ensure that neither initiator accesses the target simultaneously (even if one of the initiators is read-only). Is there a way to have the ACL lists on a timer? I need to turn off access from the main computer at 5 AM every morning, allow the backup unit to read, then switch it back.

Thanks,
Daniel
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