Overview
CrashPlan supports backing up files that reside on network attached storage (NAS) on Mac and Linux. Storage must be mounted in order for the CrashPlan app to access it. This article provides information about mounting NAS on the supported operating systems.
Considerations
- CrashPlan doesn't support backing up NAS on Windows. This is due to an operating system-level restriction built into Windows.
- A NAS device can stop backing up on a Mac if the device fails to mount properly. To remedy the problem, see External drive stops backing up on Mac .
- On Mac and Linux, the CrashPlan app can only back up files stored on a NAS when the file verification scan runs. The CrashPlan app doesn't support real-time backup on network-attached drives. The CrashPlan app backs up real-time file changes only on the device where the CrashPlan app is installed.
- Backing up files that reside on a NAS device results in slower backup performance because each data block must be translated into a network packet.
- If the NAS device is shared by multiple users, it increases the possibility of locked or open files. Locked or open files may not be backed up reliably. To minimize the number of these files, change the default Backup changes every setting from 15 minutes to one hour and deselecting the Back up open files setting.
- The CrashPlan app can struggle to back up NAS devices containing many terabytes of storage. If the amount of data on your NAS device exceeds 1 TB, see Adjust CrashPlan app settings for memory usage with large backups .
- CrashPlan does not test NAS devices. Therefore, we cannot predict performance problems or other issues that may arise from use of particular NAS devices.
Mac
Mount the drive
On a Mac, NAS drives and other network drives must be mounted to your device in order for the CrashPlan app to access them. Consult your operating system documentation for information on mounting the drive to your device. If the drive is mounted, the left-hand pane of the Finder window shows the drive with an eject arrow next to it. After the drive is mounted, add files and folders on the networked drive to your file selection.
Automatically mount the drive upon login
If you have a NAS drive that you want to back up or use as a backup destination, set it to automatically mount each time you sign in to the computer.
- Open System Preferences.
- Select General.
- Select Login Items.
Older versions of Mac operating systems may list this under Users and Groups. - Click + to add an item.
- In the Finder window that opens, select the mounted share.
- Add files and folders on the networked drive to your file selection.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu's official documentation provides information on how to mount networked drives. After the drive is mounted, add files and folders on the networked drive to your backup file selection.