Mounting SMB Shares on Proxmox Backup Server #

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for mounting an SMB share on a Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) to use as a backup destination.

Prerequisites #

• Root access to Proxmox Backup Server
• CIFS utilities installed (install with apt install cifs-utils if needed)
• Valid SMB share credentials
• Network connectivity to the SMB server (e.g., QNAP NAS)

1. Install Required Packages #

Ensure CIFS utilities are installed:

apt update
apt install cifs-utils

2. Create Credentials File #

Create a secure file to store your SMB credentials:

nano /etc/samba/.smbcreds

Add your credentials in the following format:

username=your_username
password=your_password
domain=WORKGROUP_OR_DOMAIN

Set proper permissions on the credentials file:

chmod 600 /etc/samba/.smbcreds

3. Create Mount Point #

Create a directory where the SMB share will be mounted:

mkdir -p /mnt/qnap-backup

4. Test the SMB Mount #

Test mounting the share manually before making it permanent:

mount -t cifs //10.10.40.20/pve-backup /mnt/qnap-backup \
  -o credentials=/etc/samba/.smbcreds,uid=34,gid=34,file_mode=0700,dir_mode=0700,iocharset=utf8

Troubleshooting Common Issues #

5. Configure Automatic Mount at Boot #

Add the following line to /etc/fstab to mount the share automatically on boot:

//10.10.40.20/pve-backup /mnt/qnap-backup cifs credentials=/etc/samba/.smbcreds,uid=34,gid=34,file_mode=0700,dir_mode=0700,iocharset=utf8 0 0

Test the fstab entry by running:

mount -a

6. Verify the Mount #

Check if the share is mounted correctly:

df -h | grep qnap-backup

View recent mount logs:

dmesg | tail -n 20

7. Configure Proxmox Backup Server #

Now that the SMB share is mounted, you can configure Proxmox Backup Server to use it as a datastore:

1. Log in to the Proxmox Backup Server web interface
2. Navigate to “Datastore” in the left sidebar
3. Click “Add” and select “Directory”
4. Enter the following details:
   • ID: Choose a name (e.g., nas-backup)
   • Directory: /mnt/qnap-backup
   • Content types: Select appropriate options (e.g., backups, ISO images)
5. Click “Add” to create the datastore

Security Considerations #

• Credentials Security: The credentials file should only be readable by root
• Network Security: Consider using a dedicated backup network or VLAN
• Firewall Rules: Ensure proper firewall rules are in place to protect the SMB traffic
• Regular Testing: Periodically test the backup and restore process

Troubleshooting #

Checking SMB Version #

To check the SMB version supported by your NAS:

smbclient -L //10.10.40.20 -U your_username

Viewing Mount Options #

To see current mount options:

mount | grep qnap-backup

Forcing Unmount #

If you need to unmount the share:

umount -l /mnt/qnap-backup

Conclusion #

Yo have successfully mounted an SMB share to your Proxmox Backup Server. This setup allows you to use network-attached storage for your Proxmox backups, providing additional storage capacity and flexibility for your backup strategy.

For production environments, consider implementing additional monitoring to ensure the mount remains available and functional.