Backup my toughbooks to NAS through second ethernet port?

[jsavga]

This is my first NAS. I'm running 2x12tb drives in SHR. I got this NAS to run a plex media server, store my photos and backup my PCs. I'm using Active Backup for Business.

My desktop is on the network and the setup was quick and easy. I have that figured out and got it on a schedule.

I have 2 personal Toughbooks that I use at work (Automotive Technician) that I'd also like to bring home occassionaly and back up to the NAS with Active Backup for Business.

My router has all ports used up now, so my first thought was to use the second Ethernet port on my DS224+ for backing up the Toughbooks. Will this work and is it a good method? This would only be for backing up the toughbooks. If it's feasible, what setup steps need to be made for backing up this way?

 

[Rusty]

Will this work and is it a good method?

Welcome to the forum.

I am not sure why would backing up a separate platform such as Toughbooks require a second lan port to execute? What is the idea behind it? Not sure if I am missing something here or have I misunderstood the plan?

 

[Telos]

My router has all ports used up now, so my first thought was to use the second Ethernet port on my DS22+ for backing up the Toughbooks

A multiport switch would solve the issue, and provide additional flexibility. Much simpler IMO.

 

[jsavga]

Welcome to the forum.

I am not sure why would backing up a separate platform such as Toughbooks require a second lan port to execute? What is the idea behind it? Not sure if I am missing something here or have I misunderstood the plan?

The NAS has two lan ports. One is hooked to my Router and home network. All my router's lan ports are used up now.

I was asking if I could hook up the NAS second lan port to each toughbook for the sole purpose of backing up to the NAS with Active Backup for Business. If that's feasible I could leave a Ethernet cable hooked to that port all the time for the simple purpose of hooking up a toughbook to run a backup on it. But if it's not feasable or good practice, then I would have to explore other options such as @Telos suggested.

 

[Rusty]

All my router's lan ports are used up now

I missed this step my mistake. I agree with @Telos 100%. Put a switch, take the load of the router to the switch and use it that way.

 

[fredbert]

In summary: I agree with @Telos. The type of 5 or 8x 1GbE unmanaged switch you'll need is really not expensive (especially compared to a loaded DS224+ or, I expect, toughened laptops). Don't forget to include extra Ethernet cables (Cat 5E or higher). It will save messing with network configurations etc.

Not in summary :

Yes, you can connect the laptop's Ethernet port to LAN2 on the NAS: all services are access via both ports. Unless otherwise configured, the two devices will [hopefully] negotiate a self-assigned IP address each on a shared subnet (169.254.c.d or such like). You'll then have to know the NAS's self-assigned IP and use it as the server name part of any URL or destination for the accessing services.

Alternatively you could run DHCP Server on the NAS and have it serve dynamic IPs for just LAN2 (that what it looks like can be done when I checked, but I don't do it): the router would remain the DHCP server on the main LAN (which LAN1 connects to). This should get the laptops receiving a dynamic IP and avoid the self-assigned IP guesswork. Now the same goes for accessing the NAS, use its IP on LAN2 to access services.

If ABB is setup to require secure access and SSL certificates, you will have to manually accept to trust the connections when you setup ABB client: the SSL certificates are for domains and subdomains, not IP addresses, so the client (and web browser) will not know to trust the IP requested connection so you have to say to trust it. If the certificate changes (not renewed, it'll be ok) then you'll have to re-OK the trust to get the ABB client to keep working.

This isn't overly problematic, it's just more faff than adding an extra switch on the main LAN and using the already setup configurations and accesses.

With a small switch you could setup NAS LAN 1 and LAN2 to bond together (use Adaptive Load Balancing or Balanced SLB, depends if you have enabled vSwitch in the NAS). Do this connected to an unmanaged switch and you be able to share the 2x1GbE between multiple, concurrent client connections. If your NAS is used by wired clients then you can move their Ethernet connections from the router to the switch too. That would leave the switch to router 1GbE connection for wired devices with the Internet and wireless clients to the NAS (assuming you have wifi on the router).

 

[jsavga]

Yes, I think I'll get a switch.

The router supports link aggregation and that would be an idea for the NAS second port. Would also provide a little redundancy if one port has troubles (not likely, but just in case). Of course that would mean moving two cables off the Router, one to make room for the link aggregation and one to make room for the switch.

I think with that config and the router having four ports, the best option would be to use the one remaining port on the router for my main PC. Then everything else could be on the switch. My thinking is my PC can then have a 1GbE connection and then everything that's on the switch would have a shared 1GbE connection.

 

[fredbert]

The two variants of link aggregation I mentioned don't require the switch/router to support it, these two are done solely by the NAS. This is why an unmanaged switch is OK, but the other variants of LAG supported by the NAS (and most probably the ones by your router) need a managed switch that supports dynamic LACP.

 

[jsavga]

I'm weary of not using LAG and hooking the 2 NAS ports to a unmanaged switch because of this video (

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQkW-ZANPYo ).

But my Router itself does support LAG and so I think that's the route to go.

I'm also sorry for dragging this topic off of backup to network discussion. But the end goal is to get to where I can easily backup my laptops without having to try over wifi.

 

[fredbert]

OK. I recall it seemed to work for me without any LAG config on TP-Link switches. At present I'm using dynamic LCAP LAG to a managed TP-Link switch with three of my DS1520+'s LAN ports, leaving the fourth separate. I then have the TP-Link doing 4x1GbE dynamic LAG to a managed Netgear switch.

When using the Adaptive LB/Balanced SLB variants you shouldn't have any switch configurations for LAG on the connected ports.

Anyway, this was an aside to the original question.

 

[jsavga]

This morning, I ran the second cable from the NAS to the router and set up link aggregation. Made sure that the main PC still on the router and the NAS were all working fine and link aggreagtion was doing as it should.

Next I installed the switch to the remaining router port and the two items removed from the router (another PC and a Roku) were moved to the switch.

Everything is working great and now with the remaining 2 ports on the switch I have room to hook up an additional item and my work laptops one at a time for backups.

Thanks guys.

 

[fredbert]

Great. Glad to hear you got it working as you wanted.