Feature Request - HomeGroup/PKU2U support for backup share

[no-reply]

Is there any plans to add HomeGroup network share support as backup target? Currently it doesn't work because lack of permissions.

[Dima P.]

Hi no-reply,
Can you elaborate? I believe, even for HomeGroup network share you can add local admin access permissions

[readie]

Just trying to get this to work too. Setup Homegroup for both my Win10 PCs, and shared a HD from each giving 'everyone' full permissions. Using Windows I can create folders and copy files to the HD on either PC from the other.
Trying to setup VEB, if I select 'Local Destination' and browse to the network and find the shared HD and folder \\STUDY-PC\Study G Drive Backup\VeeamBackup, when I click on NEXT I get 'Specify Target Folder'.
If I select 'Shared Folder', try BROWSE, then in the network 'Loading Devices' box I eventually get 'Last Error: The network location cannot be reached. etc . . . '
I've even tried mapping a drive to the shared folder, but that doesn't work either.
Is it anything to do with the fact that a prerequisite of Windows 10 HomeGroup is IP6 which I had to enable on both machines?
Or is there some magic tweak I still haven't done?
Perhaps I should scrap homegroup (though it is an easy way to share printers between PCs) and just use the 'old' share feature.

[Dima P.]

Hi Bob,

Have you set the permission account in the control below the shared folder path? Does this account have access to the said folder?

[readie]

Ah - I hadn't (and am not sure how to tackle that in a non-Domain home system - is it \\<PCname>\<username>. I have anyway given FULL ACCESS to everyone.
Should this be needed BEFORE trying to browse, or once I have browsed and found the share? Choosing Shared Folder I cannot even browse the network, though I can from a Windows Explorer window.

[Dima P.]

‘Browse’ might be tricky since we rely on windows native components. If you enter the creds, it should use the specified permissions but if you don’t - it will try to leverage the logged in user’s permissions/ local system permissions and so no. As a result, you may not see the needed shared folder properly.

[readie]

But the windows native components do work. I can browse the network fine using windows explorer. Actually, I haven't checked the event log - and are there any Veeam logs which might give a hint (where?)?
OK I'll persevere and see if I can crack it (though with 'everyone' full permissions it should be a breeze). The logged in user certainly has full access as I've created folders and files there.
You think I should stick with 'Shared Folder' and try to get that working. I hoped that a mapped drive would count as 'local drive' . . .

[Dima P.]

It won’t see the mapped drive as an internal drive if you select the local disk destination, however, if you map the shared folder location as a folder under the existing internal volume – that’s might do the trick. I’d go for shared folder destination if you ask me.

[readie]

Ah! Sorry it might all be a fault here. I have been trying from the 'remote' machine to 'master' as that is the way I want to backup, but just now have tried the other way round and it seems to work perfectly - browsing the network shows me what I would expect!!
So at the moment, please put it down to a fault here, and sorry for troubling you.
Once I have sorted it, I will post here to keep you (and others) up to date.

[readie]

A bit more info for anyone else who wants to try to get this working (which I have at long last!).
1. Although I had shared folder on both machines (I was trying to do this both ways, between two Win10 clients with HomeGroup) to 'everyone' 'full access', it seems as though HomeGroup has its own way of doing things!
2. Using VEB one machine COULD browse the network to see the other, but not the other way round (OK that might be down to something wrong on my PCs).
3. On the one which couldn't browse, I typed in the path to the other folder \\PCname\folderpath\ AND also said that it needed credentials (even though everyone had permissions!)
4. In order to give credentials, I had to create a user which was recognised by the other machine.
5. Homegroup, or this aspect of it, doesn't like blank passwords! Since we are all the same family, almost everything within the house is NOT password protected, but this user had to have a password.
6. Everything then seemed to start to work, but failed. Application log revealed CAPI event 513 which is a strange, but known, problem with incorrect permissions on a particular MS folder, and is also something to do with VSS which I guess VEB uses . . . I Googled and found a script and ran it (crossing my fingers!) which sorted that out.

So it's all working now . . . . and I suppose was worth the effort (as I enjoy problem solving, and don't like to be beaten by a mere machine, or Microsoft!).
Good luck if you want to try the same.

[Dima P.]

I am glad to hear you were able to set all things right and additional thanks for the perfect write up! I am sure it will help all newcomers to setup backup to the shared folder properly.