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Backup to NAS on UNC Path fails when DHCP allocates new IP address

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I am using True Image 2016 under Windows 10 to backup to a NAS drive on a UNC path as in \\NAS-1A-1A-1A\Backup\machine_name\. When creating the backup, the credentials are successfully authenticated with the UNC path showing as above.  Some time later, the IP address of the NAS drive is changed by the DHCP server.  At this point, the authentication fails with Authentication Settings dialogue box now showing the old IP address of the NAS drive rather than the UNC path as it did originally.

We now have a Catch 22.  The backup target still appears as a Network Place with the original UNC path but any attempts to change result in a repeat of the Authentication Settings dialogue box pointing to the old IP address which no longer exists.  Cancel takes you back to the begining, Connect fails as the IP address no longer exists.

I have tried mapping a local drive to the UNC path, but the connection immediately reverts to the IP address which in turn fails on change of IP.  

I do not want to allocate a static IP to the NAS drive.

Anyone any ideas how to pursuade True Image 2016 to stick to the UNC path rather than reverting to the IP address ??

Thanks,
Graeme

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I believe that each backup task is unique to the device / name / IP at the time the backup is created.  If this is a network share, regardless of name or IP, because it will be recognized as a different location once the IP has changed (even if it were using the name), I havve a feeling this would still continue to be a problem.  The same is true if you have a USB hard drive as E:\ and then it become F:\, even though the hardware ID is exactly the same. 

If you don't want to set a static IP, what about a DHCP Reservation or extending the length of the DHCP lease?  Having a rotaiting IP on a share that needs to be available at all times, is going to cause problems - not just with Acronis, but I imagine in other cases too.  Just curious, but whey would you not want to maintain a static IP for a NAS that has network shares?

The only thing I see working, although, probably not to your liking would be to force the credential change in Acronis via the registry so that you can renenter it.  You could script this or just create a .regkey with a blank value that you click on whenever the credentials get out of sync becuase of the IP change.

HKEY_USERS\YOUR_UNIQUE_SID\SOFTWARE\Acronis\Connections\smb >>> Delete everything below "SMB".  Export the Key and save to your desktop.  Then double click the reg key to reset it and go back into Acronis and enter your credentials again.  

 

Thanks Bobbo.

I have taken the easy option and have allocated a static IP which I am sure will resolve the problem.

I was and still am not clear why the software takes the IP address at the time of creating the backup task and does not simply use the UNC path.  As previously stated, this process also operates with a local mapped drive where this is pointing to a network share.

Am also not keen on the software looping through the Authentication dialogue box without giving the option to change the path.

That said, I will give in gracefully and stick to a static IP.

Thanks for your very prompt assistance.

Kind Regards,
Graeme

I hear you. We've been pushing for a more intuitive way to get credentials updated as well.  I'm not sure why it's defaulting to the IP either.  For me, I only have on SMB share on a system with a static IP, but Acronis does seem to have it recorded by the DNS name and not IP.

One of the Acronis Support Engineers, Slava, posted this NAS KB article today too.  

https://kb.acronis.com/node/58004/

 

Graeme, maybe you have entered IP-address at least once in Acronis True Image, it was remembered in the registry and/or in program config folders at C:\ProgramData\Acronis and was used every time you tried to access the NAS by its name? If you think you may have entered IP-address once, then reinstallation with cleanup tool should help.

In any case you can always verify how the program will attempt to access your NAS during next backup, by IP or name. Make any change in backup settings, then open latest modified file form the folder C:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts and search for @task@. You will see the path where next backup will be placed.

Regards,

Slava