Using Network Attached Storage - NAS

NAS systems provide disk space in the local network by using special networking file systems. In Microsoft Windows environments, this is the SMB or CIFS filesystem. A NAS can be either a usual Windows machine with a network share or a special NAS appliance with its own operating system and management interface.

MailStore Server can utilize NAS systems to store its productive data on it or as target for its backup data.

To ensure successful operation, the NAS should meet the following prerequisites:

The NAS must not be turned off or put into standby mode at any time, as long as there is a MailStore Server service accessing the database on the NAS. Otherwise database corruption may occur, which can lead to loss of data.
When moving an existing MailStore database, the available disk space should be twice the size of the current archive.

Please note: A storage system attached via FibreChannel or iSCSI is called Storage Area Network (SAN) storage. SAN storage is used like a local disk, so that no further configuration is needed to let MailStore Server store its data on it.

Configuration of the NAS Directory Share

Create a new directory share on the NAS system. Consult the documentation of the Windows system, the used operation system or of the appliance if necessary.
The MailStore Server service runs under the account of the SYSTEM user on the Windows system. In network environments the SYSTEM user is identified by the computer object where MailStore Server is installed on. There are two ways to grant the MailStore Server service permissions on a directory share.

Authorizing the Computer Object to Access the Directory Share

Grant the computer object full control over the directory share. This enables the local system account of the computer on which MailStore is installed to access the network. If file system permissions are required on the share, grant the computer object full control here as well.
Note: Some NAS systems do not support computer objects. Grant a user object permissions on the directory share then.

Authorizing the User Object to Access the Directory Share

Create a user object either on the NAS system or in a directory service (e.g. Active Directory).
Grant the user object full control over the directory share. If file system permissions are required, grant the user object full control here as well.

Installing MailStore Server while using a NAS system

Install MailStore Server on your computer. Detailed instructions can be found in the Installation section if the MailStore manual.
Open the MailStore Server Service Configuration. A link can be found on the desktop.
Stop the MailStore Server service.
Navigate to General and enter the path for the directory share on the NAS system in UNC notation (\\computer\sharename\). In the example below, the name of the NAS system is NAS01 and the name of the share is MailArchive.

If you have granted the computer object the appropriate permissions for the directory share, the MailStore service can be restarted by clicking on Start in the MailStore Server Service Configuration interface.

Using a startup script

If a user object has been granted permissions on the share, MailStore Server must establish a connection to the network share during the start using this user object. To set up the appropriate startup script, please proceed as follows:

On the MailStore Server computer, open the MailStore Server Service Configuration.
Click on Startup Script.
In the text field on the right, enter the net commands to be used to establish the connection to the necessary network shares, e.g.
```
net use \\nas01\MailArchive /user:mailstoreserver SecretPassw0rd
```
to connect to the \\nas01\MailArchive network share with the user mailstore and the password SecretPassword.
Important notice: Are the MailStore Server computer and the NAS in different Windows domains or workgroups, the computer name must be put in front of the username, e.g. /user:nas01\mailstore
Click on Save Changes.
The MailStore Server service can now be restarted by clicking on Start in the MailStore Server Service Configuration.

Moving the archive to a Network Share

Moving the archive to a network share is described in the article Moving the Archive.

Writing a backup to a Network Share

Create a network share as described in Configuration of the NAS Directory Share.
If a user object has been granted permissions on the share, you have to configure a startup script.
Follow the instructions from the backup article.

Troubleshooting

In case of errors or problems the event viewer or debug log can be used to troubleshoot.

Debugging NAS connection issues

Opportunistic Locking