Shared drives on samba and linux

[aletm]

Hello everyone!
I hope you can help me out with a problem that I'm facing while trying to setup the perfect backup solution :D
I have a computer with a Linux Mint installation that I use like a NAS, which has 4 shared drives with samba protocol. They work perfectly in my home network and I can fully access them from my Windows PCs.
I have to backup a couple of folders that are on my Windows 10 main computer, so I shared them through my network, hoping to be able to browse them from my NAS but I've found out it's more complicated than I thought. I can navigate inside them and even mount a shortcut (that gets deleted each time I reboot) but there's no way to browse them through FreeFileSync and setup a backup batch.
I already checked from Windows and those folders are shared with samba protocol as well, so I guess I am missing something... I am no Linux expert.
The easiest solution would be setting up my backup from my Windows PC, but since I have more than one I would like to centralize everything from the NAS and also trying to use the real time sync function.

Every kind of help will be really appreciated! Thank you very much!

[xCSxXenon]

Sounds more like a linux/Windows issue that anything. I would find out what is causing Linux to drop the connections. Does it happen for every Windows computer you share from?

[aletm]

Yes it does, I think it's related to linux. But even if I can "mount" the windows network shares temporarely and I don't reboot so they are still visible, I can't browse them with FreeFileSync.
I am pretty sure I am doing things in the wrong way :\

[xCSxXenon]

Are you browsing/mapping them with UNC paths/hostname or IP?

[Plerry]

I am not aware of any Linux specifics, but instead of running FreeFileSync (FFS) on your Linux machine, you can also run FFS on one or more of your Windows machine(s) and define your Linux (NAS) machine as a network resource.
From the perspective of using your Linux machine as a NAS, that actually even makes more sense.

[aletm]

Are you browsing/mapping them with UNC paths/hostname or IP?

I tryed both ways and I had the same result!

I am not aware of any Linux specifics, but instead of running FreeFileSync (FFS) on your Linux machine, you can also run FFS on one or more of your Windows machine(s) and define your Linux (NAS) machine as a network resource.
From the perspective of using your Linux machine as a NAS, that actually even makes more sense.

Would it work?
Cause my end goal would have been to use the Linux NAS machine to sync the folders of my Windows PCs in real time, becase I have some folders I need to be always synced between each others.
To explain myself better, I have a Desktop PC that I use for work, plus a Laptop that I use when I work from outside of my home so I need to keep some specific folders always synced because the last edited files could come from both the desktop and the laptop, depending which of them I used recently. The NAS should act like a "cloud" and keep them both synched while keeping a copy of the same folders on it.

I hope I explained myself good enough! All your suggestions will be really appreciated, even because I may have been thinking about it in the wrong way :)

[Plerry]

> Would it work?
Sure it works!
Not only for syncing/backing up individual Desktop PCs or laptop(s) with the NAS (1st case),
but even for syncing between PCs and/or laptop(s) via the NAS, as far as there is a full or partial overlap in the data between the PCs and/or laptop(s) (2nd case).
In the first case you would define a Mirror or Update sync variant from DeskTop or laptop to NAS.
In the second case, at least for the overlapping data part, if changes (new-files, modifications or deletions) can originate on any of the machines, you should use a Two-way sync variant.

For syncing/backing up individual Desktop PCs with the NAS (1st case), you can e.g. define to run a FreeFileSync (FFS) Mirror or Update sync on the DeskTop as a scheduled task on shutdown (or at a fixed time at night) DeskTop => NAS.
For syncing/backing up individual laptops with the NAS (1st case) a scheduled task on shutdown is also an option, but may be less convenient. Perhaps a scheduled task at startup may be more convenient.

For backing up and syncing the overlapping part(s) of data between DeskTop PCs and/or laptop(s), you can define each (non-NAS) machine to run an FFS Two-way sync variant between the relevant folders on that DeskTop PC or laptop and a common location on the NAS. Now, such FFS syncs are preferably run at startup and shutdown, or (twice) at night.
But, for this sort of data, does each PC need to access that data from the local disk? If not, then better work on your NAS! For backup, then simply run a single sync to one of the PCs, that now (also) acts as a backup server)

[Plerry]

Also consider using the FFS Versioning capability for retaining previous versions of files.
Then you can easily revert to such earlier version, if desired.

[aletm]

Sure it works!

Sorry for the late reply, I have read all that you are suggesting me.

Setting up this kind of backup procedure does involve only FreeFileSync or also the RealTimeSync software?
Wouldn't be easy to set up the entire backup procedure from the NAS anyway? In this case If I need to modify a folder I only have to do it on one computer and not on everyone. I think a centralized approach would it be better.
What I had in mind was to be able to sync the laptop (that is not my main machine) each time it turns on as you suggested, withouth having the Desktop on but only the NAS.

Sorry if I'm asking things twice, I'm just trying to be sure I understood what you wrote me in the right way!

[Plerry]

All of my above input relates to (just) FFS, and does not involve RTS.

FFS needs to run an a PC, laptop or server, and can not be installed on a (normal) NAS.
If you set up your sync configuration in a smart way, and add folders within the scope of your sync configuration, there is no need to change your sync configuration(s) if a folder gets added.
Even more, although FFS needs to run on your laptop or desktop, you may be able to use a single FFS configuration and store that on your NAS, and have the different FFS instances on your laptop or desktop run that single sync configuration stored on your NAS.