Qnap integrates a convenient solution for backing up data to and from your NAS with Hybrid Backup Sync 3. We explain how to get started with it.
One of the most interesting applications of Qnap’s NAS operating system QTS 5.2 is Hybrid Backup Sync 3. HBS 3 for the friends allows you to back up your files both to popular cloud services and from those cloud services to your NAS without additional software or licenses. It also allows synchronization between your local storage and the cloud.
What sets Qnap apart from competitor tools is its compatibility. Thus, HBS 3 is immediately compatible with numerous services, including of course Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox but also SharePoint, Google Cloud Storage, Oracle Cloud, OVHCloud, Azure Storage, Backblaze B2, Amazon (S3 and Glacier), and many more.
You can also use HBM 3 to set up a synchronization task between your device and another (Qnap) NAS, an FTP, Rsync or CIFS/SMB server.
Of interest to this how-to is its compatibility with consumer editions of OneDrive, among others. You can perfectly set up a sync task with Qnap through your own Microsoft 365 account, so you can try out the system without involving a Microsoft 365 admin.
To get started, you need a Qnap NAS running QTS 5.2. More info on that operating system, can be found in a previous overview. In this guide, we’re going to use HS 3 to set up a backup job between a Microsoft 365 OneDrive account and the NAS. This is relevant since Microsoft does not provide a true backup for various OneDrive subscriptions. Moreover, it allows you to ensure that files from the cloud are available on the local network in case of an Internet outage.
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HBS 3
Open the QTS interface of your NAS and open HBS 3. You will now be taken to a home screen where you will immediately see the setup of the tool. Qnap wants HBS 3 to be a part of your 3-2-1 backup strategy. If you have never used the tool before, you will not see any concrete information under Job Status, Storage Spaces or the Alarm Log.
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One-way task
For this guide, we are going to set up a synchronization task between OneDrive that works in one direction: files from OneDrive will be synchronized to the NAS. To do this, click on the Sync-icon on the left (the third one, with the arrows). Click on Sync Now and select Active Sync Job.
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Type of synchronization
Now you can customize the details of the synchronization task. Give the task a name and possibly a description. In this guide, we want to copy files from OneDrive to the NAS so that the local folder is identical to the folder in the cloud. Therefore, behind Action on the menu and select Mirror. With this setting, HBS will delete 3 files on the NAS when you pull them from OneDrive. With the option Copy option, you choose to sync new files to the NAS but not delete old ones. Move finally removes all files from the source (OneDrive) after copying. That option is not so interesting in this context.
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Map selection
Now select which folders you want to sync and to where. You can copy the entire contents of OneDrive, or select folders. For example, you can copy the folder Documents to a folder Backup on your NAS. Note that the NAS folder is on the left, and OneDrive on the right. An arrow indicates that the synchronization will indeed happen from the cloud (right) to the NAS (left): that may not be so intuitive. Now click Next.
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Planning or real time?
Choose when you want to perform the task. We select Real-time synchronization, so that adjustments are made as quickly as possible. On the next screen, you can adjust some advanced settings. You can leave all of these as they are. Click again on Next for a summary of the task and finish with Create.
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Dashboard and overview
Navigate again to the Overview-tab, you will see the status of the synchronization job under Job Status. At Storage Spaces you’ll see OneDrive listed. If you want a neater overview without explanations of new features, click the arrow at the top right for a neat dashboard. You can click the OneDrive icon from here to go directly to the Storage spaces tab. There you’ll discover how much space is free in your account, and which jobs are attached to it.
After this, the synchronization task is done, and your OneDrive folder will always synchronize with your NAS. You can now access the synced files from your NAS. The entire folder structure will be copied. The files are now accessible locally via File Station 5, for example, or just Windows Explorer if you added the folder as a network folder. If there is no Internet, you can still access your files.
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