How does WHS 2011 client back up work?

[MrX8503]

Its not entirely clear to me how this works. I set aside a 2TB HDD for client backups and its no longer usable/visible for other tasks. This part is fine and makes sense.

The part I don't understand is that there's also a Client Backup folder that lives outside the 2TB HDD. What's the difference between the Client Backup folder and the 2TB HDD client backup drive? Also, why are the files in two different locations?

 

[N4g4rok]

Are you sure you didn't set up "Server Backup" for the first 2TB HDD? That one usually disappears from any list and is managed by the OS without user intervention. Server backup is reserved just for Server images.

Client backups are defaulted to the client folders, but can be changed. The client backups folder is created when the OS is installed, just like the libraries on Win7.

Either the server storage or disk information menus can tell you the exact locations your clients are backing up to. You may want to check if WHS is installing them there.

 

[MrX8503]

You're right, I did set it as a server backup causing the 2TB to hidden.

When I create a client computer backup, why does it ask me to choose the hidden 2TB drive when client backups are located in the Client Backups folder?

 

[N4g4rok]

It will do that if it thnks the other available drive isn't large enough to hold the client's backups. (if my memory of WHS 11 serves me right.) THis is especially true when the client backup folder shares the same partition with the boot drive.

I think the Client Backups folders were more of a suggestion for location in WHS11. I know you can change the location of the folder, but outside of that, i can't think of any particular reason it would ask you to use the 2TB disk other than size/partition issues.