networking question

[W1ck3d]

odd question hoping someone can help me out or atleast let me know if it is possible
i have a home network setup with shared drives on a server
what i want to do is setup either a dedicated server or dedicated array that will act as a recycle bin
what im trying to do is when a file or directory is deleted from a shared drive i want a way to automatically move the deleted object to another directory instead of it being just gone forever
since when you delete a file over the network its gone forever
not looking to back up the whole drive as its very large and files are constantly changing being added and so forth
any information would be a great help

 

[Solaris17]

Hm, problem is things like the recycle bin are not just a "place" they are an "action" defined as a place so it is easier for us to manage.

Have you considered snapshots of a specific directory?

 

[Kursah]

If you're in a Windows Server environment you could setup a dedicated shadow copy storage to do just that, that's essentially folder-level snapshots in time. You would look for the folder or parent folder of the file(s)/folder(s) deleted. Depending on the resolution (frequency of snapshots, default is 2x a day iirc) and how far back you want to be able to go, you may need quite a bit of storage. There are limitations, and I'd say after about 4 weeks you'd be better served to using weekly/monthly full image backups with daily incremental backups. Something like Veeam Agent Free, Macrium Reflect Free (I believe will only let you do differentials on the free version), or even Windows Server Backup (its okay, Veeam Agent Free is much better, WSB is faster though).

If your server is Windows 10 instead, you can use the built-in File History backup solution to off-device storage which acts in a similar fashion.

I'm sure there's options on other OSes, I'm just most familiar with the Windows environment.

 

[remixedcat]

Linux has BTRFS which does stuff in real time and has better snapshotting and each snapshot takes up waaayyyy less space than bloated windows shadow copies.

Timeshift + BTRFS = awesome. It's saved my ass a lot allready. Works as smooth, if not smoother than apple's time machine.

 

[TheLostSwede]

I run OpenMediaVault on my NAS and it has a built in Recycle bin option that does what you want automagically by the flick of a switch.
I should point out that afaik, this only works if the files are deleted when connected via CIFS/SMB.
Note that this is in no way an exclusive feature to OMV, you could use it on any Linux OS https://www.samba.org/samba/docs/current/man-html/vfs_recycle.8.html

 

[W1ck3d]

ok im lost,my server is running windows 10 pro x64

 

[TheLostSwede]

ok im lost,my server is running windows 10 pro x64

Maybe time to try a new OS then? As that's not a server OS at all.

 

[W1ck3d]

Maybe time to try a new OS then? As that's not a server OS at all.

i know its not a server os but im lost when it comes to linux or any server os dumb founded is more like it

 

[xrobwx71]

Let me see if I am on the same page here. An OP has a Windows system already setup that he/she is used to and familiar with. The OP has an issue setting up a dedicated server to act as a recycle bin and the advice is to switch to another OS that he/she is not familiar with?

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/networking-question.268043/post-4283894 <---Best answer!

I also use an offsite NAS for backups and its actually in RAID and has the recycle bin function. Those NAS systems are very easy to use and implement and have a wide variety of apps and plugins to choose from. It will do exactly what you are looking for.

 

[W1ck3d]

hmm i know absolutely nothing about linux or any linux distro
admin please close im going to scrap the idea no further need for discussion

 

[Zareek]

ok im lost,my server is running windows 10 pro x64

Okay so use file history. Settings> Update and Security> Backup> Turn On the slider for Backup using file history and configure as needed, add folders you need etcetera. I think this will work for shares. I've never tried before.

Just a note, the other posters are completely correct. Windows 10 is really not the right OS for network shares.

 

[TheLostSwede]

hmm i know absolutely nothing about linux or any linux distro
admin please close im going to scrap the idea no further need for discussion

This doesn't require much Linux knowledge and comes with a nice GUI.

openmediavault - The open network attached storage solution

openmediavault is the next generation network attached storage (NAS) solution based on Debian Linux. It contains services like SSH, (S)FTP, SMB/CIFS, AFS, UPnP media server, DAAP media server, RSync, BitTorrent client and many more.

www.openmediavault.org

 

[W1ck3d]

i have setup unraid on trial version its a linux distro so does that mean its possible through there

 

[evernessince]

As another solution, you can always create a right click context menu item that simply moves a selected item to a specified location. Software like FileMenu tools can do this. If you want you can also create a windows task that auto-deletes files in that folder based on how long they've been there. Just be careful. Automating file deletion can be dangerous if you screw up and enter the wrong directory.