FBBR – Troubleshooting – SMB Backup

Default Port: 445 tcp

Permission Issues

To validate any permission issues, you can try accessing the SMB Share via any Windows Client.

Enter the same credentials.

Try creating a folder and copying files.

SMB Versions

To get the SMB Server configuration, run the below command in PowerShell.

Get-SmbServerConfiguration

Currently in my lab, both SMB1 and SMB2 is enabled.

To enable/disable SMB1, use the below article

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-server/storage/file-server/troubleshoot/detect-enable-and-disable-smbv1-v2-v3

After enabling/disabling SMB versions, the SMB Server would require a reboot for the changes to reflect.

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName smb1protocol

Note: SMB3 will be enabled together with SMB2. When SMB client and server do SMB negotiation, only the highest version of SMB Dialect will be chosen.

vCenter 7.0

Starting with 7.0U1, vCenter needs only SMB2. So upon disabling SMB1 in 7.0U2, the backup is still successful.

You can modify the /usr/lib/applmgmt/backup_restore/py/vmware/appliance/backup_restore/plugins/SMBStorageIOLib.py and manually specify the SMB version.

Change

options = "rw,credentials={}".format(filename)

To

options = "rw,credentials={},vers=3.0".format(filename)

Known issue: VAMI Backup with SMB reports error: “Path not exported by the remote filesystem” in vCenter 7.0 Update 3. https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/86069

vCenter 6.7

vCenter 6.7 still depends on SMB1. Upon disabling SMB1, the backup does not start.

To workaround the issue,

modify /lib/applmgmt/backup_restore/py/vmware/appliance/backup_restore/plugins/backupRestoreDispatchSMB.py line 26

Change

options = "username={},password={}".format(locUser, locPass)

To

options = "username={},password={},vers=3.0".format(locUser, locPass)

Restart the applmgmt service and backup with only SMB2 would be successful.

In the Series:

• File-Based Backup and Restore – vCenter
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – Using Self Backup
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – FTP Backup
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – FTP Retention
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – FTPS Backup
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – FTPS Retention
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – HTTP
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – HTTPS Backup
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – HTTPS Retention
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – SCP
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – SFTP
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – SFTP Backup
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – SFTP Retention
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – NFS Backup
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – SMB Backup
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – SMB – 6.x/Upto 7.0U3e
• FBBR – Troubleshooting – SMB – From 7.0U3f/8.x
• File-Based Backup and Restore – Strict Certificate Validation
• File-Based Backup and Restore – Steps to Restore
• File-Based Backup and Restore – VCHA