How to Backup Proxmox to a Synology NAS

  • Post author:WunderTech
  • Post last modified:October 22, 2023
  • Post category:Synology
  • Reading time:11 mins read

In this tutorial, we will take a look at how to backup Proxmox to a Synology NAS.

In specific, we will take a look at how to back up virtual machines in Proxmox to a Synology NAS. In my opinion, it’s easiest to utilize NFS for this, so the first thing we’ll be doing is configuring NFS. This allows Proxmox and your Synology NAS to communicate. A few things you need to be aware of is that you must have a static IP address for your Proxmox instance (which most people do, by default).

1. How to Backup Proxmox to a Synology NAS

Before we configure Proxmox, we need to set up NFS permissions on our Synology NAS. This will allow Proxmox to read and write to our Synology NAS.

  1. Open the Control Panel on Synology DSM and select File Services then NFS.
enabling nfs in synology dsm

2. Select Enable NFS service and then Apply.

NOTE: You can leave the Maximum NFS protocol as NFSv3.

3. Select Shared Folder, then Edit the folder where you’d like your Proxmox data to be stored.

editing a recently created proxmox folder in synology dsm

NOTE: If you aren’t sure how to create a Shared Folder, you can click this link to learn how.

4. Select NFS Permissions then Create.

editing the nfs persmissions

5. In the NFS rule, add the IP Address of your Proxmox server. Leave the privilege as Read/Write and then select Allow users to access mounted subfolders.

setting an ip address that has read/write permissions to dsm

6. Save everything and then log in to Proxmox.

2. Proxmox Configuration

Now that our Synology NAS has been configured, we will need to set up Proxmox to read/write from our Synology NAS. We’ll then be able to backup Proxmox to a Synology NAS.

  1. Select Datacenter then Storage.
how to backup proxmox to a synology nas - adding storage in proxmox

2. Select Add then NFS.

adding nfs storage in proxmox

3. At the NFS screen, create an ID, then enter the IP Address of your Synology NAS server. In the Export drop-down menu, the location of your Proxmox folder should automatically appear. In the Content drop-down, select ALL entries. You can then select Add.

specifying an id, server IP address, then selecting an nfs share in proxmox

4. Proxmox should now show the Synology NAS Storage that we created above.

confirming the storage is now in proxmox

3. Back up an Individual Virtual Machine

Now that we configured Proxmox and our Synology NAS, we can easily back up a virtual machine.

  1. Select the virtual machine you’d like to back up, then select Backup.
backing up a vm to a synology nas

2. In the backup tab, select the Synology NAS storage location in the top right. This will ensure that we back up to the correct location.

selecting the synology storage in proxmox

3. Select Backup now in the top left corner.

viewing the backup tab in proxmox

4. Select your Storage, Mode and Compression, then select Backup and the backup will start!

setting the backup settings in proxmox

3. Automatic Backups – How to Backup Proxmox to a Synology NAS

You can easily configure Automatic backups in Proxmox for all of your virtual machines if you’d like. This will automatically back up every virtual machine on a specific schedule.

  1. Select Datacenter then Backup, then select Add.
automatically backing up VMs to a synology nas

2. Select the Storage for your Synology NAS, then specify the Schedule, Selection mode, Compression, and Mode.

selecting the storage and when backups should occur in proxmox

3. You can also change the retention policy to only keep a certain number of versions by selecting the Retention tab. Without specifying a retention policy, all backups will be stored which will drastically reduce storage space on your Synology NAS over time.

modifying the retention in proxmox

4. Your virtual machines will now back up to your Synology NAS automatically after you select Create!

4. Restoring a Virtual Machine from a Backup

After the backups have been created, you can easily restore your virtual machine to one of them if you ever need to.

  1. Select the virtual machine, then Backup.
restoring a vm in proxmox by accessing the backup tab

2. Select the Synology NAS storage in the top right under Storage.

viewing the synology storage for backups

3. Select the snapshot you’d like to restore to, then select Restore.

selecting a backup and restoring it

4. All information can stay as default, then select Restore.

restoring a vm in proxmox

5. You will receive a message that this will permanently erase the existing virtual machine. If you agree, select Yes. Your virtual machine will now be restored from the backup you selected!

agreeing to restore a vm in proxmox

5. Conclusion – How to Backup Proxmox to a Synology NAS

This tutorial shows how to backup Proxmox to a Synology NAS. Overall, this is a really good way to ensure that your virtual machines are backed up properly and automatically. This also gives you a pretty easy path to backing them up offsite using Hyper Backup if you’re interested.

Thanks so much for checking out the tutorial. If you have any questions on how to backup Proxmox to a Synology NAS, please leave them in the comment section of the YouTube video above!

WunderTech

Frank is an IT professional with 13+ years experience and the creator of WunderTech. He focuses on sharing his experience with others on computer hardware, servers, software, networking, and self-hosted apps. He has a BS in Computer Information Systems and an MBA. Learn more about Frank in his bio.