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Dell UnityOS version 4.3 introduces Proxy NAS Servers, providing the ability to access files on the destination side of a replicated File resource. This feature provides Read-Only access to file system and snapshot data through SMB and NFS. There is no ability to write to the file systems or snapshots using the proxy NAS server, even if the snapshot is Read/Write.
All the NAS Servers’ file systems and their snapshots are displayed when connecting to the proxy NAS Server. Due to this, the user must be part of the Local Administrators group for SMB or root for NFS. You can add users and groups to the local Administrators group of the proxy NAS server through MMC, just like a regular SMB server.
Dell UnityOS version 4.5 introduces the ability to create SMB shares for writeable and Read-Only snapshots on the destination NAS Server. This feature is designed to enable DR testing without any impact to the ongoing replication session. It allows customers to confirm that an application can be brought online and write to a share hosted on the destination system. This feature works with both asynchronous and synchronous replication. This feature leverages a Proxy NAS Server and Proxy share created on the destination system to provide access to the snapshot.
In contrast to the Read-Only Proxy NAS Server feature, this feature allows any domain user to access the share and is not limited to Administrators or root. This is because each share points to a specific snapshot, as opposed to the entire contents of the NAS Server. The proxy share can be configured to point to either a Read-Only or Read/Write snapshot that exists on the destination file system. If a Read/Write snapshot is selected, then the client can write to the share.
For more information about Proxy NAS Server, please review the Dell Unity: DR Access and Testing white paper found on Dell Technologies Info Hub.