Client auto discovery fails, PC goes offline if name removed from Hints section

general discussion
1

I need some guidance please. I am setting up a new URBackup server. The server is running Windows 2012 R2 and my client PCs are all running Windows 10 Education version, all running IPv4 with static addressing. My server is on one VLAN(VLAN1), and my PCs are on two other VLANs(VLAN 2 and VLAN 3). All our VLANs are firewalled. They are all setup so that all outgoing traffic from a VLAN is permitted and by default incoming traffic to a VLAN is blocked except for defined rules\exceptions. I have applied the port exceptions to all VLANs as detailed in section 10.3 of the administrator’s manual from 11/12/2019.

Here is my problem. As configured, auto discovery of the clients by the server fails. If I add a PC name to the hints, the server almost immediately finds that PC and begins the backup process. All good, except if I remove the PC name from the Hints section, it goes offline and the server can’t contact it.

So my conundrum here is a I need to figure out what is going on with the auto discovery function and fix it or I need an easy way to import nearly 500 PC names into the Hints section. Any suggestions or possible solutions you can point me towards? TIA.

2

If your server at VLAN1.
UrBackup server discovers clients only in the same sub-network.
Server at VLAN1. Clients at the VLAN2 and 3.

Documentation: 5 Client discovery in local area networks

Broadcast messages from UrBackup server goes only in same sub-network (VLAN1) and don’t go to VLAN2 and 3.

You should use internet mode.

I don’t know is it possible to forward broadcast messages to another vlan. Try to do it first.

If you can’t forward broadcast messages use this method:

  1. Make sure that internet backup works at your server. Install preconfugured client to PC at anoter VLAN, if it will be online and backups creates normally internet backup works fine.

  2. Put your server to VLAN2. Server will discover and add all clients at this VLAN.

  3. Put your server to VLAN3. Server will discover and add all clients at this VLAN3.

  4. Now UrBackup added all clients at VLAN2 and VLAN3. Move back UrBackup server to VLAN1. Clients will use intenet backups.

3

I’d use the “Internet” mode (clients connect to server).

For importing clients to hints section programmatically see e.g. https://github.com/uroni/urbackup-server-python-web-api-wrapper/blob/master/test/urbackup_api_test.py#L13

That is via python:

server = urbackup_api.urbackup_server("http://127.0.0.1:55414/x", "admin", "foo")
computernames = """2.2.2.2
3.3.3.3"""
for line in computernames:
    server.add_extra_client(line)

Computernames could e.g. be read from a file or listed by some other method…

4

I am running into an original issue as the original poster. Can you confirm that adding a client discovery hint for a client on different vlan than the urbakcupserver, will not allow me to find and backup the client server and “internet” mode is the best way to approach clients on different subnetworks/vlans?