Windows Server 2012 R2 - Service Won't Write to Network Drive

the_Grinch

Hope everyone has been doing well!  Ran into an issue at work that I'm hoping someone can lend some guidance to me with!

We have a server (not in a domain just a workgroup) that is used for recording anywhere from 5 to 40 IP cameras.  Storage is a Quantum Stornext (SAN) mapped to the server as a network drive.  Our video management software works in two ways:

1.  Desktop app open - displays the cameras and records to the mapped drive without any issues
2.  Close the desktop app and a service starts that allows the cameras to continue to record and to be accessed via web interface or mobile app

The problem:  when running through the service the cameras are accessible, but will not write to the network drive.

I've tried setting the service run as a Local Service, a Network Service and with the local admin account.  All ended with nothing being written to the network drive.

I did some research and what I am finding that in a workgroup a service cannot see network drives map via the GUI.  The only options are to create an account on the SAN with the same name as an account on the server (which I don't think will be possible) or to map the drive via UNC.  My research showed that mapping via UNC can be slow when it is SMB based (which it is because the SAN is run on two CentOS boxes).  Also, we have Fibre Channel over Ethernet which has not been configured properly, but once fixed we will be using Quantum's software to map the drive and I don't know if that will mess things up again if I try mapping the drive via UNC.

Last piece of info that I think might be helpful.  When I went to map the drive, we did a firmware upgrade today on the SAN, I had to use workgroup\Administrator instead of <server name>\Administrator.  For the service, when trying to run under a different account, my only option is <server name>\Administrator.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

the_Grinch

Happy to report we resolved the issue!  First, I setup the service as a Local System service as that is the proper way for it to run.  Second, with the video software, you have the option to setup a Default Drive and in our case that is the mapped drive labeled Z.  Thus when the desktop app is up it is using the path of Z:\yadda\yadda\yadda.  When the app is closed, the service cannot access Z:\yadda\yadda\yadda and thus it does not record.

When we setup each camera some of us were using Default Drive and others were using Z: (which shows as \\xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx\yadda\yadda\yadda\yadda).  The cameras using the Z: were recording when the desktop app was closed, but the ones using Default Drive were not.  The issues lies with the fact that the software was set to utilize UNC paths and thus the Local System service can access the drive when set with UNC.  Only by selecting Z: (which uses UNC) are we able to allow the service to record.

So if anyone runs into an issue like this with a computer in a workgroup you know how to go about fixing it.  Map the drive via UNC if your software doesn't do that automatically and your service will write just fine.