NetApp filer backup and NFS protocol change

July 01, 2025 (Last Modified: July 01, 2025)

NetApp filer backup and NFS protocol change

I have a customer with a job that backs up a NetApp NAS filer running Data ONTAP. Recently, for some shares, the following error appeared:

source was changed from NFS v3 to NFS v4. Please revert protocol changes or start a new backup chain

Important note: if the protocol used to export the shares is changed, unfortunately you need to start over with a new backup chain. This isn’t as straightforward as it is for VM backup chains, where you can just trigger an active full or switch repository, etc.

With this type of NAS backup job, you need to:

Create a new job
Use a new repository (or delete the old backups… not recommended)

So make sure to carefully plan any protocol changes on this kind of NAS/Filer setup.