This video provides a complete guide on how to backup and restore the system configuration in TrueNAS SCALE. You will learn where the configuration file is stored and how to export it safely. The tutorial also explains how to restore the config after a system crash, hardware failure, or fresh installation. This process is essential for system administrators who want to protect their NAS settings and services. Backing up the TrueNAS configuration helps you quickly recover users, datasets, network settings, and system services. The steps in this guide are simple, reliable, and suitable for both beginners and advanced users. By following this tutorial, you can restore your entire TrueNAS setup in minutes. Watch until the end to fully understand best practices for TrueNAS configuration backup and recovery.

1. What is restored FULL when restoring config

Component State after restoring config
User account (local user) ✔ Restore
Group (local group) ✔ Restore
Dataset permissions (ACL) ✔ Restore (if dataset still exists!)
SMB / NFS / iSCSI config ✔ Restore
Cron jobs / Periodic tasks ✔ Restore
Network config (IP, VLAN, Bridge) ✔ Restore
Alert, email, notification config ✔ Restore
Apps catalog, settings ✔ Restore (but must match dataset)
Directory Services (AD/LDAP) configuration ✔ Restore (but must rejoin domain)
ZFS dataset structure ✔ (But must import pool before restoring config)
Replication tasks ✔ Restore
Certificates, SSH Keys ✔ Restore restore

2. Things NOT to restore / must redo

Component Reason
Apps (containers) installed Apps configuration is restored but the container must be redeployed
Docker image / App data Not in config file → you must keep the apps dataset
ZFS pool Must be imported manually first
Files in dataset Not in config → must keep the old disk/pool
Domain join (AD/LDAP) Config is available, but you must rejoin after restore
Network may be in conflict Because the restored IP is the same as before, sometimes manual adjustment is needed

3. STANDARD PROCEDURE TO RESTORE TRUENAS AFTER REINSTALL

This is the most important:

Step 1 – Reinstall TrueNAS with the same version or higher

For example, backup Dragonfish 24.04 → restore to 24.10 is still OK.

Step 2 – Import Storage Pool

System → Storage → Import Pool
Dataset + file must be intact → because config does not contain data.

Step 3 – Restore config file

System → General → Upload Config

Select the .db file you backed up.
The system will reboot.

Step 4 – Rejoin AD/LDAP (if available)

AD/LDAP config is available but you must:
Directory Services → Active Directory → Join
Step 5 – Check Apps
Apps → Manage → Re-deploy (if needed)

4. IMPORTANT note when restoring

Restore permissions dataset:
Config file only restores ACL when dataset still exists.
If the pool is formatted → restore config cannot help.

5. Backup Restore

GUI backup restore download upload
Backup OS => Delete user bao => Restore OS => user bao OK.

6. Backup Schedule

The file /data/freenas-v1.db on TrueNAS SCALE already exists from the system.

• This is the main configuration database of SCALE.

• When you edit settings in GUI or CLI (network, user, SMB, dataset…), SCALE automatically writes to this file.

• In other words: the configuration is always “live” in this file.

Step 1: Mount the backup folder outside (SMB, NFS, GoogleDrive,…)

For example: /mnt/smbbackup

Step 2: Go to the truenas shell or SSH truenas

Gui=>System => Advanced =>Cron job
cp /data/freenas-v1.db /mnt/smbbackup/truenas_config_$(date +%F).db