# How to provide a Kopia Repository (from S3) via Hard Drive for fast recovery **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [November 25, 2024, 11:23am UTC](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/how-to-provide-a-kopia-repository-from-s3-via-hard-drive-for-fast-recovery/3476 "2024-11-25T11:23:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lol2x](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/kopia.discourse.group/lol2x/32/1291_2.png) [@lol2x](https://kopia.discourse.group/u/lol2x)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 11:23am UTC](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/how-to-provide-a-kopia-repository-from-s3-via-hard-drive-for-fast-recovery/3476/1 "2024-11-25T11:23:53Z")
Hi all, I need some advice regarding a user situation: The user uses Kopia (with ransomware protection enabled) to back up data to my MinIO S3 storage. Unfortunately, their systems were breached and encrypted. They’re now trying to recover their data, but the slow internet connection makes downloading everything from S3 impractical—it would take several days. I’d like to expedite their recovery by shipping them a hard drive with files from the Kopia repository. However: I know that the structure of a Kopia repository differs between cloud-based and other repository types. Kopia recommends using kopia repository sync-to for such cases but that requires me knowing their password. Is there a way to prepare the hard drive with their repository data without knowing their repository password and without requiring any additional setup or action from their side? Any guidance or recommendations for handling this would be much appreciated! ---
**Author:** ![dimejo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/kopia.discourse.group/dimejo/32/287_2.png) [@dimejo](https://kopia.discourse.group/u/dimejo)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 1:00pm UTC](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/how-to-provide-a-kopia-repository-from-s3-via-hard-drive-for-fast-recovery/3476/2 "2024-11-25T13:00:56Z")
I have tried to convert from a S3 repository to a filesystem repository by adjusting the `.shards` file, but Kopia still complained: `ERROR error connecting to repository: repository not initialized in the provided storage` Maybe the best thing to do in your case is shipping the repository as is and let your client spin up a S3 server pointing to the repository. ---
**Author:** ![kapitainsky](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/kopia.discourse.group/kapitainsky/32/535_2.png) [@kapitainsky](https://kopia.discourse.group/u/kapitainsky)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/how-to-provide-a-kopia-repository-from-s3-via-hard-drive-for-fast-recovery/3476/3 "2024-11-25T15:25:16Z")
You can access local storage via S3 API using the “Swiss knife” of the cloud storage - rclone: > **[rclone serve s3](https://rclone.org/commands/rclone_serve_s3/)** > > Serve remote:path over s3. effectively one liner will do all job: ```auto $ rclone serve s3 --auth-key ACCESS_KEY_ID,SECRET_ACCESS_KEY /path/to/local/storage ``` should be enough for restore. ---
**Author:** ![lol2x](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/kopia.discourse.group/lol2x/32/1291_2.png) [@lol2x](https://kopia.discourse.group/u/lol2x)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 5:48pm UTC](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/how-to-provide-a-kopia-repository-from-s3-via-hard-drive-for-fast-recovery/3476/4 "2024-11-25T17:48:29Z")
Yes you can Mount the repository files but kopia wont let you connect to this repository probably because of this: [https://kopia.discourse.group/t/changing-repository-type/486/3](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/changing-repository-type/486/3) pon., 25 lis 2024, 16:35 użytkownik kapitainsky via Kopia Forum \<[notifications@kopia.discoursemail.com](mailto:notifications@kopia.discoursemail.com)\> napisał: ---
**Author:** ![kapitainsky](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/kopia.discourse.group/kapitainsky/32/535_2.png) [@kapitainsky](https://kopia.discourse.group/u/kapitainsky)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/how-to-provide-a-kopia-repository-from-s3-via-hard-drive-for-fast-recovery/3476/5 "2024-11-25T17:54:53Z")
yes… this is why you have to serve it as S3… either over Internet from your minio instance or from local disk using rclone. ---
**Author:** ![lol2x](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/kopia.discourse.group/lol2x/32/1291_2.png) [@lol2x](https://kopia.discourse.group/u/lol2x)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://kopia.discourse.group/t/how-to-provide-a-kopia-repository-from-s3-via-hard-drive-for-fast-recovery/3476/6 "2024-11-25T18:09:13Z")
You are right 🤦‍♂️ i was trying rclone so much yesterday that i give up on it, but this works! pon., 25 lis 2024, 19:05 użytkownik kapitainsky via Kopia Forum \<[notifications@kopia.discoursemail.com](mailto:notifications@kopia.discoursemail.com)\> napisał: