Using 2 disks with Time Machine

[PatriotInvasion]

I just purchased a LaCie Thunderbolt drive and want to use it with Time Machine along with my current Time Capsule. When I set this up in the Time Machine preferences it says that Time Machine will take turns backing up to each drive. I have 2 questions about this:

1.) Will Time Machine do an official "initial backup" to my LaCie drive or just and intermittent back up that would typically happen on my Time Capsule?

2.) What if it's the LaCie drive's turn for back up but it's not connected to my Mac? Will the back up fail or will it default back to my Time Capsule?

[Weaselboy]

1. The two backup sets will both be complete and identical. Each will be a full backup.

2. It will not do anything. It will just keep backing up to the TC until the next time you connect the LaCie, at which time that backup will be updated.

[PatriotInvasion]

Originally Posted by Weaselboy

1. The two backup sets will both be complete and identical. Each will be a full backup.

2. It will not do anything. It will just keep backing up to the TC until the next time you connect the LaCie, at which time that backup will be updated.

Ok thanks. What about transferring individual files from the Time Capsule to/from the LaCie drive. Doing so over the wifi network takes forever. Am I able to connect directly via USB in the the back of the Time Capsule for faster (albeit USB 2.0 on the TC) transfers?

[Weaselboy]

Originally Posted by PatriotInvasion

Ok thanks. What about transferring individual files from the Time Capsule to/from the LaCie drive. Doing so over the wifi network takes forever. Am I able to connect directly via USB in the the back of the Time Capsule for faster (albeit USB 2.0 on the TC) transfers?

Not really. If you connect the LaCie to the TC directly they will both be seen my the Mac as network drives. So any files copied from one to the other don't really go direct from the TC to the LaCie like you would think. They will go over the network through the Mac, then to the other disk. So you will still be limited by your network.

[PatriotInvasion]

Originally Posted by Weaselboy

Not really. If you connect the LaCie to the TC directly they will both be seen my the Mac as network drives. So any files copied from one to the other don't really go direct from the TC to the LaCie like you would think. They will go over the network through the Mac, then to the other disk. So you will still be limited by your network.

Ok, thanks. That kind of stinks. I think Apple should update the Time Capsule to function as both NAS and direct connect external storage in a more compact package. That would be ideal.