So i will be getting a 13inch MBP soon and i already have a Airport extreme base station and i was going to get a USB hard drive to plug into the AEBS and use to back up my new mac with time machine but i'm not sure if it's possible. Googling around i found a new story saying apple had updated the AEBS firmware to allow time machine back up but i check in my airport utility and didn't see the option. So has anybody done this before?
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Is it possible to use Airport extreme with a USB hard drive to backup your mac?
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It's not an option in your AirPort Utility. AirPort Utility only allows you to share the hard drive using the Disks tab (I'm sure you've seen it snooping around in there). Just make sure you've enabled file sharing, make sure you can mount and browse the hard drive once it's attached to your AEBS, then start Time Machine and choose the AEBS attached hard drive as the target volume. Keep in mind that it's not officially supported by Apple, so they will not help you if you have issues with it. And if you have any additional questions, search here or post if you can't come up with an answer and somebody will be sure to provide help. I've done this using an external attached to my Time Capsule and it worked, but AFAIK it should work for your AEBS.
Edit: Also, be sure to use ethernet to do your initial backup. It cuts down on time significantly. Subsequent backups are fine over WiFi since it's only backing up whatever has changed since your last backup, but the first should always be done wired since it will almost always be a significant amount of data being backed up.
Edit: Also, be sure to use ethernet to do your initial backup. It cuts down on time significantly. Subsequent backups are fine over WiFi since it's only backing up whatever has changed since your last backup, but the first should always be done wired since it will almost always be a significant amount of data being backed up.
Thanks so much guys! I just wanted to make sure before I went and bought a hard drive for it. Will it work with any USB hard drive? or do I need a special one for the AEBS?
DoFoT9
macrumors P6
AWSOME!!! thanks all for the input! This is why i love the mac life style people are so friendly and knowledgeable because they love macs! 🙂
DoFoT9
macrumors P6
its more a passion thing rather than in the PC world where they are frustrated to the max with them 😉
Threadjacking since I had this question + one more...
if I have a USB hard drive connected to my AEBS, can I log into the AEBS remotely (from outside the home network while traveling) and get to the USB HD? ... meaning will it work like a file server giving me remote access to the HD?
if I have a USB hard drive connected to my AEBS, can I log into the AEBS remotely (from outside the home network while traveling) and get to the USB HD? ... meaning will it work like a file server giving me remote access to the HD?
DoFoT9
macrumors P6
as long as you have a @mac account (what are they called again) you can access it from outside home...
or you can be really tricky and get a static IP, configure your router properly and access it without hte @mac account (VERY hard).
But can you select the USB drive connected to the AEBS wirelessly?
(ie use your exisiting AEBS like a time capsule, with out having to sell your AEBS, and buy a timecapsule)
So other than the aesthetics of not having 'another box' for your external hdd, there is no difference in a AEBS with a usb mounted external hdd setup vs time capsule.
Sweet, saved me the effort of switching my aebs for a time capsule and provides me with the ability to use whatever capacity drive I like in my external usb hdd.
DoFoT9
macrumors P6
Spot on, there really is no other difference. You would see faster copying speeds on the TC as the drive is better quality, and it does not have to be transferred over the USB protocol, which is quite slow. Other then that its identical
Older Airport Extreme & USB Hard Drive
Sorry to jump in guys, but this seems to be the closest thread to my query..
I have an AEBS - older version (...g) and a 500MB Maxtor USB drive (yes formatted from a Leopard machine) - I really dont want to have the drive permanently plugged into one of the user Macs - is there no way to update the firmware on the AEBS to accept the USB HDD ?
(from thread searches - some say not)
Failing that, can I buy a USB to Ethernet adaptor and just hook the HDD into the network ?
Cheers
DG
Sorry to jump in guys, but this seems to be the closest thread to my query..
I have an AEBS - older version (...g) and a 500MB Maxtor USB drive (yes formatted from a Leopard machine) - I really dont want to have the drive permanently plugged into one of the user Macs - is there no way to update the firmware on the AEBS to accept the USB HDD ?
(from thread searches - some say not)
Failing that, can I buy a USB to Ethernet adaptor and just hook the HDD into the network ?
Cheers
DG
RMo
macrumors 65816
...besides the fact that Apple doesn't officially support AirPort + AirDisk using Time Capsule, although many people have been able to get around this problem by "initializing" the disk first with a direct connection to the Mac, then using it as an AirDisk.
And I'm sure the fact that Apple makes Time Capsule has nothing to do with the lack of official support... 😀
You're right in that it's not just a matter of updating the firmware as it's actually the hardware in the newer models that allows USB hard drive sharing.
However, what you suggest for making the hard drive work with your network isn't that simple. The hard drive can't just work with any USB to ethernet adapter. The adapter needs to be a device server as well, such as one of these. You're looking at spending an additional $100-$200 USD, so it might be just as wise to invest in a router that has a USB device server built in.
Older Airport Extreme & USB Hard Drive
Thank you - exactly the answer I needed - I now know where I stand.
It looks like the Maxtor drive will remain strapped to the user machine !.
Best regards
DG
Thank you - exactly the answer I needed - I now know where I stand.
It looks like the Maxtor drive will remain strapped to the user machine !.
Best regards
DG
bohbot16
macrumors 6502a
londonmystery
macrumors 6502
sorry but another hijack here.
Bought an Airport Extreme today set it up and did the initial backup via ethernet.
Been trying for a while now to access via wifi with no joy.
Any ideas??
Also how do I access it when I am away from home, yes I do have a mobileme account.?? 🙂🙂
Bought an Airport Extreme today set it up and did the initial backup via ethernet.
Been trying for a while now to access via wifi with no joy.
Any ideas??
Also how do I access it when I am away from home, yes I do have a mobileme account.?? 🙂🙂
DoFoT9
macrumors P6
it uses a different method when backing up wireless vs ethernet. you will have to try a few different ways to get it to work, as there is no 'real' solution AFAIK.
in the settings of the ABES, you can add in your mobile me settings and share the device. have a poke around.
londonmystery
macrumors 6502
have got it to work, god knows how.
Have looked around in Airport utility and found the settings but all options are greyed out, so I can't click on any of them.
WTF, help. please. 🙂🙂
Have looked around in Airport utility and found the settings but all options are greyed out, so I can't click on any of them.
WTF, help. please. 🙂🙂
DoFoT9
macrumors P6
im not near my airport, so i cant help sorry. if nobody has posted a solution by 2nite i will chime in again 🙂
londonmystery
macrumors 6502
I found it, airport utility>manual settings>advanced
Job done, will test it tomorrow when I'm out and about, thanks for the input guys. Now to set up my 2 express and I'm finished. Might get to bed by 3 am. 🙂🙂
DoFoT9
macrumors P6
nice job!! i hope it works good for you 😀😀 your lucky you had a mobileme account, its very hard doing it without it.