Maybe it's impossible, Geek Squad didn't know

[brayhite]

I asked Geek Squad at BB about this but they had no idea how to set this up:
In a nutshell, I want a Time Machine-like function for my external HD, however it only backs up certain folders. And doesn't do it in the Mac-only Journal style (I'd prefer FAT32). My ultimate goal is to have my external HD plugged into my AEBS and have the ability to back up my media (Music, Movies, Pictures) and Documents folders without having duplicates, and for my PC and Dell laptop that my parents use to be able to access it.

I understand that I can simply File Share but I'd rather have the portability if I ever need to loan the external to somebody. Any suggestions/ideas? I'm not really willing to shell out much cash for a program that does this for me, but I welcome the suggestions of them anyway in case they seem worth it.

 

[kmaute]

Depending on how you set it up, you can most likely get it for free using rsync. You can either man rsync in terminal or check out this link for more information. I'm not sure how your AEBS defines your hard drive as a remote drive but there should be a way to do it. You can then remotely access or even sync your other computers with it.

 

[BornAgainMac]

FAT32 will have some limitations such as file sizes and filenames but Rsync is the way to go.

 

[huntercr]

I asked Geek Squad at BB about this but they had no idea how to set this up:
In a nutshell, I want a Time Machine-like function for my external HD, however it only backs up certain folders. And doesn't do it in the Mac-only Journal style (I'd prefer FAT32). My ultimate goal is to have my external HD plugged into my AEBS and have the ability to back up my media (Music, Movies, Pictures) and Documents folders without having duplicates, and for my PC and Dell laptop that my parents use to be able to access it.

I understand that I can simply File Share but I'd rather have the portability if I ever need to loan the external to somebody. Any suggestions/ideas? I'm not really willing to shell out much cash for a program that does this for me, but I welcome the suggestions of them anyway in case they seem worth it.

Just out of curiosity, I've got to ask... what aspect of time machine do you want it to function like, if you also require that it not have any duplicate files?

 

[brayhite]

Just out of curiosity, I've got to ask... what aspect of time machine do you want it to function like, if you also require that it not have any duplicate files?

Backs up files wirelessly and automatically (or at least when I tell it too). Basically a button I can push to re-back up all of my media and documents, minus the ability to see past iterations of my media.

 

[brayhite]

FAT32 will have some limitations such as file sizes and filenames but Rsync is the way to go.

Are the file sizes going to be limiting? I ask only because I have full length movies ripped to my MBP that I plan on keeping on the external and only the external (songs I will most likely keep stored on the MBP and the external), so will FAT32 hinder me in that way? If so, is there a workaround/another suggestion besides rsync?

 

[DoFoT9]

Are the file sizes going to be limiting? I ask only because I have full length movies ripped to my MBP that I plan on keeping on the external and only the external (songs I will most likely keep stored on the MBP and the external), so will FAT32 hinder me in that way? If so, is there a workaround/another suggestion besides rsync?

yes it will most certainly limit your backup-ability. FAT32 is limited to 4GB files max.

you should reformat the drive to HFS+ immediately, as this best ensures compatibility with Apple devices

 

[brayhite]

Well my ultimate goal was for my XBox 360 to connect to our PC using Windows Media Connect (since it can't connect to my Mac without Rivet/Connect 360, two $18-$20 programs). I would connect the PC to the external and have WMC read my media from there, and update the drive periodically with anything I've added. Also, just to maintain a fresh back up of my media without having to re-erase and copy everything, an overnight process.

If I just choose to copy everything, will it give me the option to skip duplicates? If I have to do it manually, I will, as long as it doesn't require erasing and recopying everything.

 

[MisterMe]

yes it will most certainly limit your backup-ability. FAT32 is limited to 4GB files max.

you should reformat the drive to HFS+ immediately, as this best ensures compatibility with Apple devices

+1

FAT32 is a poor choice for backing-up Mac files. In addition to the file size and naming limitations, it will also foul-up the time stamp of files stored on FAT32. The file size issue will affect your DVD disc image files. The time stamp issue will affect all of your files. For data backup, it is deal-breaker.