Time Capsule - Adding non-TM Folders/Content?

[markp99]

I had an issue today where my Time Capsule lost its mind (lost connection, not visible in Finder, TM could not find backups), right in the middle of copying content directly from my MBP to a folder I manually created (\Data\Movies) on the Time Capsule disk.

I needed to reconfigure to re-establish the connection with TM, but my MOVIES folder and its content was GONE!

Question: Is there a problem adding non-TM folders and content to a TM volume? I assumed not an issue and TM would just work around this consumed capacity, but the content was lost in this last cycle.

So, what's up with this disconnection and lost content?? Should I rather have created a partition on the Time Capsule disk?

Maybe TM wanted exclusive access to the TimeCapsule disk, but I was already writing the Movie files there??

Thanks!

 

[Brian33]

Question: Is there a problem adding non-TM folders and content to a TM volume? I assumed not an issue and TM would just work around this consumed capacity, but the content was lost in this last cycle.

So, what's up with this disconnection and lost content?? Should I rather have created a partition on the Time Capsule disk?

To my knowledge, there's no problem adding your own content to the TC internal drive, except that the added content cannot itself be backed up by TM. Yes, TM does just work around the consumed capacity. (Keep in mind, however, that someday TM will fill the remaining disk space, and then it will be inconvenient to add any more of your own content to the drive.)

No idea what happened with your disconnection. Ugh! Did you try looking at the system logs using Console.app?

Don't bother trying to partition the TC internal disk. There is no easy way and I have yet to read of anyone doing it with complete success.

You might consider plugging an external USB drive into the TC and try copying your content to that. Maybe it would prevent the disconnection? In any case, it would solve the "internal disk full" problem I allude to above.

Good luck!

 

[Mike in Kansas]

Your folders and files may still be there but "hidden" for some reason, as sometimes when you are in the middle of writing to TC and it gets interrupted they folders get hidden. There is no reason though why you can't use the TC disk for normal storage as well.

You can not partition the TC disk without taking it out of the housing and connecting it directly to a Mac. Disk Utility can't see the networked disk. Simplest thing would be to create a folder.

I have also read of someone creating a disk image with a pre-set size on the TC disk as a way to mark space for use for other things besides the TM backups. This is like a partition in that it reserves the space, and keeps you from using too much of your TC disk.

Here is some info:

http://pondini.org/TM/TCQ3.html

 

[MCAsan]

USB drives are dirt cheap. You can get a 3TB Seagate for around $130 at Costco. Use one for the external storage and make sure that Time Machine backs it up to the Time Capsule.