Did you not read the fine print. The fine print read something like "features may be changed and/or removed...". Apple provided themselves a legal out like most companies these days do also. It did not make sense for Apple to release a feature that had serious deficiencies such as data integrity - especially for data protection. Apple tried hard for 18 months to make the TM and AirDisk work but it just wasn't possible. It may not be possible at all, so don't hang out for a fix to this issue. Move on and be happier.
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Time Capsule Arrives, Early Notes
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Did you not read the fine print. The fine print read something like "features may be changed and/or removed...". Apple provided themselves a legal out like most companies these days do also. It did not make sense for Apple to release a feature that had serious deficiencies such as data integrity - especially for data protection. Apple tried hard for 18 months to make the TM and AirDisk work but it just wasn't possible. It may not be possible at all, so don't hang out for a fix to this issue. Move on and be happier.
Yes it was one of the features but on launch day AirDisk support was removed from Leopards list of features. There is nowhere that you would have found official Apple documentation or their website that stated such. It was announced as a feature at the WWDC. I do feel your frustration on the USB AirDisk support. Its a flaky feature with my systems too, but for all those that bought an AEBS because of a feature that was yet to be proven in Leopard...well...now they have a nice AEBS. And hey, now there's Time Capsule! LOL
Should not be a problem other than warranty issue and/or special proprietary firmware Apple may have in the TC's internal HDD.
We will all know shortly as the hackers get to work.
Time Machine support on AirDisk is a prickly subject for many. It still irritates me now. The real problem with AirDisk, however, and this probably ties in with TM support, is that connections to the disk can be lost and when you try and re-establish them it can bring the whole router down. I think this points to an even bigger problem than TM support. Furthermore, I don't think "moving on" is necessarily the right thing to do. Holding Apple's feet to the fire and getting them to either admit that it will never work or release a fix is probably the better approach. Complaining is never easy, at least not for me, but I have gotten results in the past by pointing out mistakes to Apple (my freezing iMac which resulted in a new graphics card comes to mind) and this forum provides an excellent place to vent, if nothing else.
While it would nice to backdate the firmware to AEBS, I don't really see any reason for Apple to do it. I mean, if they do it, kudos to them for it. But it's fine by me for them to keep the products lines seperate. As evil as it sounds, they're a public company, and every bit of profit counts, can't blame them for that. Thats how it works, so eh. People bought the AEBS expecting what they got, so theres no real reason they 'have' to do it. Either way it works
Except for the fact Apple advertised up until close to the Leopard launch that external USB hard drives connected to AEBSs could be used with Time Machine. Then, all of the sudden, Apple introduces the Time Capsule, which does this... strange indeed. My guess is they'll "fix" the AEBS.
It's somewhat possible. You can assign each computer to a usb drive. However, you can only have one usb drive set up to Time Capsule, since there's only one usb port (and also assuming that usb hubs don't work). So you'd have to have 2 wireless back-up drives and one...well, not so wireless back-up drive.
the AEBS works with an "unlimited" (under the spec, at least) number of hubs.
Yes everyones needs are different. I have 3 laptops in my house. Time capsule will make backups easier.
Airport utility 5.3
According to the documentation version 5.3 of Airport Utility comes in the CD/DVD that arrives with the Time Capsule device.
I believe so the old AEBS had it check the manual that is at the link posted in this rumor page.
According to the documentation version 5.3 of Airport Utility comes in the CD/DVD that arrives with the Time Capsule device.
I believe so the old AEBS had it check the manual that is at the link posted in this rumor page.
Well said!
Why is it that lately this forum is filled with people that are so negative about anything that does not suit their exact (perceived) needs.
And posters who don't know what the hell they are talking about and refuse to or can't read the specs.
Exactly!
The Time Capsule is such an amazing device! It is 5 devices in one! It's a:
- wireless access point
- gigabit switch
- print server
- NAS server
- file server
ALL THESE for a low price of only $499! Please show up where else you can get 5 devices for such a low price. Apple is truly good value.
The trouble with some posters here is they demand the world for their chum change. Sure, Apple products may cost a few dollars more than "competing" products, but do you get anywhere as much features?
One more feature that has to be considered. It is designed to work with OS X.
Please take what the above poster says with several grains of salt. Check out his name...........................backwards.
It strikes me that this Time Capsule device is fundamentally flawed.
Time Machine is not a conventional backup system. To me, the compelling aspect of Time Machine is that it stores all files, which can then be retrieved later, even files that have been deleted by the User.
This will enable a user to keep a slimmer set of files stored locally, for e.g. those large Video files can just be stored on Time Machine, and restored as and when needed.
But say a user has heaps of these larger files, which are automatically "Backed up" to the Time Machine volume. In this instance, Time Machine does not become the back-up, but the one and only copy of said files. Where is the back-up of these files?
As time machine uses external hard-drives then the only way of having reliability is to use a RAID as a single external volume is potentially as unreliable as an internal volume, but in this case all the more devastating as the mindset of the user is that the data "is Backed up".
Unless the USB external device connected to the Time Capsule can be used to Mirror the time Capsule, then what a pointless device as it does not replace conventional backup, merely add additional functionality. And how does one go about duplicating the Time Capsule device?
Time Machine is not a conventional backup system. To me, the compelling aspect of Time Machine is that it stores all files, which can then be retrieved later, even files that have been deleted by the User.
This will enable a user to keep a slimmer set of files stored locally, for e.g. those large Video files can just be stored on Time Machine, and restored as and when needed.
But say a user has heaps of these larger files, which are automatically "Backed up" to the Time Machine volume. In this instance, Time Machine does not become the back-up, but the one and only copy of said files. Where is the back-up of these files?
As time machine uses external hard-drives then the only way of having reliability is to use a RAID as a single external volume is potentially as unreliable as an internal volume, but in this case all the more devastating as the mindset of the user is that the data "is Backed up".
Unless the USB external device connected to the Time Capsule can be used to Mirror the time Capsule, then what a pointless device as it does not replace conventional backup, merely add additional functionality. And how does one go about duplicating the Time Capsule device?
Well, I usually en up activating Web sharing and putting the stuff to transfer into the "Sites" folder. Then from the other Mac, I can just download it via HTTP which works nicely and is very fast. Still annoying though...
This is completely wrong. Time Machine IS the backup for your exact reasons. It is used as a BACKUP, and you shouldn't delete things from your computer if you need them just because they are on your time machine. Time machine will only hold so much data, and will start deleting things that are a few months old when it fills up.
Nope....
As someone else already replied, "Time Machine" isn't fundamentally flawed, at least in the respect you're claiming. Your concept of how to use it is flawed.
It's not a traditional archival backup, in the sense of storing data, long-term, with option to restore it indefinitely. Rather, it focuses on exactly what those traditional types of backup lack; ability to restore files that were accidentally deleted/damaged/changed more recently than the last backup was done.
Ideally, someone in your situation would select video or other files to be archived and burn them onto DVD-R media for safe-keeping - allowing you to then delete them from your computer's hard drive. You could *still* use Time Machine along-side of that, though - to protect anything else worthwhile on your system.
As someone else already replied, "Time Machine" isn't fundamentally flawed, at least in the respect you're claiming. Your concept of how to use it is flawed.
It's not a traditional archival backup, in the sense of storing data, long-term, with option to restore it indefinitely. Rather, it focuses on exactly what those traditional types of backup lack; ability to restore files that were accidentally deleted/damaged/changed more recently than the last backup was done.
Ideally, someone in your situation would select video or other files to be archived and burn them onto DVD-R media for safe-keeping - allowing you to then delete them from your computer's hard drive. You could *still* use Time Machine along-side of that, though - to protect anything else worthwhile on your system.
I agree with this 100%.
Particularly the part about being easy on Apple in most conditions.
I needed a new WiFi base station because my several year old Airport had flaked out, so I bought an Airport Extreme when apple.com said Time Machine would be usable with a USB equipped drive.
Airport Extreme + Drobo = Time Machine Heaven
I beg to differ. Configuring the TC at the 5MHz level, the MBA completed the back up in about 3 hours on my wife's new MBA. Wirelessly. No problems then or now, a week into using it.
I should mention, my house has a MBP, 2 MBs and a MBA and they're all using the 1gig TC. Works as advertiszed, and they're all sycncing at the 5MHz 'n' setting.
Time Machine and AEBS hacks
Everything I've read about these hacks is that they're unstable and not trustworthy. Coming from someone who recently lost a hard-drive and had incomplete file structures from using Apple's backup utility, I am not about to use a command-line hack that most every report says doesn't really work. If most users were saying this worked flawlessly, that they're able to restore from these backups, etc, then I'd be game.
I'd be more interested in a "hack" in the form of getting the 7.3 firmware to work with the AEBS if apple doesn't release it.
Everything I've read about these hacks is that they're unstable and not trustworthy. Coming from someone who recently lost a hard-drive and had incomplete file structures from using Apple's backup utility, I am not about to use a command-line hack that most every report says doesn't really work. If most users were saying this worked flawlessly, that they're able to restore from these backups, etc, then I'd be game.
I'd be more interested in a "hack" in the form of getting the 7.3 firmware to work with the AEBS if apple doesn't release it.