Time Capsule questions

[sfscott]

I'm looking at replacing my AEBS to get the better performance of the latest versions. At the same time, I was considering ditching the external USB drive I use for Time Machine in favor of a FireWire 800 drive since my Mac really slows down when Time Machine runs...and backups take a looooong time.

Does Time Machine work better with a Time Capsule, or should I just get a new AEBS and FireWire drive?

Separately, can one partition a large time capsule to have one volume for backups and another for network accessible storage....or separate partitions for discreet time machine backups for different Macs?

 

[Brian33]

Does Time Machine work better with a Time Capsule, or should I just get a new AEBS and FireWire drive?

Separately, can one partition a large time capsule to have one volume for backups and another for network accessible storage....or separate partitions for discreet time machine backups for different Macs?

I would not expect TM to work faster with a TC. But the wireless aspect can be beneficial, especially if you're backing up a portable Mac: you wouldn't have to plug/unplug it each time you move the computer.

From what I've read, once you get the TC's drive partitioned, you can use the partitions as you suggest. The problem is that the only way to partition it is to physically remove the drive from the TC, connect it to a SATA interface to your computer, partition, then replace it. A bit much!

I've read about setting the maximum size of the TM sparsebundle files, or "reserving" space on the TC disk by creating a disk image there to store your files. For more info see: Using Time Machine with a Time Capsule

Regards,
Brian33.