Sorry but how does this work? 😕
I already have airport express but if i can use the extreme both as a router and external hard drive, i can get rid of the express.
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Time Capsule vs. External Hard Drive?
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Sorry but how does this work? 😕
I already have airport express but if i can use the extreme both as a router and external hard drive, i can get rid of the express.
ravenvii
macrumors 604
You just plug the USB harddrive into the Extreme, and it shows up in Finder.
Yeah, that's all.
I thought TM could only back up wirelessly to time capsules -- not so? Will any NAS work with TM?
Hal Itosis
macrumors 6502a
Yep... just need to create a disk image first (with very special parameters).
There are literally hundreds of blogs, articles, etc. out there like this one: http://www.readynas.com/?p=253
Tomorrow
macrumors 604
It doesn't even have to be a NAS. I have a simple external USB drive plugged directly into my iMac and Time Machine uses it flawlessly. But yes, any NAS will work. Any volume that's not on the local machine's HD will work.
zhenya
macrumors 604
Note that backing up to a generic NAS device is not supported. It can work (I have been doing it for years) but corruption of your backups is not unheard of, and configuring it in the first place can be a bit of a hassle. It may also be broken at OS upgrades, as happened with Snow Leopard where I had to scrap my old backups and start new.
A directly connected drive works fine for a desktop, but isn't ideal for a laptop or if you have multiple clients to back up.
So for example I have a (non computer-literate) a friend with two mac laptops (one a late PBG4 and the other an early MBP). He has one of those Buffalo USB or network hard disks. It's probably still in FAT32 but if I reformatted it for HFS, could I configure it for TM?
gnasher729
Suspended
The advantages of Time Capsule are these:
1. It makes backups automatically as long as your Mac is close and running, so you can be assured that backups _will_ be made. With an external drive, _you_ have to plug it in and start the backup. So are you going to do backups?
2. Because it is wireless, the Time Capsule can be stashed away in a safe place. If a burglar takes your MacBook and your external drive with the backup, you've lost. If a burglar takes your MacBook and leaves your Time Capsule that is hidden away somewhere, you are much better off.
Your decision whether these advantages are worth the price difference.
1. It makes backups automatically as long as your Mac is close and running, so you can be assured that backups _will_ be made. With an external drive, _you_ have to plug it in and start the backup. So are you going to do backups?
2. Because it is wireless, the Time Capsule can be stashed away in a safe place. If a burglar takes your MacBook and your external drive with the backup, you've lost. If a burglar takes your MacBook and leaves your Time Capsule that is hidden away somewhere, you are much better off.
Your decision whether these advantages are worth the price difference.
rdlink
macrumors 68040
My 2 cents
I was running a Netgear router and moved over to an Airport Extreme as part of my sad, downward spiral into total Apple servitude. 🙂
I had attached a couple of 500 GB drives inside of a fairly cheap enclosure to the AE, and after some massaging, (not officially supported by Apple) got Time Machine to work just fine backing up my MBP. I have a wireless printer, and don't worry about backing up my Windows machine, given that all of my important data is now on my Mac (see Apple servitude statement above). After a while the cheap enclosure went belly up and, rather than deal with another enclosure on the AE I just went all in with the 2TB Time Capsule. Hooked it up and it's been working flawlessly since.
A USB/Firewire tethered hard drive is a decent solution if you have an iMac. You can even buy one of these if you want a cleaner appearance: http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-South-12-0902-BackPack/dp/B002LARBZE
But a NAS type solution, i.e. Time Capsule or AE with tethered USB drive, is really the way to go with a MacBook.
I was running a Netgear router and moved over to an Airport Extreme as part of my sad, downward spiral into total Apple servitude. 🙂
I had attached a couple of 500 GB drives inside of a fairly cheap enclosure to the AE, and after some massaging, (not officially supported by Apple) got Time Machine to work just fine backing up my MBP. I have a wireless printer, and don't worry about backing up my Windows machine, given that all of my important data is now on my Mac (see Apple servitude statement above). After a while the cheap enclosure went belly up and, rather than deal with another enclosure on the AE I just went all in with the 2TB Time Capsule. Hooked it up and it's been working flawlessly since.
A USB/Firewire tethered hard drive is a decent solution if you have an iMac. You can even buy one of these if you want a cleaner appearance: http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-South-12-0902-BackPack/dp/B002LARBZE
But a NAS type solution, i.e. Time Capsule or AE with tethered USB drive, is really the way to go with a MacBook.
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Have considered a Time Capsule too, so i won't have to plug in a external drive..
I have, however, heard rumours that pretty much all of the Time Capsules crash and stop working after about 18 months..
Any of you know if this is infact true and have anyone actually had a Time Capsule for 18 months+ with no problems?
I have, however, heard rumours that pretty much all of the Time Capsules crash and stop working after about 18 months..
Any of you know if this is infact true and have anyone actually had a Time Capsule for 18 months+ with no problems?
THANK YOU for all of the comments--as a soon-to-be switcher (come on, MBP refresh!) it occurs to me that Apple should market its users as a competitive advantage. 🙂
It looks like for my fairly non-tech literate self (ruling out NAS), my options are:
1. TC: set it and forget it + router capability, but buy AppleCare due to 18-mo. fail frequency
2. Airport Extreme + external harddrive: less expensive router + backup solution, works with Time Machine but (I think) you have to manually direct it to back up
3. USB external harddrive: least expensive but you have to manually direct it to back up, and (of course) no router capability
This has been very helpful. Thank you again!
It looks like for my fairly non-tech literate self (ruling out NAS), my options are:
1. TC: set it and forget it + router capability, but buy AppleCare due to 18-mo. fail frequency
2. Airport Extreme + external harddrive: less expensive router + backup solution, works with Time Machine but (I think) you have to manually direct it to back up
3. USB external harddrive: least expensive but you have to manually direct it to back up, and (of course) no router capability
This has been very helpful. Thank you again!
So my question is, if I plug the buffalo drive into his router via its Ethernet port will time machine agree to use it?
joaoferro37
macrumors 6502
I use AirPort Extreme with Stardom Safe Capsule.
The Safe Capsule has built-in RAID 1 and rebuild indicators as well as USB hub.
Saw the press release on Macworld.com and bought it from macsales.com
http://www.macworld.com/article/144633/2009/11/stardom_safe_capsule.html
- Time Capsule is not upgradeable
- Airport Extreme is buggy and disconnects USB drives, so that they can become corrupted.
- Airport Extreme is buggy and disconnects USB drives, so that they can become corrupted.
rdlink
macrumors 68040
Your statements on numbers 2 and 3 are not entirely correct. You don't have to "manually" direct it to back up. You have to manually configure the AE + external hard drive solution a little more than just the Time Capsule. But once configured, it does the back up on it's own.
On the external hard drive, it's actually a little more automatic than either one of the other solutions. With either the AE or the TC, you have to tell Time Machine that you want to set them up as the backup drive of choice the first time (then it works automatically from there). On the USB drive directly connected, the first time you plug the drive into your computer, it proactively asks you if you'd like to use that drive as your Time Machine backup. Once you say yes, and click one or two more buttons, it will always automatically back up using that drive.
rdlink
macrumors 68040
Not entirely true on the Time Capsule (although I did buy the 2TB drive so that I wouldn't have to worry about that for a while). You can always do this, whether you want to upgrade, or if the drive fails later on:
http://www.hardmac.com/articles/79/
jaw04005
macrumors 601
I had the generation 1 Time Capsule, and it was pretty much the worst piece of Apple hardware I’ve ever owned.
It would randomly (after months) just start blinking amber for no reason. Apple said it was because of failed or cut-off wireless backups. Sorry, but I’m not going to check to make sure Time Machine/Capsule is not in the middle of a backup before I sleep or shut down my notebook.
They replaced it once, but said it checked out OK the other two times. I probably had to rebuild my full Time Machine backup four or five times from scratch in the 13 months I owned it.
The biggest problem with it is the drive is sealed and AirPort Utility can’t run diagnostics on the drive (like repair permissions, repair disk, recovery, etc). I have read that if your Time Capsule drive still mounts properly, you can then use Disk Utility on your Mac to do some basic maintenance tasks.
Right after I got rid of mine, Apple released a flurry of updates for Mac OS X and the Time Capsule device itself. So, they may have fixed it at this point.
However, I moved to an AirPort Extreme Base Station with an external drive and haven’t looked back. I use the AirDisk at my Time Machine backup drive even though Apple doesn’t officially support it.
Word of warning though, if you get a Time Capsule and you need it repaired Apple only gives you one repair option — let them replace the entire unit (they won’t even attempt to recover your data). By opening the device to perform data recovery or even simple disk maintenance, you automatically void the warranty.
It would randomly (after months) just start blinking amber for no reason. Apple said it was because of failed or cut-off wireless backups. Sorry, but I’m not going to check to make sure Time Machine/Capsule is not in the middle of a backup before I sleep or shut down my notebook.
They replaced it once, but said it checked out OK the other two times. I probably had to rebuild my full Time Machine backup four or five times from scratch in the 13 months I owned it.
The biggest problem with it is the drive is sealed and AirPort Utility can’t run diagnostics on the drive (like repair permissions, repair disk, recovery, etc). I have read that if your Time Capsule drive still mounts properly, you can then use Disk Utility on your Mac to do some basic maintenance tasks.
Right after I got rid of mine, Apple released a flurry of updates for Mac OS X and the Time Capsule device itself. So, they may have fixed it at this point.
However, I moved to an AirPort Extreme Base Station with an external drive and haven’t looked back. I use the AirDisk at my Time Machine backup drive even though Apple doesn’t officially support it.
Word of warning though, if you get a Time Capsule and you need it repaired Apple only gives you one repair option — let them replace the entire unit (they won’t even attempt to recover your data). By opening the device to perform data recovery or even simple disk maintenance, you automatically void the warranty.
rdlink
macrumors 68040
Sorry you had such a poor experience, but that has not been my experience at all. I use my laptop almost every night up until the time I shut the lid down to go to sleep at night. And I often travel with it for 10-14 days at a time. It never misses a beat. In the morning, when I open it up it connects a backs up just fine. When I return from trips it picks up where it left off. It's been flawless for me.
Another interesting tidbit. I just finished chatting with someone at the Apple store online. All of this talk about failing drives was making me nervous, so I wanted to see if it was possible to purchase Applecare for my TC, since it's still within the year warranty. The rep I chatted with told me that the Applecare on my Macbook Pro would cover the Time Capsule. Warm, fuzzy feeling.
jaw04005
macrumors 601
Yeah, that’s nothing new. It also covers Apple keyboards, Apple mice, AirPort Express devices, those video out dongles (DVI, VGA, etc) and AirPort Extreme Base Stations too. And even displays if you purchased it with your MacBook Pro.
I posted in this thread earlier (post 15), and I said I would update when I got the NAS up and running.
All of my items arrived today (2x Samsung Spinpoint F3 2TB, and the Qnap TS-219P NAS).
This evening, I set up the system. It is currently backing up via Time Machine. As I type this, it is at 87GB of 523GB (backup of 1TB drive on iMac).
It is running more slowly than I expected, but I just realized that my router does not have Gigabit Ethernet; it is only a 10/100 router even though it is a draft-n (Linksys WRT-300n), so I am completely saturating my ethernet. Looks like Apple may get some more of my money with their Airport Extreme!
My only regret so far is that I didn't get the 4 drive NAS enclosure for $100 more. Money was an issue, but that would have given so much more expandability.
I am not using RAID right now as I need my 4TB of space. RAID 0 would be a waste because I'm saturating the network as it is. Eventually, I will have another computer to back up, plus my 1TB iMac HD is filling quickly.
I already have a network printer, so I haven't been able to test the print server on the unit, but I will test this at some point.
A really cool feature is the whole web access interface and the ability to share files from anywhere with an internet connection. I have never had this before, and I think I will get a lot of use from it.
That's all for now. I will update if I run into problems / use more features / test further.
Backup at 92/523 GB now...
All of my items arrived today (2x Samsung Spinpoint F3 2TB, and the Qnap TS-219P NAS).
This evening, I set up the system. It is currently backing up via Time Machine. As I type this, it is at 87GB of 523GB (backup of 1TB drive on iMac).
It is running more slowly than I expected, but I just realized that my router does not have Gigabit Ethernet; it is only a 10/100 router even though it is a draft-n (Linksys WRT-300n), so I am completely saturating my ethernet. Looks like Apple may get some more of my money with their Airport Extreme!
My only regret so far is that I didn't get the 4 drive NAS enclosure for $100 more. Money was an issue, but that would have given so much more expandability.
I am not using RAID right now as I need my 4TB of space. RAID 0 would be a waste because I'm saturating the network as it is. Eventually, I will have another computer to back up, plus my 1TB iMac HD is filling quickly.
I already have a network printer, so I haven't been able to test the print server on the unit, but I will test this at some point.
A really cool feature is the whole web access interface and the ability to share files from anywhere with an internet connection. I have never had this before, and I think I will get a lot of use from it.
That's all for now. I will update if I run into problems / use more features / test further.
Backup at 92/523 GB now...
flyfish29
macrumors 68020
This details the issue with TC and 18 months:
http://timecapsuledead.org/closed.html
This explains what to do with your TC if it dies:
http://timecapsuledead.org/now_what.html
The thing about TC's failing only has to do with power supply- nothing to do with the drive so those instructions to replace the drive are unhelpful with most cases.
Apple seems to think it has corrected the problem. FOr ones that fail they are most often now replacing them at times even without Apple Care.
You can't buy Apple Care on TC.....and it can be any Apple Care on any computer not even purchased at the same time as TC. So my plan is to use my current TC (which I just fired up this week) for the 18 months and if it craps out at some point- it will be time to upgrade my laptop anyway so I will just have it replaced under that AC contract. Remember- the first year of a computer purchase is still apple care. Just one years worth. Apple says it must be purchased up to 2 years prior to be covered under Apple CAre- Unfortunately I bought mine in the fall but never got around to hooking it up until now so I might be screwed on this plan- oh well.
this talks about apple care and time capsule in detail
http://www.apple.com/support/products/proplan.html
http://timecapsuledead.org/closed.html
This explains what to do with your TC if it dies:
http://timecapsuledead.org/now_what.html
The thing about TC's failing only has to do with power supply- nothing to do with the drive so those instructions to replace the drive are unhelpful with most cases.
Apple seems to think it has corrected the problem. FOr ones that fail they are most often now replacing them at times even without Apple Care.
You can't buy Apple Care on TC.....and it can be any Apple Care on any computer not even purchased at the same time as TC. So my plan is to use my current TC (which I just fired up this week) for the 18 months and if it craps out at some point- it will be time to upgrade my laptop anyway so I will just have it replaced under that AC contract. Remember- the first year of a computer purchase is still apple care. Just one years worth. Apple says it must be purchased up to 2 years prior to be covered under Apple CAre- Unfortunately I bought mine in the fall but never got around to hooking it up until now so I might be screwed on this plan- oh well.
this talks about apple care and time capsule in detail
http://www.apple.com/support/products/proplan.html
I know about that. That qualifies more as hacking than as upgrading, and it voids the warranty.
It's not DESIGNED as an upgradeable machine.
rdlink
macrumors 68040
I know it's not designed to be upgradeable. Few Apple products are. But the only reason I would ever do this is if the HD fried and the warranty was gone anyway. So there would be nothing to void.
flyfish29
macrumors 68020
From what I have read the power supply overheats which makes me want to take it apart and drill some vent holes in the thing- they really put no vents into the thing- and it does get quite hot under use. They should have made that groove around the top actually a vent instead of just design. Also, I think that dense rubber footprint traps in the heat more than it should.