Time Machine hangs "connecting to backup disk…"

[masam]

I've rarely had any problems with Time Machine on a 4th gen Time Capsule. However after upgrading from Ventura to Sonoma 14.5, TM just sits there saying "connecting to backup disk…" and never progresses.

• When I enter TM it shows – not surprisingly – no backup history.
• Looking at a Finder window I can see the TC in the sidebar and it shows it as connected. Disconnecting and re-connecting doesn't help.
• I've tried the usual restarts of both the Mac and TC to no avail.

What I haven't tried is removing the TC and adding it again as a backup volume. Would it recognize the existing backups and pick up from where it left?

Any ideas appreciated.

 

[haralds]

[...] What I haven't tried is removing the TC and adding it again as a backup volume. Would it recognize the existing backups and pick up from where it left? [...]

I would try that. It should recognize the original backup. If it had password protection, it will ask for that.

 

[masam]

I would try that. It should recognize the original backup. If it had password protection, it will ask for that.

Thanks for the confirmation. In the end I didn't have to go down that route, it was a network config problem…

We had moved to a new place that has a WiFi router/modem and a second WiFi access point, both had their DHCP server enabled. Once I shut one of them down making sure there was only a single DHCP server active, TM connected immediately and backed up as normal.

The TC is connected to the access point via cable and is in bridge mode. The fact that it seemed to start after the upgrade to Sonoma was most likely just a coincidence.