I need to setup TM backups for several Mac computers. I am trying to determine what would be the best solution for where to stash the TM data on a centralized TM server. (rule out for now the possibility of just adding a second HDD to each Mac and doing TM backup locally).
One MBP with 1TB boot drive, one Mac pro with 1TB boot drive which might be bigger later, Possibly one more mac beyond that.
I'm trying to decide whether to get a Time Capsule, use my existing NAS device, get a different NAS device, or perhaps get another mac and run OSX server on it for this task and to replace my NAS.
I have tried using the TimeMachine server feature of my readynas NAS to provide time machine backups for my MBP. Sometimes it works fine, Once a month or so it seems to end up getting confused in some way and needs to be re-backed up from scratch all over again, which takes a long time for 1TB over wifi. I am not sure if this is because readynas is using some open src version of AFP or if its the way it stores the TM backup on a sparse bundle or what.
How does Time Capsule work? is it any more reliable then a readynas or Synology Time Machine server would be? I've heard mixed reviews. Does a TC also create a sparse bundle on an AFP share essentially doing exactly the same thing except without open src linux afp in the mix, or does it do anything differently? Does anyone think one brand of NAS is better at handling TM then the Netgear readynas? FreeNas?
What about if I get another mac to use for TM backups and run OSX Server on it? Does that do anything different or better then a Time Capsule or the other NAS solutions, that would make it more reliable in some way for hosting TM backups to several macs?
I view TM backups as not being "archival" in nature. In other words, the drive can die and it doesn't matter that much in the short term because its only a backup and the data still exists on the original machine. Just get a new HDD and re run TM again. Fine. But this should not be something that has to happen once a month because the sparse bundle gets corrupted, which would be a nuisance, as it is now with the readynas. Also, I'd like to have more then one month of backup history, which never seems to be the case with the readynas solution.
I like the idea of having all my TM backups for several machines in one central place, so that is cool, but only if its reliable.
Any thoughts or insights about how TM works over the network or locally, with regards to sparse bundles and technically how it works, which might influence my decision; would be appreciated.
One MBP with 1TB boot drive, one Mac pro with 1TB boot drive which might be bigger later, Possibly one more mac beyond that.
I'm trying to decide whether to get a Time Capsule, use my existing NAS device, get a different NAS device, or perhaps get another mac and run OSX server on it for this task and to replace my NAS.
I have tried using the TimeMachine server feature of my readynas NAS to provide time machine backups for my MBP. Sometimes it works fine, Once a month or so it seems to end up getting confused in some way and needs to be re-backed up from scratch all over again, which takes a long time for 1TB over wifi. I am not sure if this is because readynas is using some open src version of AFP or if its the way it stores the TM backup on a sparse bundle or what.
How does Time Capsule work? is it any more reliable then a readynas or Synology Time Machine server would be? I've heard mixed reviews. Does a TC also create a sparse bundle on an AFP share essentially doing exactly the same thing except without open src linux afp in the mix, or does it do anything differently? Does anyone think one brand of NAS is better at handling TM then the Netgear readynas? FreeNas?
What about if I get another mac to use for TM backups and run OSX Server on it? Does that do anything different or better then a Time Capsule or the other NAS solutions, that would make it more reliable in some way for hosting TM backups to several macs?
I view TM backups as not being "archival" in nature. In other words, the drive can die and it doesn't matter that much in the short term because its only a backup and the data still exists on the original machine. Just get a new HDD and re run TM again. Fine. But this should not be something that has to happen once a month because the sparse bundle gets corrupted, which would be a nuisance, as it is now with the readynas. Also, I'd like to have more then one month of backup history, which never seems to be the case with the readynas solution.
I like the idea of having all my TM backups for several machines in one central place, so that is cool, but only if its reliable.
Any thoughts or insights about how TM works over the network or locally, with regards to sparse bundles and technically how it works, which might influence my decision; would be appreciated.