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Time Machine: USB 2.0, FW400 or 800... what will you use?
- Thread starter anim8or
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From apple.com:
You can designate just about any HFS+ formatted FireWire or USB drive connected to a Mac as a Time Machine backup drive. Time Machine can also back up to another Mac running Leopard with Personal File Sharing, Leopard Server, or Xsan storage devices.
The vast, vast majority of consumer network storage appliances are FAT-formatted volumes that use SMB (windows filesharing protocol) to communicate with your Mac. Those devices would not be usable as a Time Machine volume since they're not using apple filesharing protocol (AFP) or HFS+.
A Mac Mini with a USB or Firewire drive hanging off the back would work, and it's almost certain that a future update to the Airport Extreme will allow Airport-connected storage to be used as well. For now, though, the answer is a qualified "no" for most users or devices.
Why is this SO hard for people to understand? If you don't need FW800 speed then why pay for it. Whatever price you can get a FW800 drive for you can get a USB2 and/or FW400 drive of the same size for 25-50% LESS. FW800 is overkill for backup. If the only open port available is FW800 is a lot cheaper to buy a USB2 hub or FW800 to 400 adapter and USB2 or FW400 enclosure or drive.
Lacie 500 GB HD (Connected to another mac via FW400) I'm connected to that mac via Ethernet via a router
I am going to use Gigabit ethernet ... I had originally planned on using airports NAS. However after a day of testing I am returning the device and going back with my original plan of using a Linux box on my network. Far too unstable, doesn't stay connected, can't connect to it wired, etc.
Not sure how I am going to share the drive yet, going to hammer that out this week. (Need to wipe my Linux box first, its very dated and I screwed it up when I was trying apt pinning)
Not sure how I am going to share the drive yet, going to hammer that out this week. (Need to wipe my Linux box first, its very dated and I screwed it up when I was trying apt pinning)
AFAIK, yes it can use network drives. A word of warning to everyone. Don't buy the LaCie drives designed by FA Porsche. They overheat. The price looks really great (for some reason the 500 GB is only $20 more than the 250 GB) but it's not worth it.
Just for price I went with a 320 GB WD Elements USB 2.0, although I would have liked to get an FW.
Just for price I went with a 320 GB WD Elements USB 2.0, although I would have liked to get an FW.
