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How To Configure Time Machine On Mac



Guide: Setting up a Time Machine Share on your Unraid Server

RELATED: How to Back Up Your Mac and Restore Files With Time Machine. Get Apple’s OS X Server for $20 from the Mac App Store if you want to do this. Among OS X Server’s many functions, it can configure a Mac to function as a Time Machine server. Change Time Machine Backup Frequency. To change Time Machine backup schedule, we are going to use a free and lightweight app called Time Machine Editor. So, head over to the official site, download the software and install it like any other Mac application. After installing, launch Time Machine Editor to start modifying the Time Machine.

Apple’s Time Machine is a built-in backup feature for your Mac that will automatically backup all of your files, apps, music, photos, emails, documents, and system files. When you complete a backup, you can even restore files from your backup if the original files are deleted from your Mac or the hard disk (or SSD) in your Mac is erased or replaced. With Unraid, you can now use Time Machine with the SMB protocol and store your Time Machine backups on your Unraid server!

Note: This guide works with MacOS High Sierra.

Create a Time Machine Backup on your Unraid Server

To create backups with Time Machine and store them on your Unraid server, all you’ll need to do is connect it to your Unraid server and then Time Machine will automatically make:

  • Hourly backups for the past 24 hours
  • Daily backups for the past month
  • Weekly backups for all previous months
  • The oldest backups are deleted when your backup disk is full

If you want to control when backups are completed, we suggest you use a tool such as Time Machine Editor so you can customize when backups are made and select a host of other options not available in Time Machine itself.


Unraid and Time Machine Setup

Before you begin, make sure SMB is enabled in the Unraid webgui by going to:

  1. Settings --> SMB under “Network Services”
  2. Set “Enable SMB” to “Yes” and click “Apply” (Array must be stopped to change this).
  3. Also, set “Enhanced macOS interoperability” to Yes as well.


Hack mac camera. Now:

  1. In the Unraid webGUI, go to 'Shares' and click 'Add Share”.
  2. Name the share (Ex: Time Machine).
  3. Set your minimum free space or leave default. This is the minimum free space available to allow writing to any disk belonging to the share.
  4. Under “Included disk(s)” select the disk in the array that you’d like to use for your Time Machine share. You can still use this same disk for other shares.
  5. Keep “Enable Copy-on-write” on “Auto”.
  • Under SMB Security Settings.
  1. Under “Export” select “Yes (Time Machine)”
  2. Set your “TimeMachine volume size limit”. This limits the reported volume size, preventing Time Machine from using the entire real disk space for backup. Example: setting this value to '1024' would limit the reported disk space to 1GB.
  3. Set your Security parameters to what you prefer.
  4. Click Apply/Done.

Next, we need to make the new Time Machine share a Remote Share:In the Unraid Webgui: (note: this section isn’t necessary and should probably be removed entirely)

  1. Go to “Main” and under “SMB Shares”, click “Add remote SMB/NFS Share”
  2. Select SMB and find your server by putting in the IP address and clicking Search for Servers:
  3. Fill in the rest of the information and select the Time Machine share you just created.
  4. Click Add and then under Main --> SMB Shares click Mount to mount the Time Machine Share.


From here, there are just a few more steps:

  • Connect to your Time Machine share by connecting to it through the Finder.
  1. Next: go to Time Machine Preferences on your Mac and “Select Disk”.
  2. Your newly mounted Time Machine share should show up. Select this share, enable encryption if desired and click “Use Disk”.
  3. Now, Time Machine will say it’s trying to connect to your share. Before clicking connect, it’s recommended to eject your mounted share from your desktop and then connect.
  4. Time Machine immediately begins making periodic backups—automatically and without further action by you.


Note: The first backup may take a long time, depending on how many files you have and the size of your Mac’s harddrive.Thereafter, Time Machine backs up only the files that changed since the previous backup, so future backups should be faster.


Reminder: We suggest you use a 3rd party tool such as Time Machine Editor so you can customize when backups are made and select a host of other options not available in the Time Machine program itself.



That’s it. Now, all of your Time Machine backups will be stored on your Unraid server and if something bad happens to your Mac, you will be able to restore files, settings, and apps from these backups!

Creating Multiple Time Machine Shares for Different People/Macs

So, say you want to create multiple time machine backups for different people/Macs in the house? You will need to create a separate share for each Time Machine backup and separate users in Unraid. For example, say the Stooges want to backup their Macs. If the username on each of the Macs is larry, curly, and moe, you would create Unraid users larry, curly, and moe. Once the users are set up then you would create the individual Time Machine shares (ex: tm-larry, tm-curly, tm-moe). From there, simply follow the instructions above!


For more info on Time Machine shares, be sure to also check out Space Invader One’s excellent video on Unraid Shares and MacOS!

Retrieved from 'https://wiki.unraid.net/index.php?title=UnRAID_6/Configuring_Apple_Time_Machine&oldid=10131'
Machine

Even the most reliable computers and hard drives fail at one point. Macs are considered to be among the most reliable computers ever built, but even these amazing products fail, too. The only way to ensure that your data is protected is to create backups. Fortunately, for Mac users, this won’t be a problem. Best video format for mac and pc. With Time Machine on Mac, creating backup copies of your data can be completed with a few clicks of a button.

One small problem though is if you have multiple Macs and you wanted to create backups of all their hard drives on the same external drive. While you may be able to move the external drive around and manually create backups of each device, it would certainly be a tedious operation if you had to do this on a daily basis.

A good solution though would be to purchase an Apple AirPort Time Capsule so that you can network your devices and create backups of your data seamlessly. That’s if you had a few hundred dollars to spare, though. Another downside is that Time Capsules usually have a rather limited hard drive. Those that have larger capacity drives are expectedly more expensive.

Fortunately, there is a cheaper solution, which will still require the use of Time Machine. But this time, you will create a Time Machine Server using one of your Macs. Wolf quest free no download. With this option, you’ll be able to save a couple hundred dollars. Word of caution, though: setting it up can be a bit complicated.

However, if you follow this step-by-step guide, you’ll have your Time Machine server up and running in no time.

Before we go through all the intricacies of setting up a Time Machine server, let’s make sure your familiar with what the software is and how it’s used. If you’ve already used Time Machine on Mac before and you’re well aware of how it works, feel free to skip this section and move directly to the step-by-step guide. Otherwise, read on.

What is Time Machine?

Time Machine on Mac is a unique backup app in a sense that the software captures an hourly snapshot of the data on your device and saves it on an external drive. It will continue taking snapshots of your data until the drive is filled up. At this time, the app deletes the oldest files on the drive and replaces them with the latest snapshots.

In the event of an internal drive failure, you can recover data of the entire device from the external drive, making it easy to replace any lost files.

What You’ll Need to Make Time Machine Work

Mac camera settings. Time Machine is already installed on your Mac, so all you’ll need is an external drive, which you can purchase at reasonable prices.

When purchasing an external drive, it’s best to ensure that it’s formatted using the GPT (GUID Partition Table) or the APM (Apple Partition Map) formats. Drives formatted using the Master Boot Record (MBR) format will also work, but there’s a good chance that some of the partitions may not be available for use. Mail pilot 3 0 (5958) – task oriented email client. To maximize the use of your external drive, have it formatted using the recommended partition formats.

Time Machine works on any Mac device, so even if you have an old Mac lying around, you can still use the app on it as long as it’s working fine. In fact, if you’re hardly using your old device, it would be an excellent idea to use this as your Time Machine server.

As mentioned earlier, Time Machine app on Mac also works on a Time Capsule network backup device. This device is what Mac recommends you use if you’re planning to backup multiple devices on a network.

Another important requirement is a reliable internet connection. Wi-Fi can be used to backup data on your Time Machine server, but if you’re looking for faster data transfer, it’s best to use Ethernet option instead of relying on Wi-Fi.

How to Set Up Your Time Machine Server: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1. If you’re going to use an old Mac, which would be recommended because the device should be dedicated as a Time Machine Server and nothing else, then the first step is to update the device to make sure that it is running the latest macOS version.

Step 2. Since you’ll be using your Mac as a server, you’ll need the Mac Server app. This app costs less than $20 and can easily be downloaded from the Apple App Store.

Step 3. Purchase an external drive if you don’t already have one. Yes, your old Mac should already have an internal drive, but we don’t recommend you use that. It’s best to use an external drive with a GPT or APM partition. The external drive can be connected through USB, Firewire, or the Thunderbolt port.

Step 4. Make sure that the Mac is connected to the internet, preferably via Ethernet. Your modem or router should have more than enough Ethernet ports to connect all your devices. If not, then you should consider purchasing a Hub or a Switch so you can connect more devices to the network.

Step 5. Download the server app onto the Mac you’re using for your Time Machine server.

Step 6. Configure the server app. Once you open the server app, let it run through the initial setup. On the list of services on the left-hand side of the screen, select Time Machine.

Step 7. Connect your external drive to the Mac if you haven’t done so already.

Step 8. On the Time Machine screen, use the [+] button to select the external drive as the backup destination. The server app will ask you to click on Create. After doing so, it will display a message to Disable Ignore Ownership of this Volume. Simply click on Disable.

Step 9. On the top right-hand side of the screen, you’ll find a switch that will activate Time Machine. Toggle this switch to the ON position and it will automatically configure the device for file sharing.

Step 10. Configure your users. On the left-hand side of the screen, click on the Users option and then the [+] button. You’re probably thinking that since only you will be using the device, you’ll create almost identical usernames for your devices and use a similar password. While you can certainly do this, think about what would happen if for some reason one of your devices were compromised. It would certainly mean that all your devices are at risk as well since they all have the same passwords.

If you’re not good at remembering passwords, list them down somewhere and keep the passwords in a secure but easily accessible location.

How To Install Time Machine

Once you’ve configured the users, click on one user, and then the gear icon. You’ll need to select the Edit Access to Services button, then File Sharing, and then Time Machine.

How To Configure Time Machine On Macbook Pro

Congratulations! You have now configured your Time Machine server. All you need to do now is to connect your other devices to the network and make sure that the Time Machine backup on Mac is working. Fortunately, this procedure is a whole lot easier than setting up the Time Machine server.

Connecting Users to the Time Machine Server

This procedure is rather simple, but you’ll need to repeat it for every device you intend to connect to the Time Machine server.

Step 1. Open the Mac you wish to connect and proceed to the System Preferences. On this screen, select Time Machine.

Step 2. On the Time Machine Screen, select the Backup Disks button.

Step 3. You will then be presented with a list containing the Time Machine server you just set up. Select the server and choose whether you want the data to be encrypted or not. If you choose encryption, you’ll need to enter a password.

Step 4. Before you can click on Connect, you’ll need to enter the username and password of the device. Enter the username and password you created when setting up the users on the Time Machine server.

Step 5. Well done! Your backups should begin automatically in a short while. In the meantime, you can select the data that you want to be backed up. If you want to backup everything, that’s fine. However, if you want to conserve space by deselecting anything you don’t need copies of, that would be a good idea as well.

Mac Time Machine Tutorial

Step 6. Repeat the above procedures for all the devices you want to connect to the Time Machine Server.

Monitoring Your Backups and Your Time Machine Server

What's A Time Machine

From time to time, it would be an excellent idea to make sure that your Time Machine server is working fine. Simply log in to your Time Machine server and check the backups if they’re being updated as scheduled. You’ll also need to make sure that the server is in working order at all times. To do this, it would be a good idea to use Outbyte MacRepair. This app will ensure that your Mac is in good working order at all times, so it can keep running Time Machine as long as you need it to.

If you’re running into errors and your system is suspiciously slow, your computer needs some maintenance work. Download Outbyte PC Repair for Windows, Outbyte Antivirus for Windows, or Outbyte MacRepair for macOS to resolve common computer performance issues. Fix computer troubles by downloading the compatible tool for your device.
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How To Configure Time Machine On Mac
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