HT201510: Setting up Time Capsule for the first time

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j.e.allen
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Q: How do I encrypt my Time Capsule hard drive?

I would like to secure my Time Capsule hard drive.  How do i go about encrypting it?

Posted on Apr 26, 2014 12:33 PM

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j.e.allen

Q: How do I encrypt my Time Capsule hard drive?

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  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Apr 26, 2014 12:44 PM in response to j.e.allen
    Level 10 (105,183 points)
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    Apr 26, 2014 12:44 PM in response to j.e.allen

    You will see an option to Encrypt Backups when you first choose a disk as a destination for Time Machine backups.

     

     

    Screen Shot 2014-04-26 at 2.41.54 PM.png

  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Apr 26, 2014 12:47 PM in response to j.e.allen
    Level 9 (52,655 points)
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    Apr 26, 2014 12:47 PM in response to j.e.allen

    Firstly are you talking about Time Machine backups.. if so you do not encrypt the drive.. TM can directly encrypt the backup.

     

    If you are placing files on the TC.. you cannot encrypt the drive directly.. you have no connection directly to the drive but you can create a disk image.. or sparsebundle on the drive and encyrpt that.

     

    You can also use higher level of security in the TC setup, with better disk password or separate usernames and passwords for all the users.. that will block each user from seeing the files of the other.. it does not survive a reset though.

  • by j.e.allen,

    j.e.allen j.e.allen Apr 26, 2014 1:53 PM in response to LaPastenague
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    Apr 26, 2014 1:53 PM in response to LaPastenague

    Thank you for your quick reply.  I am looking to encrypt data on my time capsule itself.  I backup my laptop separate and know how to encrypt that but was a bit lost with the other.  How do I ceate the disk image/sparsebundle?  Do I have to connect it directly to the computer (usb) or can I do it remotely over my wifi connection?  Bear with me I was a computer security manager for 10 1/2 years but only worked on microsoft and unix.  I recently switched over to mac two years ago and finally broke down and took the full plunge and got the time capsule.  I want to lock it down but am just not able to figure it out.

  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Apr 26, 2014 2:30 PM in response to j.e.allen
    Level 9 (52,655 points)
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    Apr 26, 2014 2:30 PM in response to j.e.allen

    You cannot access the TC directly.. USB cannot be plugged into a computer.. It is for now and forevermore a network drive.

     

    Read Q3 here.

    http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html

     

    He covers how to create a DMG file which is a file that works as a virtual disk.

     

    This has limitations although from your point of view it is probably good. Only one computer can access the dmg at a time. That includes multiple users on the same computer. So it is only mounted in one place and for one user.

     

    You can also do the same thing with a sparsebundle although I am not sure if there is any advantage over dmg files.

     

    http://alex.seeholzer.de/2012/09/setting-up-smbafpcifs-network-drive-for-time-ma chine-on-osx-10-8-mountain-lion/

     

    There is no need to make it usable by Time Machine. You simply use Sparsebundle as DMG.. it is just that it might co-exist with the TM backup better.

     

    You can set fixed size to the sparsebundle.. or DMG files.

     

    You can then mount the file on your computer.

     

    Please note that storing files in encrypted format on the TC makes backing them up a pain.. figure out how you intend to do this.. Time Machine cannot backup network drives. And most backup software will have issues with encypted files.. unless you have them mounted in a way you can read.