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Big Sur, Big Problems with Time Capsule

Folks, who else is having issues with backing up to Time Capsule with Time Machine after upgrading to Big Sur?


All my older backups are no longer accessible! Everything was working just fine before Big Sur. Time Machine now keeps asking to do a first backup. When I try to do a backup, it goes into "preparing" for 20 min, then "stopping," then nothing. 1st backup fails to complete.


I tried backing up with Time Machine to a WD external drive hooked up via USB. That works just FINE. It backs up MUCH faster than before too. So I'm guessing Big Sur is having issues with Time Capsule as a networked drive??

Posted on Nov 15, 2020 5:23 PM

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I just discovered that "Back Up Automatically" is the only way to go for Time Capsule.

No more the need for verification before an actual backup.

But any externally connected USB backup drive has to be disconnected.

Posted on Dec 3, 2020 4:35 PM

78 replies

Dec 20, 2020 9:49 AM in response to theping

First let me describe my setup. I have two 2019 MacBook Pros. One iMac Pro, and two iMac Retinas. I retain the iMacs on Mojave because I run Adobe CS6 including photoshop on them, fully licensed version, and I'd lose that and have to go to a perpetual payment for a cloud based photoshop, dreamweaver, etc. if I upgraded the OSX on those iMacs.


This is my Time Capsule setup:


The Internet is the cable modem, connected with ethernet cable of course to the Time Capsule at the top that is sitting right next to the cable modem. That time capsule broadcasts WiFi to the Kitchen, Upstairs and the lower right TC, which are extending the WiFi network. The Time Capsule on the lower left is bridged and ethernet hard wired with a 300' underground Cat6 cable to a second house on the property, which is set to broadcast its own WiFi network for that house.


Each Apple computer is set to backup to a different hard drive or Time Capsule. One hard drive is connected directly to the iMac Pro with USB C for its backup, and another hard drive is connected to the main Time Capsule on the top with USB-B, for a different iMac, and then the Time Capsule that is 300 feet away from the other one, is used for backup of a different MBP and one iMac retina.


The MacBook Pro that I upgraded to Big Sur is set to backup to the main Time Capsule directly connected to the Internet, the one connected at the top. It is the only computer using its hard drive for backup, and it is now on Big Sur.


After I upgraded the one MBP to Big Sur, I did notice after about a week that that MBP was no longer backing up to its Time Capsule. It kept giving a message to the effect of that it could not find the Time Capsule. I first tried deleting the two "Time Capsule" keys from KeyChain Access - no effect. Then I hard restarted all of the Time Capsules and Airport Extremes.


Now, after hard restart, the Time Capsule would show up for the MBP on Big Sur, but I could not get that MBP to do much more than end up in "Waiting to complete first backup" mode as far as the TC, and experienced another odd issue, which was that whenever the MBP went into "Preparing to backup" mode, before it got stuck in "Waiting to complete first backup" mode, it would briefly knock the Time Capsule off the network - make it go offline and not show Green in the Airport Utility screen, and internet would go dead across the network.


As well, another odd thing that would happen, is that when that main Time Capsule came back online, the order of connectivity of the Time Capsules and Airport Extremes would change, with the Upstairs and Kitchen Airport Extremes now running off the second Time Capsule that was hard wired 300 feet away. I think this had to do with that when the main Time Capsule went offline, the Airport Extremes latched onto what was still broadcasting WiFi, even though it was far away. None of this was good.


Finally, I went into that main Time Capsule and using Airport Utility, I erased the entire Time Capsule hard drive with the second type of erase - 0 all data - and then when that was finally done, I examined the Time Capsule's drive with Disk Utility and noticed that now it is formatted as APFS.


Gradually, slowly, now the MBP on Big Sur is completing its first encrypted backup to the Time Capsule I erased. It remains to be seen if, in the future, that every time the MBP connects to that Time Capsule if it is going to push it offline as far as its functioning as a router for internet connectivity.


Has anyone else experienced this issue with a TIME CAPSULE - that once whatever device you have connected to it is upgraded to Big Sur, that every time it is "Preparing for Backup" that it knocks the Time Capsule out as far as functioning as a router for internet, for a bit?

Dec 22, 2020 7:37 PM in response to Timmmmyyyyy

I don't use Sophos. I thought I had Avast loaded but looks like I don't even have that any longer, so - no, AV software.


Anyway, since wiping the Time Capsule connected to this MBP now running Big Sur, Time Machine has completed its first encrypted backup about 750Gb, and two subsequent backups. It still seems that whenever Time Machine is Looking for Backup, and for a bit after it is Preparing Backup, the green light for that Time Capsule within Airport Utility turns off, and internet connectivity fails briefly. Otherwise though, now that that TC is formatted vis APFS, the time machine backups ARE working.


I am wondering how to approach my second Time Capsule, which is being shared at the moment by a different MBP and one of my iMac Retinas. The iMac Retina is going to stay on Mojave, but I will upgrade that other MBP to Big Sur also, eventually. When I do, if I wipe that TC, if it ends up formatted entirely as APFS, will the iMac running Mojave even be able to write on that TC's disk any longer? or will only the Big Sur enabled MBP be able to access it?

Dec 23, 2020 6:36 AM in response to CromeYellow

Otherwise though, now that that TC is formatted vis APFS, the time machine backups ARE working.


The Time Capsule disk.....named "Data", unless you have changed the name of the drive.......is formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled). You cannot change this.


If you have "updated" to Big Sur and erased the Time Capsule hard drive, then the format of "Data" remains the same in Mac OS Extended (Journaled). But, the disk image......called a "backupbundle" that contains all the backups of the Mac running Big Sur is formatted in APFS.


So, the format of the Time Capsule disk remains the same, but the backup file is formatted in APFS on the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) drive. Gosh, I wonder what could possibly go wrong with this type of goofy setup.


When you run the backup of your Mohave Mac, the file that stores all the backups might be called a "sparsebundle" file. That disk image will be formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) because Mohave cannot back up to an APFS disk image.


So, the Time Capsule hard drive can store backups of Macs that are running Big Sur and other operating systems as well.


The Mohave Mac will not be able to access the backups made by your Big Sur Mac using Time Machine. But, you could use Migration Assistant on the Big Sur Mac to move data from a backup of the Mojave Mac over to the Big Sur Mac. Complicated? Yes.



Dec 25, 2020 8:44 AM in response to Siebe Henstra

I have never had Sophos installed, still had issues with my MBP after upgraded to Big Sur and connected to a 3Tb latest model Time Capsule, until I used Airport Utility to wipe the TC drive and start all over on it. All backups since then have worked automatically without detectible issue.


I actually downloaded and added Avast Security (free version) to this MacBook Pro (MBP) running Big Sur, and it does not seem to affect Time Capsule / Time Machine operation adversely, although I have preferences set to disable Web Shield, and I have unchecked the Email Shield that scans secure connections because this tends to interfere with MSFT Outlook for Mac 2019. Field Shield for Avast is ON.


I am still not clear on whether, for a different 3Tb Time Capsule (TC) of mine, if it is possible to have an iMac Retina on Mojave use that same TC as a different MBP I have that I intend to upgrade to Big Sur - to have two different Macs, one running Mojave, one running Big Sur, both back up AUTOMATICALLY to the same TC.

Dec 25, 2020 4:59 PM in response to CromeYellow

I am still not clear on whether, for a different 3Tb Time Capsule (TC) of mine, if it is possible to have an iMac Retina on Mojave use that same TC as a different MBP I have that I intend to upgrade to Big Sur - to have two different Macs, one running Mojave, one running Big Sur, both back up AUTOMATICALLY to the same TC.


Possible, since Time Machine creates a separate file for each Mac that is backing up.



Dec 27, 2020 10:41 PM in response to Bob Timmons

I upgraded the second MacBook Pro (MBP) to Big Sur, which this MBP and an iMac Retina running Mojave are both connected to the same 3Tb Time Capsule (TC). That is all I did - nothing more - I did not erase the Data drive on the TC. It has been two days and so far, both computers are backing up without apparent issue to the same TC, so I am reluctant to do any more - to erase the Data drive on TC using Airport Utility and start over I mean.


Not sure why this MBP upon upgrade to Big Sur is having no apparent issues, while the first MBP upon upgrading to Big Sur looks like I had to erase the TC to which it was connected just to get it to start backing up properly.


I still DO notice that when the MBP running Big Sur is in the Preparing Backup stage the green light symbol turns off briefly in Airport Utility but this doesn't seem to affect internet connectivity / router functionality as far as WiFi.


One thing though is that I cannot seem to access the settings of this TC via Airport Utility, whether it asks for the PW or not, it never gets past the spinning circle while it is supposedly "Reading Settings" and then eventually just says that the device was not found and pops an orange triangle by it. Then I quit and reopen Airport Utility and the TC appears again just fine with the green light.

Big Sur, Big Problems with Time Capsule

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