Time Machine Will No Longer See NAS Shared Drive

Which exact model is your Synology NAS and what version of DSM is it currently running? Similarly, which model is your iMac and what version of macOS is it running?

When setting up my NAS (I currently have a DS916+), I followed this Synology support article:

• How do I back up files from my Mac to Synology NAS using Time Machine? - Synology KB

I suggest starting by double-checking this article to be sure you didn't miss any important steps. If everything checks out, then providing the answers to my questions will come in handy in assisting you.

This issue is a macOS issue, not a Synology issue. See, e.g. the tens of people having the same issue at https://community.synology.com/enu/forum/1/post/150054?page=4&sort=oldest

Mark,

Please verify the NAS has up-to-date firmware and that is designed for the version of Mac OS installed on your computer. Also, please check with NAS developer if you continue to have issues with their device.

but clearly this is an OS issue

And if that is really the case, your best bet will be to post in the support areas for the current operating system that you have installed on the Mac. Time Machine is part of the Mac operating system.

Time Capsule......Time Machine. The names are similar and confusing, but one is hardware and the other is software.

We handle mainly Time Capsule hardware questions in this support area, but try to help on basic questions about how to set up Time Machine, etc. Click on the operating system that you are currently using in the link below, and the operating system gurus will try to help.

Mac OS & System Software

I suggest that you repost this post in either the iMac or macOS areas of the ASC to get the attention it deserves. It is currently in the Time Capsule area which has nothing to do with your issue.

Ideally, we need an expert on both Time Machine and Synology to provide some feedback.

I have asked forum expert Tesserax, who has used a Synology NAS with Time Machine for a number of years, to take a look at this thread to see if he is familiar with the issue.

Please check back later today or tomorrow to see if he has responded.

This is not just a NAS issue. I got a brand new iMac last year and spent 3 months in utter **** because of this issue. The first day I had the issue where time machine wouldn't back up to a dedicated external disk. I called. I went through months of troubleshooting-- if that was the only issue, I could make due until they fix it by manually backing up my data as I do anyways, however, my applications would randomly quit. It got to the point that I couldn't edit for more then 5 minutes (I'm a professional photographer) without the computer freezing and then shutting down and restarting. It was beyond insane. All while having no time machine backup to rely on anymore because it corrupted my disk and I was never able to make another backup despite my probably 50 calls to apple and my own trouble shooting. I had to beg and plead and cry to be able to have a replacement and keep the other computer for a week while I manually moved everything from disk to disk to ensure all of the hidden files and things were there. It was ****... This is my career. This isn't something I use send email and watch Netflix.

Fast forward 8 months-- and here I am again. Computer started acting a little funny again. Time machine is now not working and I don't know if my current backup is corrupt. My computer has 128gb of ram, but it is running super slow. I went through so much trouble shooting and nothing worked last year, they kept saying the issue is on my end, but clearly this is an OS issue. I went onto my sister's 9 year old Mac last year and was able to run the same programs (albeit incredibly slowly bc it's such an old computer) and the drives worked fine except my messed up time machine drive. I'm back to square one and am extremely stressed that Mac still has no answers and I can't do my job and likely have lost my time machine backup. And I can't go to Catalina on a new computer--- I asked them last year how I could revert because I was pretty sure it was related to Monterey or an internal issue. Either way, I am totally screwed here and can't believe this is happening again and Apple has no answers. I have used western digital drives for over 15 years with no issues, always have a dedicated one just for time machine.

If anyone has figured out anything- please let me know. I am desperate. We all need to be filling out the feedback because this is definitely an ongoing issue. I can't just go buy another $4500 setup and run into the same issue.

Thank you. I am desperate. This is the exact issue I went through last year and no one could solve it. With constant crashes, I can't even safely manually back up data. This could be career ending for me. Apple has probably 250 crash reports from me just from last summer, lots of feedback. They have refused to acknowledge any issue, but thank you.

For what its worth, I have used Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) for years with flawless results. It does have some options to back up a limited amount of history similar to Time Machine.

I have no interest in CCC other than that as a satisfied customer.

Thank you. Will this do what Time Machine does in terms of all of the hidden library files and things like that? I am so desperate right now. I spent week of my life in total last summer talking to Apple and troubleshooting this same exact issue and they had no solution. I see others are having Time Machine issues as well except their computers don't seem to be crashing.

There is a free 30 day try out version of CCC.

Best for you to get a feel for what it does and does not do. I would not recommend it if you need to keep a history of backups. CCC is basically designed to make a "Carbon Copy Clone" of your Mac and update automatically each day at a time that you specify.

https://bombich.com

Other popular back up programs are SuperDuper and ChronoSync.

If you’re convinced it’s a bug, you can submit feedback here Feedback - iMac - Apple. Good luck!