How to enable more than one volume as a time machine backup?

I'm having the same problem. In SL server I was able to set up multiple volumes, one for each client so that a client couldn't use all the space. Now with Lion Server I have been unable to figure out how to set up these volumes so that they can be seen as time machine volumes from Snow Leopard and Lion clients. Had to revert to SL Server until this can be configured and work correctly. Anyone else have any luck with this configuration?

Thanks

Same issue here, worked fine under SL server. I installed the advanced server tools hoping it was just not avalible in the server app, no luck.....

It's the same for me, I opened a thread before seing this one : https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3243890/

Anybody know how to limit the TM backups size per user ?

Still anything to create multiple Time Machine backup folders on a OSX Lion Server ?

I need to limit T backups max size per user or create different partitions on a disk and share one per computer...

Please help!

I have the exactly same issue. My jaw dropped, when I noticed I can't do this anymore from the GUI, because TM backups have a habit of crowding each other out: the machine with the most changes will eventually own most/all of the drive, while the backup history on all other machines will be rather limited.

Since there's no quota system on a per-client-basis, and since on even a medium sized workgroup net, the cumulative size of backups exceeds any reasonable volume size, multiple volumes/partitions are A MUST.

Does anyone know what flags are set for shares that are TM enabled, and where to set them from the command line?

Lion Server is dumbed down to the level of being essentially useless. I'm all for a simple GUI like provided by the Server.app, but only if there's an expert mode or a separate app that exposes the full functionality.

Any hints on how to beat that fat, bloated and stubborn Lion into submission are highly appreciated.

I have figured out a way to enable multiple backup targets.

However, it's one of these things I wouldn't want to describe to anyone except true programmer types, because everyone else has a 90%+ chance of messing up their system if they do something wrong.

It involves turning off file sharing, and then editing the plist files in /private/var/db/dslocal/nodes/Default/sharepoints/

The gist of it is this:

a) first create all the share points you later want to use for TimeMachine, and set them up for afp-only file sharing, also create one TM target, which you can either use later, or have there so the system has one entry it knows how to handle. I just made a bogus one that I'm not actively using.

b) turn off file sharing in Server.app

c) turn off TimeMachine in Server.app

d) now you can edit the files, the easiest is with Xcode, so you may want to install that first

e) for each sharpoint you made in a) there will be a corresponding .plist file in the location indicated, these are the files that need to be edited.

f) for each of these files

1) the item0 string property in the timeMachineBackup array must be switched from 0 to 1

2) a new key of type array with the name timeMachineBackupUUID must be created

3) in the newly created array an item of type string must be placed with the value of a UUID, which can be created with the shell command uuidgen

g) make sure all the edited plist files are saved

h) turn on TimeMachine in the Server.app again

If all went well, you now should be able to go to one of your networked client computers and see all the time machine share points just created as options for being a time machine target.

Anyway, if you go that route: be careful, don't blame me if you muck things up...

In 10.7 Server - it would seem that TimeMachine on the server does not even need to be on.

I *thought* I had the quota showing up in TimeMachine on the remote client the other day - but not today.

I have quotas enabled for the volume I am using (not the boot volume) - and a quota set for the username that is connecting - and repquota shows the quota - however, when that sharepoint is mounted by the client either on the desktop of via TimeMachine on the client - the full volume capacity is displayed - no indication tere is a quota.

Which I think means that TimeMachine will just error when the quota is reached as it can "see" the larger capacity of the volume.

Perhaps modifying the sparesebundle parameters is the better way to go - although I woudl rather edit the already created bundle to set a size or set a limit - rather than just turn off noresize or have to create one from scratch - then again I could leave it until I get close to my quota then change it to noresize I suppose.

I got it working - although oddly - I added the item 0 UUID string incorrectly on the first couple I did and it still seems to work.

I did also create my own sparesbundles - after starting a new backup letting TM create bundles - I stopped it - and copied the com.Apple.TimeMachineID.plist from the "official" bundle to mine (after I set a specific size and shrink only on the bundle I created - since I have them on a sharepoint off a server - and have multiple systms backing up to a single partition).

Thanks very much for this. I'm disgusted by the reduced functionality in Lion Server, and so would have snarled my way through working this out with no enjoyment whatsoever. Now that it's been fixed with minimal effort thanks to your help, I can just sigh deeply, roll my eyes at the heavens, and work on something more amusing.

Thanks for the info on enable multiple backup targets for timemachine..

Could you please provide a copy of the modified plist ?

I am not exactly sure how to create the new key timeMachineBackupUUID.

A sample would be real helpful.

Purchased the macmin and a drobo raid just to backup from multiple client computers and was shocked to see the timemachine shared point function was removed. The 10.5 server was perfect.

Looks like apple is screwing up after Steve's death, there is no one but Tim a sales man not a tech watching the hen programmers.

When Steve came back to apple, I was working in 98 schools and became friends with Steve and we worked on making teacher friendly systems. Now I see apple heading down a road to cloud only and the cutting out of servers for the schools. This will create a tumbling of the mac OS and the pads will not be able to hold their own. Its a shame, but the path has been written.