Need more storage and backup capacity.

Question

Level 1

8 points

Need more storage and backup capacity.

I have a MacBook Pro (500 GB - 2,66 GHz), a PowerBook G4 (250 GB - 1,67 GHZ), and various removable drives totaling another 1+ TB, and a 1 TB Time Capsule which serves as my backup. I am maxed out. Can I connect another 3 TB time capsule to all the above and make it the main backup for eveything while using the old 1 TB time capsule as an additional storage unit exclusively for media files? I would also want to use the new 3 TB time capsule for a wireless server for 4 computers. Is all of this feasable and or recommended for my needs? Also will Apple TV recognize media files stored on a wireless time capsule? Thanks, jimwol

MacBook Pro (17-inch Early 2009), Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Feb 3, 2012 1:14 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Feb 3, 2012 3:54 PM in response to jimwol

You can do part of that, but one Time Capsule cannot back up the other, at least not with Time Machine (it cannot back up from any network location).

A better bet might be to connect one or more external HDs to the TC (via a powered USB hub). Back one of the Macs up to it, instead of the TC's internal HD.

Either way, you'll have a problem backing-up the media files. You could back both Macs up to the same (or a second) USB drive as the first one, then put the media files on the TC.

You could then back up the media files to another USB drive (or partition) via the TC's "archive" facility. See the green box in #Q6 of Using Time Machine with a Time Capsule. There are some downsides to that, as noted. You must start that with one of your Macs, but can then disconnect and let it run.

Or you could use a 3rd-party app, such as CarbonCopyCloner or ChronoSync, but that would run from one of your Macs, to back up to a drive connected directly to the Mac (they can't send the data directly from the TC's internal HD to the USB drive).

Reply