Can Airport Extreme AC plus TimeMachine backup 2nd attached drive?

Question

Can Airport Extreme AC plus TimeMachine backup 2nd attached drive?

Greetings,

Apple's Support note at: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5924?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

says, "OS X Time Machine supports compatible unencrypted USB disks connected to AirPort Time Capsule (802.11n and 802.11ac), and AirPort Extreme (802.11ac)."

I read this to mean that I can (finally!) attach (and rotate) external hard drives to an AirPort Extreme base station and use TimeMachine to backup from various Macs to those external hard drives attached to the Airport Extreme. (We rotate off identical HDs to remote storage once every couple of weeks, but can only backup one machine this way right now.)

What I was wondering was: does anyone know if I can, using a USB hub attached to the Airport Extreme (802.11ac), attach two drives simultaneously, using one for backup and still have TimeMachine back up the SECOND AirportExtreme-attached drive?

Thanks!

Tiger

Mac mini, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Sep 6, 2014 3:16 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Sep 6, 2014 3:25 PM in response to Frederick Wilson

I read this to mean that I can (finally!) attach (and rotate) external hard drives to an AirPort Extreme base station and use TimeMachine to backup from various Macs to those external hard drives attached to the Airport Extreme

That is correct....IF....you are using the newer 802.11ac version of the AirPort Extreme.

does anyone know if I can, using a USB hub attached to the Airport Extreme (802.11ac), attach two drives simultaneously, using one for backup and still have TimeMachine back up the SECOND AirportExtreme-attached drive?

No. Time Machine can back up to either drive that is connected to the AirPort Extreme....BUT....Time Machine cannot backup from a network drive that is connected to the AirPort Extreme.

Time Machine can only backup a Mac and a hard drive attached directly to a Mac.

A commercial application like Carbon Copy Cloner, ChronoSync or SuperDuper could backup a network drive.

Reply

Answer 2

May 6, 2015 7:52 PM in response to Bob Timmons

This is no longer true with OS X 10.10 Yosemite. An USB external drive connected to the Airport Extreme AC version CAN backup any Mac connected on the network. I use this for two MacBook Air's and one iMac.

Reply

Answer 3

May 6, 2015 8:25 PM in response to msterling

This is no longer true with OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

What is no longer true?

An USB external drive connected to the Airport Extreme AC version CAN backup any Mac connected on the network.

I already said that it could. You must have missed that. Please read the original post and my answer.

The OP asked if it was true that he could now use the AirPort Extreme with an attached USB drive to backup Macs using Time Machine. I said that the AirPort Extreme 802.11ac version CAN do this. My answer was.......

That is correct....IF....you are using the newer 802.11ac version of the AirPort Extreme.

So, you are saying.....An USB external drive connected to the Airport Extreme AC version CAN backup any Mac connected on the network.....which is exactly what I said.

Reply