macnerd48

Q: NAS Time Machine backup

Does the external drive have to be physically connected to my mini or can it be a NAS device? Can I do a Time Machine restore wirelessly to my laptop  from a NAS device? Can I do a Time Machine restore to my laptop from a remote location using the NAS Time Machine?

Mac mini, OS X El Capitan (10.11.2)

Posted on Dec 10, 2015 9:46 AM

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Q: NAS Time Machine backup

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  • by Boyd Porter,

    Boyd Porter Boyd Porter Dec 10, 2015 11:55 AM in response to macnerd48
    Level 4 (1,002 points)
    Dec 10, 2015 11:55 AM in response to macnerd48

    Start here with the disks that can be used with Time Machine.

     

    Backup disks you can use with Time Machine - Apple Support

     

    Have a nice day.

  • by macnerd48,

    macnerd48 macnerd48 Dec 10, 2015 2:44 PM in response to Boyd Porter
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 10, 2015 2:44 PM in response to Boyd Porter

    What are Network volumes connected using Apple File Protocol (AFP) ?

     

    Well, darn! I was hoping that I could use an NAS device.

     

    Does Time Machine support RAID mirror?

  • by John Lockwood,

    John Lockwood John Lockwood Dec 11, 2015 4:54 AM in response to macnerd48
    Level 6 (9,339 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Dec 11, 2015 4:54 AM in response to macnerd48

    Technically Apple's Time Capsule product counts as a NAS device. This is the only type of NAS device Apple officially supports for use as a Time Machine backup destination. However unofficially many if not most NAS devices do work as Time Machine backup systems. The three main brands are NetGear, Synology and QNAP.

     

    Depending on the model of NAS you get and how it has been configured it might be using RAID1, RAID5, RAID6, or some other higher level of RAID.

  • by macnerd48,

    macnerd48 macnerd48 Dec 11, 2015 5:51 AM in response to John Lockwood
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Mac OS X
    Dec 11, 2015 5:51 AM in response to John Lockwood

    I have a Verizon router & it was either in this forum or another Apple forum where I asked how to hook up an Airport to my router. The explanation might as well have been in some foreign language because I had no idea what they were referring to.

     

    Well, if the Airport is the only way that my laptop AND my mini can both access the Time Machine backup, then I'll have to learn how to hook up the Airport (which I haven't gotten yet) to my router.

     

    It seems to me that if an external Time Machine drive is connected directly to my mini that it's not on a network & is only accessible to my mini.