squidman
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Q: Load new Time Capsule with T.M. backup?

I have a late 2013 27" iMac running OS X El Capitan, version 10.11.6, with a new 3TB Time Capsule. In the process of upgrading my original model A1470, 2 tb Time Machine I clumsily managed to detach the hard drive ribbon cable from the circuit board end rather than simply pulling off the rubberized plug on the 2 TB hard drive itself. That Time Capsule is therefore effectively useless now. I installed the working original drive containing my TM backups in a USB 3 case with the intention of transferring its contents to my new Time Capsule. When the original drive mounts, it shows as 3 partitions(?), labelled: APconfig; APswap; and Data. "Data" holds 84.46 gb of data, in folders "Backups.backupdb" and "ShareRoot. The remaining partitions are essentially empty- APconfig with a single file "AFP.reconect_keys" at 24 bytes and a total content of 15.6 mb and APswap with no files containing 15.3 mb.

 

How do I use this original TC hard drive to load my Time Machine backups onto my NEW 3 tb Time Capsule? I have only found out how to load a T.C. from an archive file on hard disk, but not from original TC files.

 

All ideas will be appreciated.

Posted on Aug 22, 2016 7:19 AM

by Tesserax,Solvedanswer
Tesserax Tesserax
Level 9 (54,906 points)
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A:

What you are, effectively, now trying to do is to copy/move an existing "network" Time Machine backup from a local disk to another network drive (aka, your new Time Capsule).

 

Basically, Time Machine uses a different backup format with local drives vs. network drives. You now have a "network format" backup on a local drive. Time Machine will not be able to use this "local" backup, as is, because it is not in a "local format." Sorry, if that sounds confusing. It was confusing for me just to write it.

 

One method that might have worked would be to clone the backup, but this only works when both backups will be "local format" ones.

 

Worst case, I would recommend that you just start a new backup and use the old one as an archive.

Posted on Aug 22, 2016 3:25 PM

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Q: Load new Time Capsule with T.M. backup?

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  • by Tesserax,Solvedanswer

    Tesserax Tesserax Aug 22, 2016 3:25 PM in response to squidman
    Level 9 (54,906 points)
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    Aug 22, 2016 3:25 PM in response to squidman

    What you are, effectively, now trying to do is to copy/move an existing "network" Time Machine backup from a local disk to another network drive (aka, your new Time Capsule).

     

    Basically, Time Machine uses a different backup format with local drives vs. network drives. You now have a "network format" backup on a local drive. Time Machine will not be able to use this "local" backup, as is, because it is not in a "local format." Sorry, if that sounds confusing. It was confusing for me just to write it.

     

    One method that might have worked would be to clone the backup, but this only works when both backups will be "local format" ones.

     

    Worst case, I would recommend that you just start a new backup and use the old one as an archive.

  • by squidman,Helpful

    squidman squidman Aug 22, 2016 3:32 PM in response to Tesserax
    Level 1 (8 points)
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    Aug 22, 2016 3:32 PM in response to Tesserax

    Thank you Tesserax. I was afraid what you indicated was the case.

    How about this though- remove the new 3 TB from the new T.C. and replace it with the 2 TB drive from the ow unusable TC and make an archival copy of the TM files to my local 6 tb drive. If that is possible I could then restore the archive to the new TC after re-mounting the 3 TB drive that came with it.

  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Aug 22, 2016 4:10 PM in response to squidman
    Level 9 (53,011 points)
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    Aug 22, 2016 4:10 PM in response to squidman

    This should not be as difficult as you are making it.

     

    I plugged a TC disk into a Mac

     

    The sparsebundle is easy to see.. do not open it .. copy it as is.

     

    Screen Shot 2016-08-23 at 9.09.45 AM.png

  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Aug 22, 2016 4:07 PM in response to squidman
    Level 9 (54,906 points)
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    Aug 22, 2016 4:07 PM in response to squidman

    In theory, that sounds plausible, but I have no way to verify that it would actually work to offer you any assurances. You do realize if you open the new TC that you will void its warranty so be careful how you proceed here.

     

    My other concern is that Time Machine backups, to my understanding, are tied to hardware address (aka, MAC address) of the source device. I don't know if they are also tied to the destination's hardware address as well. If they are, then Time Machine will see the swapped drives backup is now in a new container and will just start a new one. Again, sorry, I have no way to verify this. Maybe someone else here at the ASC has a much deeper technical knowledge that they can share with us both.

     

    You may find that getting an appointment at a Genius Bar at your local Apple Store may be able to clear any of this up as well.

  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Aug 22, 2016 4:29 PM in response to Tesserax
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    Aug 22, 2016 4:29 PM in response to Tesserax

    You should be able to copy the sparsebundle without any problems. Normally you can move the sparsebundle from one TC to another.. that is Apple authorised.

     

    Time Machine: How to transfer backups from a current backup drive to a new backup drive - Apple Support

     

    So there is no fundamental problem in identification of the destination.

     

    The OP should be able to see the sparsebundle on the disk without needing to open it.

     

    To OP your old TC should still work as a Airport Extreme but it will have a disk fault which is not a major issue.

     

    I definitely would not open your new one.

  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Aug 22, 2016 5:04 PM in response to LaPastenague
    Level 9 (54,906 points)
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    Aug 22, 2016 5:04 PM in response to LaPastenague

    Hmm, I thought that link was only when both drives were local drives, not network ones. I guess I was overthinking it because I was "stuck" on the OP's use of the original TC drive that he placed in a USB case that would still contain the backup in a sparsebundle format.

     

    Some notes I took earlier had the format for network drives as: /Volumes/<volume_name>/<computer_name + MAC address>.sparseimage ... but I see that they are now actually: /Volumes/<volume_name>/<computer_name>.sparsebundle

     

    Looks like I need to update my notes ... sorry to the OP for my adding to the confusion.

  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Aug 22, 2016 5:11 PM in response to squidman
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    Aug 22, 2016 5:11 PM in response to squidman

    LaPastenague to the rescue!

     

    Sorry to have confused you. His recommendation to copy the sparsebundle from the USB drive to your new TC is a sound one and far simpler. Not sure if you can retract and award him the Solved but that's where it really should go.

  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Aug 22, 2016 5:11 PM in response to Tesserax
    Level 9 (53,011 points)
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    Aug 22, 2016 5:11 PM in response to Tesserax

    My link was in the middle of driving my son to the station. Sorry it is reference for local drives.

     

    Here is the TC move backup info.

     

    How to move Time Machine backups from one AirPort Time Capsule to another - Apple Support

     

    Sometimes USB drive cases have strange effects on data on the drive. ie they don't all read the disk the same way.

     

    But you can definitely copy sparsebundle as is.

     

    And it should work ok. Although IMHO moving sparsebundle is only necessary if there is desperately important backup info you need.. otherwise it is better to just start a new clean backup.

  • by squidman,

    squidman squidman Aug 22, 2016 6:52 PM in response to LaPastenague
    Level 1 (8 points)
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    Aug 22, 2016 6:52 PM in response to LaPastenague

    Thanks to you again Tesserax and to you LaPastenague. I now have something simple to try and failing that I can start over with TM backups. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

     

    Regards, Squidman