I have a DROBO 5N network drive that I've been using to back up my MackBook Air using Time Machine. The only problem is that on a fairly regular basis I get a message from Time Machine that says it cannot verify the backup and needs to start from scratch.
Has anyone use an alternate backup program that uses a network drive and can do incremental backups like Time Machine? I don't mind paying for it.
Thanks
Alan
MacBook Air, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)
There’s nothing quite like TimeMachine but there are several good backup programs that archive files that have been changed since the last backup. I like ChronoSync and DataBackup. I’ve used both but for my purposes I like ChronoSync a little better to that’s the one I’m using now. Both will back up to a mounted network drive and both can be set to keep archives of changed files.
One caveat: while I use ChronoSync to back up to a NAS I’m not using it as a source for using Migration Assistant to restore my iMac. I decided that wasn’t a good solution. Instead, I back up data only to the NAS and I use a local USB 3 drive for keeping a TimeMachine backup.
There’s nothing quite like TimeMachine but there are several good backup programs that archive files that have been changed since the last backup. I like ChronoSync and DataBackup. I’ve used both but for my purposes I like ChronoSync a little better to that’s the one I’m using now. Both will back up to a mounted network drive and both can be set to keep archives of changed files.
One caveat: while I use ChronoSync to back up to a NAS I’m not using it as a source for using Migration Assistant to restore my iMac. I decided that wasn’t a good solution. Instead, I back up data only to the NAS and I use a local USB 3 drive for keeping a TimeMachine backup.
Hello English Rebel,
Many NAS devices advertise compatibility with Time Machine. But they all use the same, flaky, open-source Apple share protocol. Sometimes the code they use is over a decade old.
If you want wireless backups, the only reliable solution is a genuine Apple Time Capsule.
Time Capsule does not have redundancy. My DROBO can take up to five 5TB drives.
Alan
BTW I wonder if it's because DROBO used SHARES to create a separate area for my MBAir and MacPro?
Thanks I'll look into that. I do have a 1TB USB 3 hard drive that I used to use for Time Machine before I got the NAS so I'll do a full Time Machine backup to it and keep it if I ever need to do a complete restore.
I assume in that case I would boot to the USB drive, restore from there and then recover my personal data by entering Time Machine and restoring the latest backup from there.
Thanks
Alan
I concur with etresoft on his recommendation against the use of NAS for backup of Macs.
I have had to help a number of user move their backups from NAS to storage systems that are recommended by Apple after their backups to NAS became corrupted. There are just to many problems when NAS are used for backup.
Hello again English Rebel,
You could plug an external RAID into the USB expansion port on the Time Capsule and use that. But if you really need that level of non-consumer redundancy, you might be better off with OS X Server, which includes a Time Machine service.
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