Replacing dead time capsule in my network

When my TC died, I decided to try a fresh start with a (new) WD MyPassport 2tb USB3 drive to function in place of the TC drive, connected via a (new) Linksys router into the network. First, I hooked the USB3 drive directly to my iMac and set it up with Time Machine as a backup drive. So it's set up and that shows its compatible w TM.

Did you happen to let TM start the first backup to this USB drive while it was connected directly to your Mac? If so, you need to know that TM uses a different format for backups for directly connected drives vs. network drives. If you did, and then, tried using it while connected to the Linksys router, may be the reason that TM is not "finding" it.

I consider LaPastenague our community expert when it comes to Time Machine (and other things) so since he's joined us, I would like for him to see what he would recommend going forward so as not to overwhelm you with "too much advice." 😉

Then moved it out of my office to connect via the Linksys (EA7300 has a USB3 port, which is why I bought it

I will need to check specs on the model but there is a good chance that Time Machine cannot use it over network.

Tesserax made important point.. formatting and configuring the USB on the computer.. while showing it works for Time Machine is not going to make it work in the network.. Time Machine has very specific requirements.

How do I get Finder to locate the drive?

Go/ Connect to server /browse, use search in Finder window, some other way?

Unfortunately the method is dependent on the router.. but you should be able to use the method you suggested.. Go.. connect to server.

Type SMB://192.168.1.1 (replace with the actual IP address of the Linksys)

Then supply the password you setup for admin or disk access.. etc.

To setup the storage.. you need to follow the following article.

https://www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=142291

The method should be the same for my Linksys WRT1200 as your EA7300.. I suspect you will end up in the same situation that Time Machine is simply not compatible.

Did you update the firmware on the linksys to the latest.. that is always well worth the effort??

It could be possible to get CCC to work.. I did not take my experiment that far last time as I was trying to test for Time Machine only.

This will take 60min or so but I will break out the linksys and get back to you.

This article suggests TM is not working.

Time Machine Setup on WRT1900ACS - Linksys Community

Did you archive the data from the Time Capsule (TC) to this USB drive BEFORE the TC failed? ... or did you just copy the data to the drive? ... or something else?

Time Machine (TM) can make backups to network drives, but not all of them may be compatible. It may depend on how TM "see" this USB drive that is being shared from the Linksys router. The other issue is if you are using both a Zyxel and the Linksys routers in the same network configuration, then we will need to know more about how they are configured to work in your local network.

I can see why my experiment on Linksys stopped..

Got the setup working but it fails almost as soon as it starts.

Time Machine will not work at all.

CCC did recognise the disk as valid backup destination but it still never gets even close to finishing.

TC hard disk has always had 3 partitions.. It is very typical of disks in every device now.. same in your Mac the drive has recovery boot partition which is hidden. They are minimal size..in 2TB drive the min size partition is 1.07GB so you lose 2GB out of 2000GB.. And when the disk is not present the same thing is created in memory to hold files that are required in operation. much smaller of course because the memory size is so much smaller. APswap and APconfig.

See Upgrade & Partition TC internal hard disk - info howto

And then... the "may be overheating" warning came up again in Airport Utility on the TC withing minutes of turning it on

The overheat stops the TC internal disk working.. not the other way around.

I don't blame the genius.. Apple tell everybody the min they require to do their jobs. It is just that I have played extensively with the insides of TC.

Repair AC version Time Capsule or Extreme - LaPastenague

I am also pretty sure you have a dead sensor.. or faulty power supply..

Anyway .. it should continue to work as a router even in overheat condition. Apple turned off the hard disk during overheat as that would greatly contribute to heat load.. I have managed lately to get around it.. since the actual overheat warning is faulty sensor.

So buying a fresh drive to put into the TC would likely be a waste of time (sigh)

Yes.. it would be a waste.

And I would not recommend extensive repairs of the Gen5 TC. It is very delicate. And the plugs and sockets not really designed for robust usage.

(I have a second backup done by a still working 3rd gen TC).

Gen3 is perhaps the best TC they made. Except it used a samsung pinpoint 1TB drive.

It has occasional strange faults.. but they are rare.. the Gen4 has a much more common soldering fault. But if you want a TC for backup in your basement.. let me recommend you up size the drive in the Gen3. They are much easier units to work on.. a 2 or 3TB green drive will do wonders to it. Turn off the wireless.. and just use it on the network for storage. I bought a couple of cheap second hand Gen4 to do exactly that. One I have fitted with alternative power supply and 5TB drive. All there on my website if you like to take a look. Mind you I needed to bake one of the boards.. but that is so successful I have no problems still recommending it.

Apple should write up some recommendations as they are leaving us in the lurch by discontinuing the whole product line. Sorry, but "backup in the cloud" isn't an answer for me.

I agree about the cloud. It is not a great solution for a disk failure in the Mac.

Let me suggest a few things.. long experience on these threads about the airports.

1. A number of us here have moved to Synology NAS.

Synology support for Time Machine is excellent. The reliability is as good as the TC.

The cost is a factor. It is certainly a major outlay and IMHO you do need some justification other than backup.. ie using it for file server, iTunes server etc.

Big advantage over TC is speed. Even low end Synology is going to basically saturate gigabit now.

Cheap end NAS do not offer the reliability. Others like QNAP might be equally good.. I just prefer the Synology interface.

You need a router (non-Apple into the future) to go with the NAS of course but that is now a given.

2. USB drive on a router.

While USB 3 is now available on most high end routers and speeds have improved a lot.. most are designed for PC work and use NTFS disks. Only a handful will support HFS+ and Time Machine.

I have Asus router which I have now tested extensively.

It works pretty well. As long as you are prepared to wipe out the backup and start over a few times a year. It fails long term. It can also be very finicky. If Time Machine backup is really just for immediate recovery it could well be good enough. Long term backup that some people are after then no..

Also strange things happen.. latest firmware update of the Asus has caused a strange new twist in the story.

See Re: Time Capsule Replacement

People have suggested the Synology router.. I guess on the basis of similar firmware to the Synology NAS. My reading of it is very little long term testing has been undertaken. What I do see is very slow speeds. Synology are not a router manufacturer in the main.. they might do better to stick to NASes.

3. For the DIYer. A gen3 or gen4 TC setup purely for backup is no bad idea.

They are well built but even the newest gen4 is now 5 years old so lifespan is pushing it. However the DIYer by replacing hard disk when necessary, power supply and capacitors and oven baking can probably keep them going for another few years. Cost is now very reasonable.. $50 or so.. and I would not pay more. The problem is Gen5 TC are not very repair friendly. Actual hard disk speed btw in Gen 5 is not much different to Gen4. The speed tests by Tesserax hold pretty much for either model.

AirPort Disk - Throughput Testing

4. Apple have moved in High Sierra to bring network TM backup in Server extensions into all versions. You can setup a cheap end mini say (2012 version for USB3) with plenty of disk space and should be well supported. In the end I would say this is not a lot cheaper than the Synology. And is basically the same thing.

5. Use multiple USB drives plugged directly into your computer and rotate them.. keep one off site. This is really the best way now with TM unreliability to network drives. But it does mean end user constant involvement in swapping the drives over. USB is fastest cheapest and most reliable with TM now.

6. Get away from Time Machine.

The alternative a lot of us here use is Carbon Copy Cloner.

A small company that does specialise has a lot more clues about what is going on.

See for example their testing of APFS.

macOS may lose data on APFS-formatted disk images | Carbon Copy Cloner | Bombich Software

I get the distinct impression Apple is not testing TM extensively and even the major Mac journals are noticing.

https://www.macworld.com/article/3170844/

Let me add.. I am extremely disappointed in the Linksys.

I might try flashing it with a third party.. but more likely will get rid of it.

I tried to put as much accumulated background and knowledge into this as possible.. so it is fairly long.

And represents my views.. today.

*Any particular pro con on SuperDuper vs. CCC?

As long as you are creating a bootable clone with SuperDuper then it is virtually identical. At the time I needed to pick between them, CCC was able to backup from network source to network target.. SuperDuper was not able to do it.

The whole idea with backup to USB drive .. unless you are using Time Machine is to make a bootable clone.. which makes the backup pretty much instantly testable.

All this time i never thought to verify a backup on it

This is the problem with TM.. even using the verify it still is no proof that it has backed up all your files. Lots of times people find the backup is missing vital bits.. photos, itunes library, messages or emails.

Doing a bootable clone on USB.. boot from it.. instantly able to test the integrity of the backup.. and you can open emails, check iTunes, etc.. takes only a few minutes.

*If in future I’m replacing a drive on a used TC (so questionable to use the drive it comes with not knowing its history). Is it worth the extra expense for an “enterprise” drive that offers a 5 year warrantee vs typical 1-2 yr warrantees?

This is the typical debate war on forums.. seagate vs WD vs HGST vs whatever..

Everyone has their sob story.. filled a NAS with drive XYZ and they all died within a few days just outside warranty.

Unfortunately bad batches of drives happen all the time.

So here is my take on it.

1. TC is very compact and offers little cooling.. so stick with low power consumption drives as far as possible.. using 5400rpm drives will not affect speed at all.. they are processor bound.

Almost all domestic drives are now low consumption .. they used to be a different category but really all drives in this sector are low power. Watch the spin up current though. Even low power drives use a decent current for spin up. The power supply in the TC is under rated for high demand.

2. Enterprise drives can run very hot.. their idle current use might be almost the same as in use.. and they may be very slow to go into a sleep mode. The idea is high availability.. ie drives do not spin down so are pretty much instantly ready. That is required in a file server in corporation but not a TC at home.

3. I was never impressed by Apple's claim to server standard drives in the TC. The original 500GB drive in Gen1 TC was Seagate ES series.. the 1TB was standard Hitachi. Fact is the Hitachi was superior drive.. I have them from 2008 that still work.. they rattle and the bearings are shot.. but they still run.. amazing.

Second series used WD black.. they died right on warranty.. poor drives. (speaking in general terms)

Third series used Samsung Spinpoint.. not bad.. they are slow and alot will now be dead.. so worth replacement.

Last of them had 2TB WD green.. and amazingly the WD green have been pretty solid.

Gen4 all used 2TB and 3TB WD green.. drive failures do occur but overall they turned out pretty solid.. Apple still used SATA2 version when SATA3 was available. So they stuck to the known good ones. The last Gen4 made 2013 could have HGST drive.. which are later Hitachi (now split between WD and Toshiba). Excellent drive.

So much for server standard..

What surprised me was the move back to Seagate in the latest one.. those drives have the worst reputation on the market.. they seldom failed in the TC.. did apple get the top cut drives.. like the top cut monitor panels that go into the iMac etc??

When I opened up TC and found WD green and low end Seagate I was not impressed. Against my early doubts.. they do seem to last very well in the TC.. so I doubt you are going to gain much spending the extra on enterprise level drives.

4. I have recently bought Toshiba Enterprise drives.. so called.

Not perhaps as good as the original Hitachi they derive from .. but a good balance if you buy from stores that sell them bulk. (For server and NAS installs.. they often come out cheaper that standard WD Red.)

Power consumption not too high.. run a bit hotter. Within limits of the TC.

No two people will have the same opinion and it is a debate not worth pursuing.

The main thing is to backup.. to several different drives.. from different batches and different sources. Trust none!!

One last slightly angled to topic question - I had an old hockey puck Apple Express hooked up to my sound system to play iTunes. It worked well for many years with an occasional stutter. Recently they put the newer ones on sale so i plunked down the hundred bucks and got one. It worked great at first but since i messed around with my network dealing w the failing TC, it somehow crashes the network each time i plug in its ethernet cable. My guess us it somehow assigns 5e same etherne5 address as some other device, but thats just a guess. I’ve reset it but to no avail. *Any thoughts on whats going on or what to try?

When you setup the Airport Express they have a tendency to go into Extend wireless mode..

If you then plug in ethernet it will crash out the network. The ethernet link loops through wireless link and just like feedback when the microphone gain is set to high in a building .. packets start going around and around.. until it crashed.

Setup the Express.. whatever way you normally do.. usually do it extend by wireless.. so in your case sitting next to your Gen3 TC.. once it completes configuration..

Open the airport utility and set wireless to create a wireless network.. not extend. Use same SSID and password as the TC.. or linksys (if you want roaming network) update it. Then and only then plug it into ethernet from your main router or TC.. it should work fine.

Start another thread if you keep having trouble.. it is really a different sort of setup.. and we might need to get a whole lot more network info if you still have issues.

I tested a WRT1200AC .. it is not compatible with Time Machine.

What model do you have and does it have the correct add on for Time Machine?

Plug HFS+ formatted drive into the Linksys .. can it be seen over the network.. if so there is a good chance Carbon Copy Cloner can use it.. much less fussy than Time Machine.

Airport Utility is specific to Airport Routers.. no way you will ever see it.

Much more important is that Finder can locate the shared drive.