A Guide to Using Apple Time Machine and your NAS
Apple Time MachineĀ is aĀ backup softwareĀ application included with macOS operating systemĀ from Apple. The software is designed to work with their range of AirPort Time Capsule devices, theĀ Wi-Fi routerĀ with built-inĀ hard disk (which apple are pulling out of), as well as other internal and external disk drives connected via USB and Thunderbolt. It was introduced inĀ Mac OS X Leopard quite a few years ago and has become a backup essential for Mac users worldwide. With the growth of popularity in NAS devices from Synology and 3rd party clouds like Google Drive, Amazon Drive and CrashPlan it has become a common requirement to store backup images of a Mac system off-site.
How Does Apple Time Machine Backup My Files
Time Machine creates incremental backups of files that can be restored at a later date.Ā It allows the user to restore the whole system or specific files from the Recovery HD or the macOS Install DVD. It works withinĀ Mail,Ā iWork,Ā iLife, and several other compatible programs, making it possible to restore individual objects (e.g. emails, photos, contacts, calendar events) without leaving the application. Likewise, storing data on a SynologyĀ NAS uses the same system of file transfer, but changes to transfer protocol (the way files are sent) from internally to externally. According to an Apple support statement:
āTime Machine is a backup utility, not an archival utility, it is not intended as offline storage. Time Machine captures the most recent state of your data on your disk. As snapshots age, they are prioritized progressively lower compared to your more recent ones.ā
For backups to a Synology NAS drive, Time Machine allows the user to back up Mac computers over the network and supports backing up to certainĀ network attached storageĀ devices or servers, depending on the version of Time Machine. Earlier versions worked with a wide variety of NAS servers, but later versions require the server to support a recent version of AppleāsĀ Apple Filing Protocol (AFP), and Time Machine no longer works with servers using theĀ Server Message Block (SMB)Ā protocol typical for Windows servers. I am pleased to say that Apple time machine is still supported on Synology NAS servers. Below I have detailed how to create time machine backups to a Synology network attached storage device in your environment.
Apple Time Machine and Synology NAS Guide
This article will guide you through the process of backing up data from your Mac OS X computer to a Synology DiskStation using Apple’sĀ Time Machine, a backup utility included in Mac OS X 10.5 and later.
Set up a Synology DiskStation to Support Time Machine
Before setting your DiskStation as the destination for Time Machine, you’ll need to login to DSM and change a few settings.
1. Create a shared folder for Time Machine backup
- Login to DSM with an account belonging to theĀ administrator’sĀ group.
- Go toĀ Control PanelĀ >Ā Shared FolderĀ and clickĀ CreateĀ to create a shared folder.
Enter a name for the shared folder (such as “Time Machine Folder”) and select a location (if multiple volumes exist). In this example, we’ll chooseĀ Volume 1.
Check theĀ Encrypt this shared folderĀ box and enter an encryption key if you would like to encrypt the shared folderĀ Time Machine Folder, and then clickĀ Next.
Configure advanced settings for the shared folder as you prefer, and then clickĀ Next
ClickĀ Apply
ClickĀ OK.
Now you should see the newly-created shared folder.
1.2 Create a user for Time Machine and set a Quota limit
- Go toĀ Control PanelĀ >Ā UserĀ and clickĀ Create.
Enter a username (such as “Time Machine User”) and specify a password. Then clickĀ Next.
ClickĀ Next.
Make sure this user is assigned read/write permission toĀ Time Machine Folder, and clickĀ OK.
In this example, we’ll back up data toĀ Time Machine Folder. However, we don’t want the backup to use up your space, so we’ll specify a usage quota. On theĀ User quota settingĀ page, enter a value you prefer in theĀ QuotaĀ field and select aĀ UnitĀ from the drop-down menu. For example, we’ll set a quota of 200 GB forĀ Time Machine Folder. After specifying a quota, clickĀ Next.
ClickĀ Next.
ClickĀ Next.
ClickĀ Apply.
Now we should have a user calledĀ Time Machine User.
1.3 Set the shared folder as Time Machine’s backup target
- Go toĀ Control PanelĀ >Ā File Services.
Find theĀ AFPĀ section on theĀ SMB/AFP/NFSĀ tab, and check theĀ Enable AFP serviceĀ box.
Go to theĀ AdvancedĀ tab, check theĀ Enable Bonjour Time Machine broadcast via AFPĀ box, and click on theĀ Set Time Machine FoldersĀ button.
Choose the shared folder you just created from theĀ Time MachineĀ menu, and clickĀ ApplyĀ to save settings.
Action a Time Machine Backup to your Synology NAS
This section will show you how to configure Time Machine to set DiskStation’s shared folder as the backup destination. This process allows Time Machine to easily locate your DiskStation on the local area network and regard it as the backup disk. When the setup is complete, Time Machine will be able to start backing up data to the DiskStation.
2.1 Connect to your NAS server
- On your Mac, clickĀ GoĀ in the top menu bar, and selectĀ Connect to Server.
Enter the address of your NAS server. Use AFP or SMB according to your setting in the step 1.3.2. After specifying the address, clickĀ Connect.
Enter your account credentials, and clickĀ Connect.
SelectĀ Time Machine FolderĀ from the list, and then clickĀ OK.
2.2 Configure Time Machine to set DiskStation as its backup disk
- On your Mac, openĀ System PreferencesĀ from the Dock, and clickĀ Time Machine.
- Check theĀ Back Up AutomaticallyĀ box, and clickĀ Select Disk.
Choose the shared folder you created, which isĀ Time Machine FolderĀ in this case, and then clickĀ Use Disk.
The system will prompt you to provide your account credentials. Enter the username and password of the user you just created, and clickĀ Connect.
- Time Machine will start backing up data soon after.
3. More Information on Apple Time Machine
If you would like to learn more about Time Machine, you can consultĀ Apple’s Time Machine supportĀ page.
IMPORTANT Things to Remember
- I recommended you set a quota to prevent Time Machine from occupying your entire NAS storage space. In general, the quota should be at least two or three times the size of your Mac’s hard drive or the amount of data to be backed up. Then you can maintain versions or different devices adequately.
- Only on models that support the Btrfs file system can users set usage quotas for individual folders. If your NAS server only supports the EXT4 system, you can only set a usage quota for the entire volume.
- (For more techie users) Time Machine supports both SMB and AFP. For macOS Sierra and later, Time Machine uses SMB, instead of AFP, as the default protocol.
- (For more techie users) If you want to back up your files via SMB, please go to theĀ SMBĀ section on the same tab, and check theĀ Enable SMB serviceĀ box.
- (For more techie users) If you chose to use SMB in the step 1.3.2, please check theĀ Enable Bonjour Time Machine broadcast via SMBĀ box instead. Choose the shared folder you just created and clickĀ Apply. Then clickĀ YesĀ in the popup window to confirm and save your settings.
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