Time machine backup

[memilanuk]

Are there any special requirements (file system, formatting, etc.) as far as using a NAS as a storage volume for Apple Time Machine backup?

I have a Macbook and Macbook Pro in the house and rather than shuffling back and forth with portable USB drives I'd like to either a) cobble together a FreeNAS box with two big drives in a RAID 1 array, or b) purchase one of the consumer-grade NAS boxen and stuff two similar drives in there for the same effect.

Thanks,

Monte

 

[thiggins]

The NAS has to specifically spec support for Time Machine. If it doesn't, you can't use it.

 

[memilanuk]

Hello Tim,

What is it that is special that Time Machine requires? It seems to handle garden variety usb drives like a Passport drive with no problem (albeit one that has been formatted HFS+...). Is it something that can be added to a BSD/Linux based server, a settings change, etc.?

TIA,

Monte

 

[HDClown]

There is nothing special about Time Machine over the network, it's just the way apple designed it to use a certain protocol to allow use of TimeMachine without the file system on the device being formatted as HFS+

There is a basic change you can make in OSX in terminal to allow the use of ANY network drives with Time Machine. It does require the network drive being formatted a certain way (HFS+ file system), so that network drive is really only natively usable by OSX if you do this.

http://safalra.com/other/time-machine-network-drive/