Using Time Capsule to backup a small office network

Hi all,
I am hoping somebody may be able to tell me if this is a good plan or not. I have been really struggling to find a good network backup solution. I've been trying to make a Lacie Ethernet Disc Mini work but have finally given up on that one.
I am trying to find a simple solution to backup a network of 5 macs. 1 is currently plugged straight into my router, another router port extends to switch in another building which has 4 further macs along with other network devices connected. Crucially, there is no wireless access from this building to the router.
Would all macs backup to the Time Capsule, including those that are wired via the switch? If so, at what speed? I have heard suggestions that it can be a very slow process?
I'm not worried about any kind of streaming - purely a good backup device.
All advice very gratefully received,
Regards
Richard

Hi Richard,
I have a small business and chose to use Time Capsule as a backup for my company's network. We have 12 workstations and use all Macs, some wireless and some not. I'm an experienced Mac sys admin and have setup many networks, including designing and installing the network we currently have, which is driven by a Leopard Server.
Based on a year of experience working with Apple's newest airport extreme and capsule products, I would not use them in business and am moving towards a wireless network hd using Carbon Copy Cloner as my software. This is due in part to numerous calls to Apple for support on these items, having to reset them dozens of times, and being told by Apple support that using these products for business is not recommended.
Carbon Copy Cloner is a great tool for a backup, especially for workstations, as you can create partitions for each computer on your HD and CCC will create *bootable* backups of your HD - a great lifesaver if a computer fails and you don't have time to reinstall everything.
I will be putting the capsule and extreme devices on Craigslist for sale and hope to recoup enough to get the wireless network drive, which my research shows is the best way to get network backup solutions for small business.
I hope this helps.

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    moskovit wrote:
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  • Using Time Capsule for backup storage as well as Time Machine back-up

    Just set up Time Capsule and used Time Machine to back up files. All working OK with new backups as well, but I need to transfer files from an external hard drive to Time Capsule.
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    1. "Use Disk Utility in your Applications > Utilities folder to check the format of the disk. Mac OS Extended (Journaled"
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  • How can I use Time Capsule for backups and an external hard drive?

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    1. Mount the Time Capsule as a drive and drag the application over to it. If the application requires system components, those won't be transferred; if those are only data files, you may be able to drag them over as well and then create a symlink or alias to a folder enclosing their current location.
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    (66649)

  • Using time capsule to backup pc

    Can I backup my Windows 7 machine to the Time Capsule?

    Every backup software .. there are thousand of them.. that can support network drives will work.
    On pro or ultimate even .. shudder.. MSBackup.. shudder will work. Apparently MS removed network backup from low end versions of home.. for what reason who knows..
    Almost all commercial backup software works.
    Look up reviews for the best backup software.
    A freebie.. Macrium Reflect.. works very well. But you have to pay to do incremental backups.. it will do full disk images though.. for free.
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    Set workgroup correctly in file sharing.
    Load the airport utility or at least bonjour for windows in the PC.

  • How to Use Time Capsule to Backup Three Computers?

    Hello,
    I just unwrapped my new Time Capsule today, and am starting to set it up. I did all the AirPort Utility stuff, and the Wi-Fi is working great. I now know how to set up Time Machine on my computer, but I need to know how to get Time Machine on three computers. I don't know if I have to partition or what, so may I have instructions please? Thank you!
    C h r i s t o p h

    Oh that's an easy one. Simply install the TimeCapsule software onto each of the computers you plan to back up. Once installed, you will be able to use the same set-up from your computer, select the Airport Extreme Time Capsule, and begin the back up.
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  • Using Time Capsule as a second, separate wifi network?

    I hope someone can solve this little riddle that I've been mucking around with for a couple of days now.
    I have an existing wireless network, connected to the internet via an old Belkin wireless modem/router.  I have an iMac and various other devices successfully connected to this Belkin network.  But the other day I purchased a HD media player to stream vidoes, etc from my iMac to my TV.  The problem is that the media player won't connect to the Belkin wireless network no matter what I try. 
    I also have a Time Capsule that I use solely as a back-up disk, connected via ethernet cable directly to my iMac, with wifi switched off.  So I had the bright idea to use the TC to set up a wholly separate wifi network simply to connect the media player to my iMac,  Long story short, it kinda worked but ended up spiralling me into a whole world of pain with the TC which I've only just managed to correct.
    Basically I was in fact able to connect the media player to the TC wifi network but was only able to navigate my way to the Time Capsule itself, not to the actual iMac.  So I aborted but that's when all the trouble started; trying to switch off the wifi on the Time Capsule...!
    So my question comes down to this:  Is it possible to have the iMac connected to the internet via the Belkin wifi router/modem and also have the TC act as a secondary wifi network which is solely an access point for other devices to connect to the iMac?  Ideally the iMac might also then act as a gateway/proxy for the other devices to connect to the internet (but this is not critical, just an idea to possibly take full advantage of the capabilities of the new media player...).
    It sounds feasible to me but I think I'm getting a little out of my depth...

    If the Belkin is acting as a modem, put it in bridge mode and turn off its wifi, connect the TC to it via Ethernet cable, set up PPPoE on the TC to connect to your ISP and use the TC as the router for everything on your LAN.

  • Using Time Capsule to backup external hard drives

    Has anyone tried backing up external hard drive to TC? I've only been able to tell TC to NOT backup my drives, not TO back them up. Any help? Thanks

    I have the same question - can you get the TC to backup any external drives mounted from the USB port? I've just installed the TC in my network with a USB hub connecting a printer and a WD external drive. All my MAC's and a windows PC can see them. I just haven't seen a way to get the TC to backup the WD drive.
    Thanks,
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