Accessing user's local Time Machine backup on client Mac?

I'm trying to configure a file server with backup for local Macs.
I've set up file sharing, users and groups in Server.app and it works as intended – after logging to the server, users see their home folders and other shared folders where they store their files.
The idea is to use Time Machine backups on the server Mac. I've enabled it on the server and used a separate hard drive. It works well, and I can enter the Time machine from the server.
Now, is it possible for users on client Macs connected to and working on the server volume to access Time Machine backups of their files?
Thanks!

Yes, I'm using OS X Mavericks Server. There's a shared volume "Design Work" where clients keep their files. It's backed up to a separate volume "Backup" via Time Machine. What I would like to do is to let clients access Time Machine backup of their files (stored on "Design Work" volume on the server) without the need to physically go to the server computer. Is that at all possible?
I've tried to follow this instruction but it doesn't seem to work. I can select the shared TM backup from a client via "browse other backup disks" option but I can't see the files on "Design Work" share, just local files.

Similar Messages

Cannot access user data in Time Machine backup

I had some corrupt files on my iMac and after a lot of troubleshooting I had to do a clean install of OS X.
I had a Time Machine backup of the Mac with the corrupt files so I did not use the migration tool. I just want to get the files off my desktop and some other user files (/user/userX/desktop) from the backup.
When I go into the Time Machine backup to restore anything in the User folder; I get access denied.
Is there a way to take ownership of that folder? I need this data.
Message was edited by: Tom515

Strongly suggest erasing, reinstalling the OS, and using the migration tool. Resolves all such permissions and access issues.

Local Time Machine Backups

hello,
I would like to save space on my disk and not having local time machine backups.
I would like to use time machine only with my external archive disk.
can anybody help me?
I'm using Lion 10.7.2

Open the Terminal in the Utilities folder and enter or paste the appropriate command line. Press RETURN and enter your admin password when prompted. It will not be echoed.
To turn them ON: sudo tmutil enablelocal
To turn them OFF: sudo tmutil disablelocal
Note that turning them OFF will also delete all existing snapshots.

Migration problem: migration assistant won't migrate both user accounts from time machine backup

My Mac was formatted due to some technical issues. Before handing to the lab- I backed it up using time machine ( and only that ).
I had two user accounts on the Mac before handing it to the lab.
One of them I never actually used -I'll call it the secondary.
The second one was the main one - which I used all the time - the principal account. All my data is there on that account.
The Mac was formatted at the lab.
Using the setup assistant I migrated one user from the Time Machine Backup.
Only later I realized it was actually the account I never used.
Since I never used it - I couldn't remember the login password and had to reset it, took a while.
I then tried to to migrate the principal account - the one I actually wanted to migrate, in the fist place, during the setup procedure - using the migration assistant.
At the relevant window I tick the principal account- the mac does some thinking and then in the login window my only options are the secondary account and guest account, the principal account is not to be seen.
I'm really really stressed and worried.
BTW -when looking into the actual external disk used for the Time Machine at this path: computer name--> backups-->macintosh HD -->users--> principal account - I see all the folders and files with a 'no entry' icon next to them.
clicking on the folders - I get the following notice - 'the folder xxx can't be opened because you don't have permission to see the contents''
What's going on?
I'm running on a 2.9Ghz intel core i5
16GB RAM 1600MHz DDR3
SW version: 10.9.4
would appreciate any kind of help,
Thanks
Dana

thanks,
the thing is the Mac was behaving strangely - that's why I sent it to the lab in the first place.
This Mac is just over a year old but it's content was initially migrated from the older mac.
And it (the new Mac) wasn't working properly from the get go..
It took ages for it to start up and wouldn't start up if any external disk was attached (via USB).
I had to start it up and only then connect external disks.
In the lab - They couldn't find and HW issues.
So they formatted and reinstalled the OS - I think that's all they've sone in the lab
The idea was to start afresh and slowly reinstall softwares - only those necessary.
So, having said all that- does that change your answer?

Access my Time Machine backup with another Mac?

The HD on my 24" iMac just bit the dust and I am using my old eMac to try to get some work done while I wait for another. Fortunately, I have a Time Machine backup. Is it okay to access files off my Time Machine backup with my eMac, as long as I don't change anything? I don't want to mess up my backup before I can restore it to my new Mac.
<div class="mcePaste" id="_mcePaste" style="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;" mcestyle="position: absolute; left: -10000px; top: 0px; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;"></div>

Should be, if the eMac is running 10.5.x be sure to turn off TM backups though.

I have a mid2009 MacBook Pro for which I have been using a USB WD HD for Time Machine. I'd like to get a wireless HD and start a new Time Machine backup for this Mac and retire the 5 year old WD drive. Can I start over?

I have a mid2009 MacBook Pro running Mavericks for which I have been using a USB WD HD for Time Machine. I'd like to get a wireless HD and start a new Time Machine backup for this Mac and retire the 5 year old WD drive. Can I start over?

no archive/ backup is perfect, HD clones can be set to make incremental additions, same as time machine however, though they are more time involved in doing so.
See the + and - of all data backup/ archives below and "spread it around".... or the "dont put your eggs all in one basket" philosophy.
Peace
Data Storage Platforms; their Drawbacks & Advantages
#1. Time Machine / Time Capsule
Drawbacks:
1. Time Machine is not bootable, if your internal drive fails, you cannot access files or boot from TM directly from the dead computer.
2. Time machine is controlled by complex software, and while you can delve into the TM backup database for specific file(s) extraction, this is not ideal or desirable.
3. Time machine can and does have the potential for many error codes in which data corruption can occur and your important backup files may not be saved correctly, at all, or even damaged. This extra link of failure in placing software between your data and its recovery is a point of risk and failure. A HD clone is not subject to these errors.
4. Time machine mirrors your internal HD, in which cases of data corruption, this corruption can immediately spread to the backup as the two are linked. TM is perpetually connected (or often) to your computer, and corruption spread to corruption, without isolation, which TM lacks (usually), migrating errors or corruption is either automatic or extremely easy to unwittingly do.
5. Time Machine does not keep endless copies of changed or deleted data, and you are often not notified when it deletes them; likewise you may accidently delete files off your computer and this accident is mirrored on TM.
6. Restoring from TM is quite time intensive.
7. TM is a backup and not a data archive, and therefore by definition a low-level security of vital/important data.
8. TM working premise is a “black box” backup of OS, APPS, settings, and vital data that nearly 100% of users never verify until an emergency hits or their computers internal SSD or HD that is corrupt or dead and this is an extremely bad working premise on vital data.
9. Given that data created and stored is growing exponentially, the fact that TM operates as a “store-it-all” backup nexus makes TM inherently incapable to easily backup massive amounts of data, nor is doing so a good idea.
10. TM working premise is a backup of a users system and active working data, and NOT massive amounts of static data, yet most users never take this into consideration, making TM a high-risk locus of data “bloat”.
11. In the case of Time Capsule, wifi data storage is a less than ideal premise given possible wireless data corruption.
12. TM like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
13. *Level-1 security of your vital data.
Advantages:
1. TM is very easy to use either in automatic mode or in 1-click backups.
2. TM is a perfect novice level simplex backup single-layer security save against internal HD failure or corruption.
3. TM can easily provide a seamless no-gap policy of active data that is often not easily capable in HD clones or HD archives (only if the user is lazy is making data saves).
#2. HD archives
Drawbacks:
1. Like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
2. Unless the user ritually copies working active data to HD external archives, then there is a time-gap of potential missing data; as such users must be proactive in archiving data that is being worked on or recently saved or created.
Advantages:
1. Fills the gap left in a week or 2-week-old HD clone, as an example.
2. Simplex no-software data storage that is isolated and autonomous from the computer (in most cases).
3. HD archives are the best idealized storage source for storing huge and multi-terabytes of data.
4. Best-idealized 1st platform redundancy for data protection.
5. *Perfect primary tier and level-2 security of your vital data.
#3. HD clones (see below for full advantages / drawbacks)
Drawbacks:
1. HD clones can be incrementally updated to hourly or daily, however this is time consuming and HD clones are, often, a week or more old, in which case data between today and the most fresh HD clone can and would be lost (however this gap is filled by use of HD archives listed above or by a TM backup).
2. Like all HD-based data is subject to ferromagnetic and mechanical failure.
Advantages:
1. HD clones are the best, quickest way to get back to 100% full operation in mere seconds.
2. Once a HD clone is created, the creation software (Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper) is no longer needed whatsoever, and unlike TM, which requires complex software for its operational transference of data, a HD clone is its own bootable entity.
3. HD clones are unconnected and isolated from recent corruption.
4. HD clones allow a “portable copy” of your computer that you can likewise connect to another same Mac and have all your APPS and data at hand, which is extremely useful.
5. Rather than, as many users do, thinking of a HD clone as a “complimentary backup” to the use of TM, a HD clone is superior to TM both in ease of returning to 100% quickly, and its autonomous nature; while each has its place, TM can and does fill the gap in, say, a 2 week old clone. As an analogy, the HD clone itself is the brick wall of protection, whereas TM can be thought of as the mortar, which will fill any cracks in data on a week, 2-week, or 1-month old HD clone.
6. Best-idealized 2nd platform redundancy for data protection, and 1st level for system restore of your computers internal HD. (Time machine being 2nd level for system restore of the computer’s internal HD).
7. *Level-2 security of your vital data.
HD cloning software options:
1. SuperDuper HD cloning software APP (free)
2. Carbon Copy Cloner APP (will copy the recovery partition as well)
3. Disk utility HD bootable clone.
#4. Online archives
Drawbacks:
1. Subject to server failure or due to non-payment of your hosting account, it can be suspended.
2. Subject, due to lack of security on your part, to being attacked and hacked/erased.
Advantages:
1. In case of house fire, etc. your data is safe.
2. In travels, and propagating files to friends and likewise, a mere link by email is all that is needed and no large media needs to be sent across the net.
3. Online archives are the perfect and best-idealized 3rd platform redundancy for data protection.
4. Supremely useful in data isolation from backups and local archives in being online and offsite for long-distance security in isolation.
5. *Level-1.5 security of your vital data.
#5. DVD professional archival media
Drawbacks:
1. DVD single-layer disks are limited to 4.7Gigabytes of data.
2. DVD media are, given rough handling, prone to scratches and light-degradation if not stored correctly.
Advantages:
1. Archival DVD professional blank media is rated for in excess of 100+ years.
2. DVD is not subject to mechanical breakdown.
3. DVD archival media is not subject to ferromagnetic degradation.
4. DVD archival media correctly sleeved and stored is currently a supreme storage method of archiving vital data.
5. DVD media is once written and therefore free of data corruption if the write is correct.
6. DVD media is the perfect ideal for “freezing” and isolating old copies of data for reference in case newer generations of data become corrupted and an older copy is needed to revert to.
7. Best-idealized 4th platform redundancy for data protection.
8. *Level-3 (highest) security of your vital data.
[*Level-4 data security under development as once-written metallic plates and synthetic sapphire and likewise ultra-long-term data storage]
#6. Cloud based storage
Drawbacks:
1. Cloud storage can only be quasi-possessed.
2. No genuine true security and privacy of data.
3. Should never be considered for vital data storage or especially long-term.
4. *Level-0 security of your vital data.
Advantages:
1. Quick, easy and cheap storage location for simplex files for transfer to keep on hand and yet off the computer.
2. Easy source for small-file data sharing.

Restoring a time machine backup from a Mac mini to a new Mac mini server

Hi,
I just replaced a faulty Mac mini with a Mac mini server. I have a time machine backup of my Mac mini and want to transfer it over to the Mac mini. How do I do this?

This is a bit of a guess... But I Imagine you would have to start with the workstation OS install DVD first, and go from there at the appropriate point. Any chance you have or could make a CCC backup instead? I am assuming you could boot a mini server from a backup of mini non-server. Then you could copy it over. This is probably worth a phone call to Apple TAC

When I get to the select disk page it says that the HD is uesd as time machine drive. How can I remove time machine backup from my Mac.

I am tring to installe OS X Mavericks. When I get to the select disk page it says that the HD is uesd as time machine drive. How can I remove time machine backup from my Mac.

Open up your Finder and click on Go on the top menu bar. Select Computer and then double click Macintosh HD. In here delete the backup folder. Might be called backups.backupdb.

Can't access library folder on Time Machine Backup

I'll try to explain this as clearly as possible...
1) I have wiped my hard drive and completed a clean install of Mavericks. I did this due to persistant problems with disc permissions that I could not eliminate.
2) I did not want to take a chance on introducing problems with migrating a profile from my Time Machine backup so instead of using Migration Assistant, I used Finder to browse the Time Machine backup I made prior to reformatting my drive to simply copy all my necessary data files back onto the drive in my newly created profile.
3) I've reinstalled the majority of programs I use and everything is looking good (no disk permission problems when I've checked using Disk Utility).
4) Mail is working just find with all my accounts having been restored using my Apple ID.
Here's the problem....
I forgot that some of my mail had been stored on my local hard drive. I beleive this mail should be in my user/library/mail folder of my time machine backup. However, I cannot access my User/Library folder in Time Machine. I've tried opening my current (new) User/Library folder in Finder and then selecting "Browse Other Backup Discs" from the Time Machine icon and, although this opens the Time Machine backups, I cannot do any time travel...in other words, although there are many stacks of folders shown in the backup, I cannot move into the past from the present.
Any suggestions on how I can get this Mail folder out of the Time Machine user/library? I know there is some stuff there that I'm going to have to get to.
Thanks!

It woked to get me into my current User/Library of my "new" profile but I cannot move back in time into the actual backups despite the timeline increments on the right side of the screen in Time Machine showing they're are backups for the past several months. I'm stuck on this moment so to speak.
Got to hit the sack...head is swimming. Thanks for the suggestions Barney. Let me know if you think of any others.

2 user folders after time machine backup. Macbook Pro 13", Mac OS X 10.6.8

After a time machine backup my macbook pro runs fine, however the backup has created a 2nd user file. my new user file is now named like my old one, just with " 1" added. I have 2 user folders, can I delete the old one?
After a random check of the content in both user folders I found out that it's not identical. Some files that weren't backed up with the time machine before the re-setup are in the original folder, while the new uder folder obviously only backup what it could find on the time machine disc. (Time machine backed up my whole hdd about 2 days before the crash & re-setup)
Due to this situation my local HDD is almost full now. The original user folder has 205 GB, the new one user 1 has 210 GB, plus applications with a 500GB HDD, I now have only 44GB left.
Can I delete the old user folder?
Can I then re-name the new one (user 1) back to "user"?
Thanks
J.

I've never heard of a 'problem' as you're having - and I searched Pondoni's Time Machine Troubleshooting FAQs and couldn't fine anythig similar.
I would be wary of deleting anything manually from your TM backup - the sparsebundles are rather sensitive. If you like, however, you could always erase your TM backups and start anew... that's the only way I would know to 'fix' the problem.
Good luck,
Clinton

Fix file size of local time machine backup

Hi all,
I'm having an issue where after copying over Backups.backupdb from my 1.5 GB external drive to another iMac, it shows that folder as now being 6.27 TB. The local disk on the iMac is 1 TB.
The resson I copied over Backups.backupdb to the iMac is that suddenly one day when connecting the external drive to my MacBook, (This external drive was used with the MacBook as a Time Machine backup) I was promted with a warning that there was a problem with the external drive and that I should copy the files over to another location and reformat the external drive. After copying over the files on the external drive to the iMac I then reformatted it.
So, the issue is that Finder reads that the Backups.backupdb is 6.27 TB and I can't copy it back over to the newly reformatted external drive.
If anyone has any insight, I would really apreciate it if someone could tell me if it's possible to:
modify Backups.backupdb and it's contents sitting on the iMac to show it's actual file size, correct the permissions and extended attributes?
copy over Backups.backupdb to the external dirve in some other way (I tried via Terminal but with no luck)?
Thanks in advanced!
Paul

I had the same problem!
Time machine folder was using around 230GB on a 1Tb disk space.
Had to format the disk because Time Machine was stucked at "preparing backup" or something similar after 6 months without using it.
But after transferring it's main folder to my desktop, it is now showing 1.6Tb size!
I can't move it back to the 1TB disk after format and I as need to do a clean reinstall to my Macbook Pro HDit seems I will have to trash my Time Machine saved folder an loose all it's contents if I can not find a solution.
Is there any fix?
Or I just have to let go this folder?
Even folders inside it, like documents or desktops from previous backups are huge in size!

How can I access ~/library on my time machine backup?

I recently re-installed OSX Lion and made sure i'd backed everything up before I did a clean install and did not want to transfer my old archive across. I need to access my user library on Time Machine so that I can restore my Transmit favourites and Little Snapper image database.
I've tried following the process here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3633972?start=0&tstart=0 but I get "The folder can't be found" (see screenshot) and now i'm at a complete as to what to do.
Any suggestions?

Last but not least, navigate the TM disk within the Finder, (do not enter TM).
When you are on the date you are looking for, navigate the directory structure until you reach the Users folder.
Open Terminal and type
cd
and a space, drag and drop your user name folder inside the Terminal window. That completes the cd command for you. Hit return.
You are now into your user folder inside the TM disk. Type
cd Library
open .
please note the dot after open. Last command opens a Finder window of the Library folder inside TM disk.
Now you are ready to get what you need.

Local Time Machine backup then move to Airport?

Can you do a local time machine setup of a new drive, then move it to your Airport?
I heard it does it differently on the Airport so you should just initialize it from the Airport.
Wanted to ask here before I start a long backup

I did an initial local USB local backup then moved it to my AirPort and Time Machine sees it just fine and backs up without any errors.

Using Time Machine backup from one mac to another

I had a Mac book pro running 10.7.5 and used Time Machine to backup the system. The macbook died and I want to restore the Time Machine backup to my iMac running 10.7.5.
Question 1: Is this possible and how is it done?
Question 2: Will it restore all the software and files from the macbook pro to my iMac?

It can be done without any problem and everything will be restored from the Time Machine backup.
If you want to replace the actual content of the hard drive of your iMac with the content of the Time Machine backup, press Command and R keys while your Mac is starting, choose the option to restore the Time Machine backup and follow the steps.
If you want to keep both content, use Migration Assistant to create a new user with the data of the MacBook Pro. Open Migration Assistant and follow the steps. Then, open  > Log Out, and log in the new user to access to the migrated data

Alum Mac Mini SLOW after restore from Time Machine backup of 09 Mac Mini

Hi,
I bought a 2010 Alum Mac Mini (2.4Ghz/2GB/320GB/OS10.6.4) a couple months ago, and I restored it from a time machine backup from my old '08 Mac Mini (1.83ghz/2GB/OS10.6.4). All data moved successfully, but this machine seems 2x slower than my old Mac Mini.
Issues I'm encountering include:
iDisk sync extremely slow
launching Apps slow
Trouble handling more than 3 or 4 open apps (Chrome, iTunes, Pages, Numbers)
Is it possible that this is an issue because of restoring from the backup?
Thanks in advance!
PS - I'm a fairly intermediate-advanced user, no programming background, but solid on most other things.

Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
If you still have the TM backup, I would suggest erasing the new Mac mini's HDD and doing a fresh install from its Install DVD and then do a migration of the TM backup rather than a clone. There is something in that clone that the new mini does not like.
You could also, as an alternative, try installing Mac OS X from the Install DVD over the top of the clone and see if it fills in the gap or corrects whatever the new mini does not like. This should not touch your data, just install Mac OS X Snow Leopard over the version already there. But you should always make a backup of anything that is not backed up.
Dah•veed

Accessing user's local Time Machine backup on client Mac?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for