Connecting for Backup

Please excuse my ignorance. I am planning on buying a Macbook Air and researched how the best config would be to meet my very simple needs. I will be getting 13" 8gb 128 ssd. Now i am reading backup ,backup, backup. Know this is important cause my toshiba laptop just died and I had never thought of backup.
But all i want to do is backup using a time capsule. I cannot figure out how to connect it. The manual wants to talk about setting it up to be a wireless station that anybody and their grandmother can use and I just want to be able back up my Mac (when I get it). The Mac will be connected to my router wirelessly, I think I have that figured out. I have an Ipad so that helps me somewhat understand this. I also cannot figure out what cable i need to get with the time capsule to connect to the MBA. It doesnt seem as if it comes with any.
Could someone help with steps to connect it to the MBA for backup. I do know that i have to turn Time Machine on in the MBA settings. If you havent already guessed, i am an older user so technology is not second nature to me and I am trying to get as much as I can figured out ahead of my initial setup of everything I will get with my first mac.
Thank you in advance for your patience!

Sorry I gave too much in dose..
Asking specific questions is great.
1. I need to get an ethernet patch cable that is usb to ethernet and plug the MBA to the router (westell 7500). The back of router has 4 ethernet plugs - E1/uplink, E2, E3, E4/data. Which one do I plug the ethernet end of cable into?
You do not need to plug the MBA into the Westell 7500..
You do not need a usb to ethernet cable for the MBA.. all setup can be done over wireless.. it is helpful though if you get into trouble to have this cable.. it is relatively cheap.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC704ZM/A/apple-usb-ethernet-adapter?fnode=51
Don't rush out and buy it, as I would hope you can do the setup without.
You do need to plug the TC into the Westell using a standard ethernet patch cable. Apple do not supply one.
It sounds like your modem is rather ancient.. use E2 or E3 port but it probably makes no difference.. some old modems can need special crossover cables. In that case use the E1 port with a standard cable. Buy a 6foot or 10foot ethernet patch cable at your local large computer store.
3. If i do nothing, the TC will be detected as a network to join just as the Westell usually is? So when I turn wireless on, I could have the 2 choices to join? And you're saying TC might be better? Will i be asked for a password as I was initially to set up the westell router? Not sure what you mean by set the TC up to reinforce the existing westell.
So lets start over.. you have bright shiny TC in the box..
1. you pull it out of the box.. plug it into the Westall modem with your new less shiny ethernet patch cable. Plug in the power to the TC.. wait for all de blinkn lights to slow to a soft amber, slow blink.
2. On the MBA, check for wireless networks. You should see a new one, named apple network and some funny numbers. Connect to this.. there is no password when it is new.
3. Open the airport utility. Go to TC symbol and click on it.. but the utility will probably start an automatic setup wizard.. just follow this and select bridged to existing router.
This should also get you to now setup a wireless password. Once you do that, and update the TC you will need to put that password into the wireless connection.
You are probably over preparing.. some of these things are easier to do in flesh.. so to speak, than in the spirit. Where you do not have anything to look at in front of you.

Similar Messages

I can use my time capsule for wifi, but can't connect for backup

I have been using my TC for a couple of years now, always as a router and backup disk. I went on a long trip then came back and tried to connect to it, I can use the wifi, but I can't connect to the disk to see it or use it for backups. I also have a PC connected to the TC and I can see the contents on there through explorer.
Any ideas would be appreciated...

how do I get the Mac addresses for each device (this won't be a problem, I demand the device, check it, and then return it).
What wireless devices are we looking at here?
Most devices have the AirPort ID or MAC Address or Hardware Address printed on the back or bottom of the device
Otherwise, you can learn the correct number by process of elimination. Turn off all wireless devices except your Mac computer....if it is connecting using wireless.
Open Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility
Click on the Time Capsule icon
Look for Wireless Clients and click on the numerical IP address that is displayed
Another box will open
Look for the Hardware Address. It will be displayed as xx : xx : xx : xx :xx : xx
Write that down and note that it is your Mac.
Now, connect another wireless device and repeat the sequence. Click on the "other" listing that you see to find out more info about that device. Write down the ID or Address and note what device it is. Then power it off.
Do the same for each wireless device that you want to have limited access.
Post back when you have all the info.

Is it possible to plug in an external HDD to the USB connection on my Airport Express for backups?

Is it possible to plug in an external HDD to the USB connection on my Airport Express for backups? As a kind of cheapo Time Capsule?

Unfortunately no, because the USB port on the AirPort Express will only work with a printer and a Keyapan remote control. Hard drives are not supported.
You would need an AirPort Extreme for that type of functionality.

I bought an external hard drive for backups to use with Time Machine, but however when I try to connect it with the other windows laptop it doesn't work ? intact it doesn't work on any other device except my MAC ?

I bought an external hard drive for backups to use with Time Machine, but however when I try to connect it with the other windows laptop it doesn't work ? intact it doesn't work on any other device except my MAC ?

Do not worry about it.
Time Machine needs that your external drive is formatted in HFS+, or better known as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)". This filesystem is used by Apple on Macs and Windows cannot read or write drives formatted with this filesystem, being this the reason why all your devices do not read the external drive except your Mac.
You can only use your external drive to make Time Machine drives. If you store anything different, you may damage the Time Machine structure, so it is better not to use it as a drive to store other data. Instead, get another external drive to do it or create a second partition on the external drive formatted in FAT32 by using Disk Utility > http://pondini.org/OSX/DU3.html FAT32 can be read by Windows PCs

Hard Drive failed now time capsule connecting to backup volume for hours

My main hard drive went bad. I had a spare in my machine. I installed osx on the spare and then migrated all of my data from my time capsule (which had worked like a champ). I am now running fine again and I have all my files, music, apps, everything I had before my hard drive went bad. Now the only problem I have is when I try to connect to time capsule now, there is a little window which reads "connecting to backup volume". It has been this way for hours and I suspect there is something amiss. If it were simply preparing and looking to see what has changed, it would have connected. Can anyone help me out on this problem? I would truly appreciate it.

John,
*Reboot Time Capsule*
Unplug the TC from the wall outlet.
Wait 10-15 seconds.
Re-plug it in again.
After it has restarted (30-60 seconds), does it show up in Airport Utilities?
If not try "Rescan" again from the File Menu.
Next, if you want to continue using the TC for Time Machine backups do the following:
*Reselect Your Time Machine Disk*
Go to System Preferences --> Time Machine.
Use the slider on the left to turn “OFF” Time Machine.
Click the "Change Disk..." button.
Select "None" and click "Stop Backing Up".
Now click "Choose Backup Disk" and reselect your backup hard disk again.
Now use the slider on the left to turn “ON” Time Machine.
Close System Preferences and try backing up again.
*Full Backup After Full Restore*
Bear in mind that in all cases Time Machine will perform a full backup after a full restore. This is normal. Time Machine will resume incremental backups after the full backup has completed. To view previous backups, Control-click or right-click the Time Machine icon in your Dock or Option-click the Time Machine menu extra and Choose "Browse Other Time Machine Disks," then select your previous backup volume. You will enter Time Machine and be able to browse your previous back ups and restore files. (http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1338)
So even on unchanged hardware, if you reinstall your system software and restore your user data, Time Machine starts anew, and you will not be able to resume backing up with the same history as the previous backups.
While there may be ways to fool/hack Time Machine into recognizing previous backups without performing another full backup, they are likely rather elaborate.
Ultimately, though, in a couple of months, all the effort to preserve old backups may seem pointless. After all, Time Machine will eventually purge away that data anyways as it replaces it with new files.
It may simply be easier to begin a fresh series of backups while saving the previous backups until your satisfied that you have enough history built up. Then delete the old backups.
Let us know if the above helped.
Cheers!

My mac can't connect to my time machine for backup

My mac wont connect to the time capule for backup - any ideas why this may happen and how to fix?

Hello stianlo
There are a few things that you can try that are located in the articles below to get you backing up again.
Time Machine: Troubleshooting backup issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3275
AirPort Time Capsule: Time Machine backups may not mount; "Backup volume cannot be found" may appear
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1170
Regards,
-Norm G.

HT4859 i have setup an ipad without connecting to computer, i am now connecting for first time to itunes it asks if i want to set up as new ipad or restore from previous backup (my iphone not ipad), i have backed ipad up to icloud when i connect back to i

i have set up my wifes ipad mini wirelesly, i am now connecting for first time to itunes it asks if i want to set up as new ipad or restore from previous backup (my iphone not ipad), i have backed ipad up to icloud when i connect back to itunes will it give me an option to restore from icloud, i dont want to lose the apps and data my wife has already installed through her account... any thoughts

1. set up as new
2. transfer you wife's purchases.
3. Just in case create one computer back up manually.
Enjoy.

External Hard Drive Setup for Backup and Final Cut Express?

I have 500GB internal storage on my iMac, using TimeMachine to back up to a 500GB Seagate FreeAgent (about 1.5 yrs. old) via FireWire 400. I currently use the internal storage as my scratch/capture disk (I know -- very bad). I recently bought an HD video cam, and my storage is running out fast.
I've done a good amount of research on external storage, and I am thinking of getting an external Mercury Elite enclosure from OWC (4 bays, connects via eSata, Firewire 400/800) and two 1.5GB Seagate LP hard drives. (I figure I might as well get the enclosure with 4 bays and an eSata connection for the future, even though the iMac has no eSata connection.) I plan to continue to use the FreeAgent to backup my internal storage (via FireWire 400), and with the FireWire 800, use one of the 1.5GB external drives as my scratch/capture disk and the other to back it up. Since TimeMachine allows only one backup volume (I think), I figure I can use ProSoft (which comes in a bundle with the enclosure) for the other backup (or for both backups for that matter). Dealing with RAID seems excessive to me at this point -- I'm mid-tech, I would say.
Any thoughts would be appreciated -- thanks!

Thanks for replying again. I think you've convinced me to scale back. But I still think I should go with an expandable 4 bay enclosure, but just starting with a 1TB drive, to back up my internal 500GB and the 500GB Seagate, which I'll use as scratch. Then, when that fills up, I can add a 2TB drive to the enclosure to back up the others, and use the 1TB drive as the scratch.

How do I use Time Capsule for backup only over an existing network (or ethernet)

Ok, first, I have been using Mac now for about 2 years and every little thing I do is much harder than advertised. I have yet to experience the mythical ease of Apple products.
With that said, I was talked into buying this 2TB Time Capsule. Which right now seems to serve nicely as a very expensive paper weight.
Here's what I am trying to do. I was told I could use this as a wireless backup. I have a cable modem and router in my house. I do not want to insert Time Capsule as the router. I would like to either hook it up to the existing network or have it just wireless. Whatever works best for backup use.
I set the time capsule up to connect to an existing network. Which it did. Green light is on.
When I select it as a backup drive in Time Machine, it works. However it does not back up. It will say Waiting to Backup and do nothing. If I select Back Up Now on Time Machine, it says it cannot find the disk.
Is it possibly because I had used another backup disk prior and kept it? When I set the Time Capsule I selected to use both.
I am at a loss. I am not a techie. And there are more options of use than the instructions cover.

The problem is your method of connection I suspect.
The TC was always designed to plug into the main router. It does not have to be in the same room but it has to be ethernet connected.
Please post a few screenshots of the setup.. that makes it so much easier for me to work through it with you.
Posting screenshots here is easy.. press the little camera and select the shot from finder.
What I need is the summary page from your airport utility.. ie this one.
Then click on edit button which I have highlighted and show me the tabs for Internet, Network and wireless. eg this is the internet. (show me the whole thing.. I have cut it off to keep it small).
We can then work through the issues.

Advice needed for backup strategy for office

My office is switching from PC to Mac (yay!) and I'm in charge of setting up the system. We'll be using 4 iMacs and a Mac Mini Server with ethernet connections. I'd like to ask what is recommended for backing up these computers.
My thought would be to back up the iMacs separately from the server - is this definitely the way to go?
I'm thinking to get a 3TB Time Capsule for the 4 iMacs so that Time Capsule will do automatic backups.
- Is it OK to have 4 iMacs backup to one Time Capsule like this?
As for the Mac Mini server, I'm not sure how to best back it up.
Since it has two 1TB drives, I'm thinking of using one drive for data and having it automatically backup to the other internal drive. Any thoughts on this idea?
Or, it is possible to connect an external USB drive to the Time Capsule's USB port, and have Time Machine backup the server to the external drive?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!

The TC is really a home solution.
For business I think you should consider something extra.
Although 4 computers and a server is not a big setup, it is worthwhile doing a more professional backup and use something more professional than Time Machine.
For instance..
http://www.retrospect.com/au/products/mac
I have not used it.. but I see it recommended in business / larger installs. It is not cheap but well worth considering.
I would not use the internal disk of the server for backup.
As for the Mac Mini server, I'm not sure how to best back it up.
Since it has two 1TB drives, I'm thinking of using one drive for data and having it automatically backup to the other internal drive. Any thoughts on this idea?
You can raid the two disks if you don't need the capacity.
But backup to a USB drive plugged in.. USB3 drives are cheap and speedy. Much more reliable than using network drives.
Raid for integrity of working data.. backup to separate change over disks.
So weekly you change over the USB drive for backup and store the other one at home.
I'm thinking to get a 3TB Time Capsule for the 4 iMacs so that Time Capsule will do automatic backups.
- Is it OK to have 4 iMacs backup to one Time Capsule like this?
You can do this.. It is fine to have 4 Macs backup to it. But if you are not using the wireless router it is a waste.. you can just backup over network to the server.. TM works fine on network.
You can buy another 3TB USB drive for backup of the clients.. normally though you want all the working data on the server and back that up. You are thinking a more peer to peer model.. once you introduce the server you can work on a more server client model where the current files are held on the server.

I am using MS Office 2010 and Windows XP Professional, can I use iCloud for backup of my files and documents?

I am using MS Office 2010 and Windows XP Professional, can I use iCloud for backup of my files and documents? I am planning to transition to a Mac so using the iCloud seems to make the most sence.

No, it is not a backup method at all. If you delete a sync'd file on any device, you delete it permanently from iCloud. That by its very essence is not a backup solution therefore. A backup solution does not automatically and simultaneiously delete the file everywhere when it is deleted from the original source.
iCloud is strictly a syncronization tool for using files on multiple internet connected devices.

How to change the connection for a recurring report

I have a group of reports running in production on recurring schedules. I need to update the database connection for these as we are changing our server environment.
I open the report in Crystal Reports 11 and changed the database connection saved the report back to the Enterprise Server location (I also have a backup of the original). When I preview the report using the Central Management Console, the report uses the updated database connection info. When I test the recurring report I get a logon failure. When I go to the instance to look at the database logon for the recurring instance it shows the old database connection.
How can this database connection get updated for the current group of instances for these recurring reports?
Thanks
BOBJCMC

Hi Stratos,
I tried to use .NET SDK to update the Logon_Info properties as below. But it does not seem to be working. Is this the correct way to update logon info for recurring instances?
infoObject.ProcessingInfo.Properties["SI_LOGON_INFO"].Properties["SI_LOGON1"].Properties["SI_USER"].Value = <userid>
infoObject.ProcessingInfo.Properties["SI_LOGON_INFO"].Properties["SI_LOGON1"].Properties["SI_PASSWORD"].Value = "pwd"
Thanks
Ajith

After working fine for several months, my iPhone 5 has started dropping bluetooth connectivity for 2 to 5 seconds at a time with my Sony MDR-1RBT headphones. The headphones work fine with other devices. I haven't moved to ios7 yet. Any ideas?

After working fine for several months, my iPhone 5 has started dropping bluetooth connectivity for 2 to 5 seconds at a time with my Sony MDR-1RBT headphones. The headphones work fine with other bluetooth devices. I haven't moved to iOS7 yet. Any ideas?

What user troubleshooting have you done on the phone? The steps are restart, reset, restore from backup, restore as new. Understand that a restore will put the latest iOS on your device. It is also possible there is a hardware fault on the device and the Bluetooth is failing. Anything is possible given the scenario you describe.
And as far as iOS 7.x is concerned, we have 5 different iPhones here at home, all with the latest iOS, a 4, 4s, 5c, and 2-5s and all are working just fine. So, a blanket statement such as the one provided by the other poster is not completely true. Others are not having any issues at all either.

Time Capsule "looking for backup disk" problems, running Lion on 24" iMac

Hi,
I'm having problems with my Time Capsule. I can't get the backups to run for about a week. The backup just says "looking for backup disk" for ever. This is a first gen Time Capsule, and it's still working fine for two MacBooks in the house. I have all the Apple updates installed, and I'm running 10.7.2. In Preferences, Time Capsule, I can see the available/of space and there is plenty left. It's not showing any Oldest and Latest date info for backups.
If I go to "select disk" and choose the Time Capsule, I'm prompted for the password. When I press "Connect", the message changes to "Stopping Backup" and this will run for ever. I have plenty of disk space available, have repaired permissions, have booted in safe mode, reset pram and nvram and probably a few other options to no avail. I can enter the Time Machine and see all of my backups without problem.
As a side note, I have also noticed instability whereby various programs have been 'not responding' of late, and need to be force quit. Once that happens, the iMac won't properly shut down and restart; I usually need to how down the power button.
Thanks in advance for your help.

I'm having the same problem. Anyone have a fix?
Nozz

Using Time Capsule for backup only (no Wifi)

I posted a problem in another thread ( https://discussions.apple.com/message/22500623#22500623 ) about conflicts with my Time Capsule and Comcast modem. Apple concluded that there was a hardware problem with the Time Capsule. I got a new Time Capsule yesterday since I couldn't get a refund on the old one. Because configuring the Time Capsule to work as a Wifi station requires such a hassle and I don't get any extra benefits in terms of speed compared to my Comcast modem, I now have a very expensive hard drive for backup. I have some questions about using the TC for backup only since I am running into some problems with the backup.
1. Does the TC have to be connected to my modem? It seems that when I do not connect the TC to the modem then I end up with the backup stalling after a few GB. Additionally, I end up with the flashing amber light.
2. If I do connect the TC to the modem it backs up but my WIFI grinds to a halt (likely a product of all the data pushing from the computer through the modem and to the TC). I should add that in Airport Utility I have turned off WIFI on the TC so it should not be interfering with the WIFI. If I do need to connect to the modem are there any tips for not messing up WIFI speeds beyond just backing up when everyone is asleep? I assume not, but it can't hurt to ask.
Thanks.

2. My initial setup showe various errors so I hooked the TC into the modem via the WAN port and then I was able to set up (WIFI off, Bridge Mode OFF) and those errors went away.
If I understand your last post correctly, you say that I should do a reset on the TC. Re-configure but leave the errors because backups will still work. Then I can leave the TC unplugged until I need to use it (which has the added bonus of limited flashing amber light). Is this correct?
You are setting up the TC in the wrong mode.. it has to be in Router mode.. Not Bridge..
You are worrying too much about the flashing amber.. it is irrelevant. You can select ignore and it will go green.
This setup is actually simple.
So here is what I suggest.
1. Factory reset the TC.
Just to get started from a clean setup. And that will put the TC in the correct mode.. ie dhcp and nat.
2. Plug it by ethernet LAN TC to computer. On the computer no other connection.. turn off wireless.
3. Just change the name of the TC to something short as it helps.. eg TCGen5
And turn the wireless off.
And ignore all the other problems.
4. Now setup TM.. I would also start clean.. do a fresh TM setup .. see A4 here.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
5. Run the backup. Maybe even erase the TC before you start so you are really doing a fresh clean backup.
The very first backup will start quickly and drop to very slow speed as there are heaps of very small files in the system.. these take a long time to process.. but as it proceeds it will speed up. Overall you should still average 50GB/hr.
6. Once you complete the first backup, later ones should be fine.. but do not expect them to work as well as when you do it hourly.. it does need to do a lot more work to figure out where the TM backup is up to.
I would like to get you to have another crack at using the TC properly in the network. When you are over the pain of all this.. and perhaps when apple releases a decent firmware update you can go back to it.. but I have another suggestion for setup. Get the above working first so you have a good first backup of all your computers.

Connecting for Backup

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