Time Capsule as storage and External HDD as backup

Hi folks. I looked around for quite a while trying to find an answer and not duplicate threads but didn't quite find what I was looking for. I've currently got an Airport Extreme and LaCie Rugged 500GB HDD for backups. My Macbook Pro HDD (250GB) is getting full so I'm thinking through best next steps. This is my current thinking:
Replace Airport Extreme with 2 TB Time Capsule to be used as storage
Continue to use Rugged 500GB HD as location for storing backups
Essentially use the TC as a NAS media server (which I understand is controversial) but to get around the whole not storing data on the same source as backups I would use a smaller drive for backups.
I have no idea about speeds though. Also we have very modest media demands. We have about 75GB in music, 40GB in photos and don't store any movies on our machine. We don't have apple TV or anything like that although I would be interested in streaming the music to the stereo somehow.
So would this work?
Thanks!

You can do a USB hub and multiple USB drives.. they don't always co-operate but that is all part of the fun..
TM cannot backup network drives.. doesn't matter if it is wireless or ethernet.. no direct contact no backup.. strangely it can backup to the network drive.
Of course there are other backup software.. maybe even better than TM.. like CCC which is not expensive and works well.. but you will learn a new meaning of the words slow.. pain and suffering while you are digested over a 1000years in the belly of Sarlacc will be nothing compared to this backup. Especially over wireless as all packets are dragged off the first USB disk.. over the wireless network to the computer.. then back over the wireless network to the AE and then the next USB drive.
See for comparison the sarlacc.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sarlacc
Sorry you kind of have to be a fan.

Similar Messages

How to setup wireless time capsule with 3rd party external HDD and router?

Topic says it all really...
I've got a linksys router and an iomega external hard drive.
I want to have wireless time capsule setup but i don't really wanna shell out for an apple time capsule when I have a perfectly working router and hard drive...
Can it be done? would I be better off buying an airport express/extreme?
cheers

Welcome, jackbyo!
I've got a linksys router
Good product
iomega external hard drive.
1) The drive must be formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) to work with Time Machine.
2) The drive will need to be connected directly to your Mac via USB or FireWire connection.
Can it be done?
As above
would I be better off buying an airport express/extreme
The AirPort Express will not support a hard drive.
Time Machine backups to a drive at the USB port of the AirPort Extreme are not supported by Apple due to corruption issues.

Time Capsule, Apple TV, and External Hard Drive

I currently have a Macbook with OS X 10.4, and an external 250GB hard drive. I want to purchase Leopard OS X, Time Capsule, and Apple TV. My goal is to copy my music, movies, and pictures onto the Apple TV for viewing on my tv. I also would like to store my music, pictures, and documents on the Time Capsule for the default location, due to storage space. I have more files than I have room on my Macbook. I don't want to hook up the external hard drive every time I use my computer. I would like to access it all wirelessly. My question is will this work ok and can I read my files off of the Time Capsule without delay to where the music, movies, and photos won't play or view without a glitch. Also am I purchasing something I don't need. The main goal is to store the files on an external device in order to gain space on my Macbook and not have to hook up the external hard drive every time. Thanks for the help!!

Hello, seems like you wanted to do pretty much what i wanted to do. that is free up space on lap top. But still have instant access to your itunes stuff. I found a solution that works for me.
I have a portable WD hdd attached to my time capsule via usb, i then access both through the capsules wireless connection, using the TC for time machine.
The Apple tv then accesses my itunes lib through my MBP via TC's wireless. I did however connect the WD Hdd directly to my MBP for the initial transfer to the apple tv, but itunes seems to find the lib as long as its there, doesnt matter if its connected to MBPs usb or the TCs usb. Sometimes it might revert to the default location, but i've found that if you click on a song it still plays, then if you close then reopen itunes every thing goes back to your external hdd...
Which means if you go away or want your itunes lib on the move you just need a little WD hdd.
I'm not totally sure if its worked yet but i connected my WD hdd to my MBP vie usb and told the TC to back up that too by going to options in TM preferences, seems to have worked, not sure if it would work while connected to the TC usb connection, doesnt seem to.
NB:Before you do this do a back up of everything in you Itunes Lib on your TC incase you screw up.
(For easy transfer of your itunes lib go to preferences on itunes and create a folder called iTunes Music on your Hdd then close preferences and allow itunes to do its thing, then in itunes go to
file - library - consolidate library, itunes. Itunes then makes a copy of all music on your new hdd. I then deleted the tunes off my MBP)
Just make sure you open your finder and click on the TC to wake the drive before you open Itunes other wise you'll have to go in to preferences and keep altering the location for your itunes folder. which can take i tunes a while.
This method seems to cope with video and music just fine.
Well hope that wasn't too confusing, as i confuse myself at times.
Good Luck.........

Time Capsule - OS Upgrade and External Hard Drive

Hi, This is my first request and am happy to have found this community helpful so far. It has answered many of my previous questions because somebody else had already asked. However, this time I’m not able to get all the answers since I have specific questions. Please help.
I have a Macbook (late 2008 Aluminum) with 2GB memory, Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GHz running Leopard. I just went and bought these to start an upgrade project–
a. CD for Snow Leopard
b. Time Capsule
c. 4 GB memory (2*2GB)
d. 1 External Hard Drive – 1 TB Seagate GoFlex (running out of space in 160GB macbook)
I will buy these applications via Mac App Store after I have the OS upgrade:
e. iPhoto ‘11
f. iMovie ‘11
I have successfully connected time capsule and configured it as my router and have set it up as the time machine backup device (what a breeze!). Also, I have taken the first full backup of macbook and am ready to go. Before I go ahead with next steps, I have few questions:
Should I install the new memory first and then Snow Leopard or doesn’t matter?
Any advice for my memory upgrade? I found the instruction manual in Apple’s site and am planning to do it myself.
Any advice for my Snow Leopard upgrade or anything to be cautious about? I believe the instructions after I pop in the CD will be self-explanatory.
After I have done the Snow Leopard Upgrade, I believe I will still have access to my files in the time machine backup in TC from before the OS upgrade? The reason I ask is I am planning to delete/move files after the OS upgrade.
FYI – After the Snow Leopard Upgrade, I will upgrade to iPhoto ’11 and iMovie ’11 from ’08. I have the latest iTunes.
After I have Snow Leopard, iPhoto/iMovie ’11, I will connect the EHD to the TC USB port and am planning to move the iTunes Media and iMovie project/events to the EHD (found the instructions on this) and delete the media from the macbook internal drive to relieve space. Say, just in case my EHD crashes in the next 2 days after I do this, will I still be able to recover the previous media/project files from Time Capsule? Or do I need to copy the iTunes Media and iMovie project/events into the Time Capsule manually before I move it into EHD? Basically, I want to make sure I have 2 copies of my media, 1 in TC and 1 in EHD, since I am deleting it from mac’s IHD.
Now say I have the EHD connected to TC via USB and have moved my all media and movie projects into the EHD. So macbook is accessing the EDH wirelessly, as the source for iTunes and iMovie media. For performance or portability, if I plug my EHD directly into the macbook, can it seamlessly recognize it as the media source for iTunes and iMovie or are there any settings involved? I am just wondering since via the TC it was a shared drive, and now it’s a plugged-in EHD.
I know that Time Machine does incremental backups. Is there an explanation on this as to what is meant by hourly, daily and weekly backups and what are the copies made? I heard the hourly are replaced by daily backups and the daily are replaced by weekly, what does that mean?
This may not impact me now, but may be soon. Is it true that once TC is full, time machine will delete copies of the oldest backup? My concern is that I want to somehow conserve today’s backup for good. Is that do able?
Should I be concerned that time machine backs up every hour, since it may reduce my macbook’s performance during the backups? I know a way to reduce the backup frequency, am just trying to understand if it’s necessary to do so?
How do I use my time capsule as an external hard drive? The reason is I have another PC from which I want to copy files and store in TC as a backup.
I know I have many questions, but am hoping to get your expert advice. Thank you.

Hello, seems like you wanted to do pretty much what i wanted to do. that is free up space on lap top. But still have instant access to your itunes stuff. I found a solution that works for me.
I have a portable WD hdd attached to my time capsule via usb, i then access both through the capsules wireless connection, using the TC for time machine.
The Apple tv then accesses my itunes lib through my MBP via TC's wireless. I did however connect the WD Hdd directly to my MBP for the initial transfer to the apple tv, but itunes seems to find the lib as long as its there, doesnt matter if its connected to MBPs usb or the TCs usb. Sometimes it might revert to the default location, but i've found that if you click on a song it still plays, then if you close then reopen itunes every thing goes back to your external hdd...
Which means if you go away or want your itunes lib on the move you just need a little WD hdd.
I'm not totally sure if its worked yet but i connected my WD hdd to my MBP vie usb and told the TC to back up that too by going to options in TM preferences, seems to have worked, not sure if it would work while connected to the TC usb connection, doesnt seem to.
NB:Before you do this do a back up of everything in you Itunes Lib on your TC incase you screw up.
(For easy transfer of your itunes lib go to preferences on itunes and create a folder called iTunes Music on your Hdd then close preferences and allow itunes to do its thing, then in itunes go to
file - library - consolidate library, itunes. Itunes then makes a copy of all music on your new hdd. I then deleted the tunes off my MBP)
Just make sure you open your finder and click on the TC to wake the drive before you open Itunes other wise you'll have to go in to preferences and keep altering the location for your itunes folder. which can take i tunes a while.
This method seems to cope with video and music just fine.
Well hope that wasn't too confusing, as i confuse myself at times.
Good Luck.........

Airport Time capsul or Linksys wrt1900 + external HDD?

I Need to get a new wifi and also back up device. I currently have the old flat airport time capsule. I live in a 3 story house made from steel frame. So my wifi is not strong at all. I also use a small express to extend the wifi. But still bad.
I Have been reading about the below wifi router and they say it is quite powerful and even good for multiple story homes.
Linksys WRT1900AC Dual Band Smart Wi-Fi Wireless AC Router (2.4 + 5GHz)
IF I got this and an external HDD the cost is about the same. Anyone have any experience with linksys? I would prefer the apple one but I just want to improve my wifi throughout the house.
CHeers
Bryce

I would spend a bit of time in the charts and actual reviews here.
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/router/bar/111-2_4-ghz-dn-c?see=P_D
There is a lot of info which you can get the charts to show you.. various location.. different bands etc.
However the tests are done on PC clients and PC wireless cards.. and you are not going to get the same results in Apple products..
As with most of these things.. wireless promises much but delivery is always less than expectation.
I would doubt any single wireless router can cover adequately a 3 storey house.
I can also tell you support for Time Machine will be sorely lacking even if it is listed.. these routers cannot format the disk HFS+, so they will be different and no where near reliable for TM.
It is much better to plan on running an ethernet connection between the 3 floors in some central location if that is at all possible.. and to run 3x wireless AP around the house.. if that is not possible then proper wireless mesh gear will perform much better than domestic stuff.. so look at ubiquiti unifi etc.
Linksys new products since being sold by Cisco and taken over by Belkin have been a disappointment.
Asus has tended to be the preferred units.. and do seem to work well with apple devices.

Setting up time capsule for storage and printer, but not internet

Hi all. I am a new mac user and got time capsule yesterday. I am only using it as storage and USB printer; not for an internet/network use. During setup, I didn't see any option to configure it this way. I did a backup successfully, but the amber light blinks continuously....I am assuming because there's no ethernet/modem? But if I don't intend to use it for that, is it normal for it to always blink amber? Should I find a way to tell it that it's not to be used for that? Or do I just ignore it and live with the blinking light? Thanks.

Paul's suggestion did work - thank you!
However, my anal retentive personality still wonders why there's not a more intuitve phase in the setup process that allows the user to clearly define what they're using it for....i.e. rather than manually override an "error".
Of course, i do have new questions, too -
If the capsule is connected to a computer both wirelessly and with ethernet, which is the preferred/default connection used?
The setup tells me to update firmware, but i haven't yet and it seems to be running fine....any recommendations?

Can I move my USB external to the Time Capsule USB port and still see my backup?

After much difficulty getting Time Machine backups to work on my new 13" MBPro, after updating to 10.7.2, I've finally prevailed with help of the great Pondini. (You are a great humanitarian sir!)
Of course I'd now like to put that new 3 TB seagate goflex onto the Time Capsule, share it with the wired in iMac, and WiFi around the house with the MBPro.
But now I'm afraid to connect it to the Time Capsule's USB, lest my backup be spotlitin' everybody's permissions from years ago and telling my Lion not to start, or stop, or go.
Truth is- after 3 days of sorting it out (in the end not really knowing how I did), I'm telling people to wait for 10.7.x to update
(x = "when I tell you it's cool").
This is the first time in a while that I've been skittish about "recovering" from an update. 10.7.2 is a huge change that I wasn't ready for.
If I plug this drive into the TC and Time Machine goes crazy again I'll probably throw it out the window.
So has anyone made a TM backup with a big USB drive connnected to the MBPro port, and then moved said drive to the Time Capsule's USB port? And then still be able to access the backup through Time Machine?
Hmmmmm?

I wanted to plug the wifi on the time capsule and send the wifi signal only from the time capsule and have it fully operating.
Is it possible?
Not without ethernet connection to the 4G router.. you cannot use the 4G say into the USB of the TC.. there are no drivers for that. And you cannot do any other type of connection.. except ethernet.. so not with your current equipment..
Scrap the current 4g router and buy something with ethernet, that either takes the 4g modem or the sim having a built in modem.

Can a Time Capsule hard drive store external memory besides backups (eg. HD Video, iTunes library, ETC.)

I'm going to get a MacBook Pro soon, and I'm going to get the 256GB Flash Storage, but I will need extra memory, mostly because I edit a lot of HD video. I may store my iTunes library, but I'm not sure on that one (I currently have almost no songs, and my 254 GB hard drive is almost full on my PC! I do not plan to transfer all of my files, though, but in then long run, I will need more memory.)
I know that time capsule has 1 TB of memory, and it is marked as an external hard drive, and I know it's meant to store backups of your computer, but can it store things other than backups, and serve as a full external hard drive (Like a giant USB flashdrive), and store thing like HD Video, music, and any other sort of file?
I just need an external hard drive, and time capsule seems like a good option, but I need to know if it's for backups exclusively, or if you can store anything on it (Again, like a giant USB flashdrive!).
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to seeing the replys!
--Wubadub

Ok.. the TC can be used as network hard drive.. you can put all your files on it.
BUT.. please think carefully about this.
The Time Capsule is designed for Time Machine as backup target.. principally for wireless laptops.
If you use large files remotely.. and by wireless .. they will take forever to load.. the TC is slow but wireless is even slower.
It is not a giant USB.. but you can buy a cheap USB drive now that we have USB3 on MBP latest version?? it is fast and cheap and a local drive.
Time Capsule has no raid.. no backup.. no protection against failure of the disk or the device or accidental deletion or corruption. That makes it unsuitable as a file store.
Apple do not sell a file store..
You can buy a true NAS.. Synology or QNAP.. Netgear also make some good ones.
Or you can get a Mac Mini and run it as file store.. with or without a server version OS.
Anything that offers you proper backup and fast file transfer.. which the TC fails to do.

I have a macbook air and need additional storage should i consider a time capsule or a simple external hard drive?

I have a macbook air and need additional storage should i consider a time capsule or a simple external hard drive?

If you move live files (files you don't want to lose) to an external drive, you need to back them up. Any files not backed up are at risk of loss. Hard drives and SSDs can fail at any time. It is hard to backup a Time Capsule so a TC should be used only as a backup device.
Do you have a Time Machine backup now? If so, and if it is large enough, you can backup your internal and external disk to it using Time Machine. If not, you all need to purchase an external drive or TC as your backup device. (I recommend an external hard drive for backup instead of a TC.) Ideally the backup drive should be twice the size of what you are backing up but 50% larger will work so if you have an external 1 TB disk and an internal 250 GB SSD then a 2 TB backup disk will work well.
By default, Time Machine will not backup the external disk. You need to remove it from the exclusions list:
To have Time Machine backup your system disk and your external offload disk up onto your Time Machine disk:
 > System Preferences > Time Machine > Options… > Remove the offload HD name from the exclusions list.

How to use AirPort Time Capsule 2TB as an external storage hard drive only?

I have a new AirPort Time Capsule 3TB, now I want to use my AirPort Time Capsule 2TB as an external storage hard drive only, how do I it?
I would like to connect the AirPort Time Capsule 2TB directly to my Mac Pro. using OS X 10.7.5.
I have erase disk and reset the 2TB to factory default, after that, I cannot make it to connect to my Mac. Please help.

The 2TB Time Capsule needs to connect to your 3TB Time Capsule using a wired Ethernet connection.
Connect from a LAN <--> port on the 3 TB Time Capsule to the WAN "O" port on the 2 TB Time Capsule and configure the 2TB Time Capsule in Bridge Mode and turn off the wireless function on the device as well.
Once that is done, you can connect your Mac directly to the 2TB Time Capsule using another Ethernet cable, or your Mac can connect to the network using the normal wireless network, if you prefer.

Can I use two Time Capsules? one as an extension of my laptop (for music and video storage) and the other one to back up everything from the laptop and Time Capsule (for music and videos)

Can I use two Time Capsules? one as an extension of my laptop (for music and video storage) and the other one to back up everything from the laptop and Time Capsule (for music and videos)

Not via Time Machine. It cannot back up from a network location.
The 3rd-party apps CarbonCopyCloner and ChronoSync may be workable alternatives.
EDIT: And, if you're going to do that, you could back up from the Time Capsule to a USB drive connected to the TC's USB port. Second TC not required.
Message was edited by: Pondini

Can i use the time capsule as just an external hard drive for music or does it have to be used soley as a backe up?? im thinking for music and photos

Can I use the time capsule as just an external hard drive for music or does it have to be used soley as a back up? I'm thinking for music and photos

Nickles96 wrote:
Hello friends.. I have a similar question, in that I would like to purchase the 2TB TC for use as a NAS device, in addition to taking advantage of the Air Port extreme.. Then I could dump my Linksys router.
I was originally looking at a Synology NAS solution, but the TC seems like it can meet my needs.
I have a Synology NAS as well as the Time Capsule. If you look at the 3.2 beta program, the Synology actually attempts to replicate TC functionality in that you can use it with Time Machine on your Mac.
I must say, Airport on the TC is definitely a nice feature!
Nickles96 wrote:
In addition to the obvious feature of the backup, can I indeed also use the TC as a NAS drive to access from remote locations (example from the office)?
I'm surprised more people aren't using the TC as a dedicated NAS deviced.. I've searched high and low on forums around the web, and don't seem to see many people trying to use it as I've outlined.
I can't see why this wouldn't fufill my needs, and take the place of a separate NAS solution (like the Synology, or iOmega, Seagate, etc....)
Has anyone used this TC as such?
Yes, you can do this and it's something I've been trying to do, but I'm currently having issues. I have another thread stating I consistently get "connection failed" messages. I'm basically storing my music/photo/video files on the TC and keeping my Mac hard drive fairly lean. In terms of NAS functionality, the TC is very basic. Synology/QNAP and others have a lot more features so don't rule them out.

Can time capsule back up an external hard drive attached to my imac and the iMac internal Harddrive

Can time capsule back up an external hard drive attached to my imac and the iMac internal Harddrive

In addition to Kappy's comments, the external drive must be formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) in order for Time Machine to be able to back it up.

What are the differences between the Time Capsule MC344LL/A and MD032LL/A, do both havethe same make of server grade HDD, also any changes in WiFi coverage and networking abilities?

What are the differences between the Time Capsule MC344LL/A and MD032LL/A, do both have the same make of server grade hard drive, also any changes in WiFi coverage or networking abilities? Thanks

Found this info regarding original question:
What are the differences between the Time Capsule MC344LL/A and MD032LL/A, do both have the same make of server grade hard drive, also any changes in WiFi coverage or networking abilities? Thanks
http://www.hardmac.com/articles/402/page1
http://www.applefritter.com/node/23907
Hope this helps -
; >}

How do I use my airport time capsule extreme as a external hard drive

How do I access files and save files to my airport time capsule like its an external HD. How do I access the external HD that is connected to the time capsule?Ai

The TC is no different to any other network drive... you mount the drive and copy the files to it.. or copy files from it.
Same with USB drive plugged into the TC.
BUT.. TC is not suitable for live files.. ie files you are actively editing and working on. It is storage.. not working disk space.. and the USB drive more so.. it is slow.. much slower than same USB plugged into the computer by at least half.
And USB 2 wasn't that quick to begin with. The TC itself is slow.. although over wireless it is actually wireless that is the hold up.
Here is what I normally say for this question. It is asked every day.. often several times.
Store files on the TC.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/24380694#24380694
This is asked several times a day.. obviously people are struggling with their latest SSD being too small.
The TC is not suitable for network file server.. but many people having no choice press it into service as such.
It cannot be partitioned. It was and is and ever shall be a backup device for Time Machine.
Major issues.
1. No backup.. no way Time Machine can backup a network drive. No place to backup to.. So all your files will be at risk. And you will need to buy a third party like CCC to do backup. You will also need a USB drive somewhere else in the network to act as target for backups.. and if you use the TC itself over wireless you will experience a new definition of pain and suffering.. slow.. extremely slow..
(cf Belly of the sarlacc http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sarlacc)
2. The TC cannot be partitioned and mixing TM backups and data is not great.
3. The drive is slow to spin up and quick to spin down.. there is no controls.
4. iPhoto in particular can easily corrupt its entire library with wireless networking causing a disconnection to one photo. Even if you do this;;; do not move your photo library... you have been warned!!
5. iTunes will constantly lose connection to the library. The disk is too slow to respond.. itunes on the computer will constantly spit out errors. Even in the midst of streaming the TC can spin down the disk due to caching.
6. Do not use any live files on the TC no matter what else you do.. if you edit files in whatever program the file must be on the local hard disk.
7. The only suitable location for most libraries is a computer. You can plug in an external hard disk.
Read pondini for some work arounds.
Q3 here. http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html

Time Capsule as storage and External HDD as backup

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