Using TIME MACHINE with a TIME CAPSULE

Question

There's often a bit of confusion about this terminology: +*Time Machine+* vs. +*Time Capsule:+*
_*Time Machine*_ is Apple software that performs backups, to an external HD, a Time Capsule, etc.; and also allows you to browse and restore from them. It comes with Leopard and Snow Leopard, but cannot run on any previous versions of OSX.
A _*Time Capsule*_ is a piece of Apple hardware that combines a wireless router and hard drive, that can be used for Time Machine backups and/or other data.
Most Time Machine questions & problems are not unique to Time Capsules. For those, or if you don't find what you need here, try one of these:
Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions
Time Machine - Troubleshooting
They can also be found in the *User Contributed Tips* section of both +Time Machine+ forums:
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard > Time Machine
Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard > Time Machine
Contents
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QUESTIONS
*Q1. How do I set up Time Machine to back up to my Time Capsule?*
*Q2. How do I set up Time Machine to back up to a USB drive connected to my Time Capsule?*
*Q3. Can I use my Time Capsule for Time Machine backups AND other data?*
*Q4. My Time Capsule is too small to back-up my Mac(s). Now what?*
*Q5. Should I delete backups? If so, how?*
*Q6. How do I back-up my Time Capsule and/or USB drive(s) connected to it?*
If you don't see your question here, try the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.
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PROBLEMS
*P1. The Backup disk image could not be created.*
*P2. Time Machine could not complete the backup . . sparsebundle could not be accessed. (Error 109).*
If you don't see your problem here, try the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.
QUESTIONS
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_*Q1. How do I set up Time Machine to back up to my Time Capsule?*_
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First, set up your Time Capsule via +Airport Utility.+ Keep the name you assign to it, your Computer, and your network short (under 25 characters), and avoid embedded spaces, special characters, and punctuation (see item #P1 below for details). Make sure your Mac can connect via an Ethernet cable, if at all possible, as well as wirelessly.
The setup and first backup (of your entire system) will be much faster if you connect via Ethernet.
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a. If the +Time Machine+ icon isn't already in your Dock, drag it there from your Applications folder. See below for more about it's use.
b. Right-click it and select +Open Time Machine Preferences,+ click the +Show Time Machine status in the menu bar+ box (see below), then click +Select Disk+ (on Leopard, this button will be either +Choose Backup Disk+ or +Change Disk).+
c. A list of possible destinations will appear. It should include your Time Capsule (with the name you gave it via Airport Utility), and may show other internal or external drives as well. Select your Time Capsule and click the +Use for Backup+ button.
d. A prompt for your name and password will appear. In some cases there won't be a Name field, but if there is, enter your short user name. Also enter the password you set up for the Time Capsule via Airport Utility, then click the Connect button.
e. A 120-second countdown to the start of your first backup will appear in the +Next Backup+ area of the TM Preference panel.
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Note that this first backup will copy the entire contents of your system, except for a few things that are skipped automatically, such as system work files, most caches, your logs, trash, etc., and anything else you may have excluded (see #10 and #11 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum). So it will be rather lengthy, depending on how much data is on your system, whether you're connected via Ethernet or WIFI, and if WIFI, how good the signal is.
You can continue to use your Mac while TM is backing-up, and you can even cancel a backup if necessary, but to make this first full backup as fast as possible, try not to overload your Mac or cancel the backup.
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_*The Time Machine Icons in your Menubar and/or Dock*_
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In the steps above, you dragged the TM Application's icon into your Dock, and clicked the +Show Time Machine status in the menu bar+ box.
For detailed info about them, see question #24 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.
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_*Q2. How do I set up Time Machine to back up to a USB drive connected to my Time Capsule?*_
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Mostly the way you set it up to use the Time Capsule's internal HD.
But first, attach the drive directly to your Mac, and erase and format it per the instructions in #5 of the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum. Note, however, that it doesn't matter whether you use the +Mac OS Extended (Journaled)+ or +Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, journaled)+ Format, since Time Machine will put your backups in a sparse bundle that's case-sensitive. You cannot change that.
Unlike the Time Capsule's disk, you can partition the USB drive. That's highly recommended if you're going to be putting other data there, so the backups don't completely fill the disk (but be aware that Time Machine cannot back that "other" data up. See question #Q6 below).
If you're backing-up multiple Macs to the same drive, you can make one partition for each, but it's not as helpful on a network drive, because each Mac's backups will be in a separate sparse bundle. So you can let them share the disk or a partition.
Also note that if you've been doing backups to an external disk connected directly to your Mac, you cannot continue the same set of backups when you connect it to your Time Capsule. They are stored differently, and Time Machine will put them in a sparse bundle, alongside but *completely separate from* the backups made locally, and the first backup will be a full backup of your entire system.
Once the USB disk is set up the way you want it, use the setup procedure in question #Q1 above, but in step (c), select the USB drive/partition, not the Time Capsule's internal HD.
*RAID Sets connected to a Time Capsule:*
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Time Machine will back up to a +Hardware Mirrored RAID set,+ also called +RAID 1,+ (sold that way, with multiple drives in the same enclosure). However, if you partition the +Hardware Mirrored RAID set,+ once you start using it with TIme Machine, you cannot change the sizes later and continue to back up to the same set of backups.
While you can connect multiple USB drives to a Time Capsule via a USB hub (a powered one is best), Time Machine +*will not+* back up to a +software Mirrored RAID+ set (where you combine the drives into a single volume via Disk Utility).
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_*Q3. Can I use my Time Capsule for Time Machine backups and other data?*_
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You can put other data on your Time Capsule's internal HD, but there are three major considerations:
Especially for things like photos and videos, access may be too slow for convenient viewing, and worse for editing. So test this a bit before you decide what to put there.
Time Machine cannot back-up that other data, so you'll need some other method. See question #Q6 below.
Time Machine will, by design, fill up all the space available to it, so there may be a conflict between the sparse bundle it puts your backups in, and the other data. There is a workaround, to "reserve" some space there, by creating a disk image of the desired size and storing your data there, but it's a bit cumbersome, and two Macs can't share it at the same time.
An alternative is to connect a USB drive to your Time Capsule. Then you can back up to the TC's disk and use the USB drive for other data, or vice-versa. But note that Time Machine cannot back-up the USB drive while it's connected to the TC (see question #Q6 below).
If you want to reserve space on the TC's internal disk, here's how:
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a. Start the +Disk Utility+ app (in your Applications/Utilities folder). Click the +New Image+ icon in the toolbar (or select +File > New > Blank Disk Image+ from the menubar). If the little arrow to the right of the "Save As" box points down, click it so it points up.
b. Give it a name in the "Save as" box. This name will appear on the TC's disk, with ".dmg" appended. (Similar to the way the sparse bundle containing your Time Machine backups appears, with ".sparsebundle" appended).
c. Click your TC in the sidebar. It may take a few moments for Disk Utility to recognize it, and show it in the center pane.
d. In that center pane, select the blue Share folder for your +Time Capsule+ (you may need to scroll down, or enlarge the window, to see it). Once selected, you'll see any existing disk images in the right pane.
e. Give the Image a name. This name will appear on your desktop and/or Finder sidebar when you mount the .dmg by double-clicking it, if you have the +External Disks+ box checked in +Finder > Preferences > General+ or +Finder > Preferences > Sidebar.+
f. Select the Size for the amount of space you want to reserve, either one of the pre-sets or Custom which allows any size. Avoid taking all the remaining space for the disk image, as Time Machine needs a bit of room to operate. Also note that if very little space is left, it will begin deleting old backups very soon, to make room for new ones.
g. Select the desired Format, probably the default of +Mac OS Extended (Journaled).+
h. If you want it encrypted, select the desired type.
i. Select single partition, either GUID or +Apple Partition Map.+
j. Select +Read/Write disk image+ for Image Format.
k. Click the Create button. The larger the image size, the longer this will take.
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When complete, the new disk image will be automatically mounted on your Mac's desktop, ready to receive the files you want to move into it. (When you first open a disk image, there may not be a sidebar and/or toolbar; if so, select +View > Show Toolbar+ from the Finder menubar.)
To access this disk image from another computer, you must first eject it from this one, since only one can mount it at a time. Otherwise, the other one will see a message that the disk image is "Temporarily unavailable."
Note that you may be able to change the size of the disk image later, via +Images > Resize+ from the Disk Utility menubar (while the disk image is not mounted or selected in Disk Utility's sidebar).
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_*Q4. My Time Capsule is too small to back-up my Mac(s). Now what?*_
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You can attach a USB drive to your Time Capsule. Then you can back up to the USB drive instead of the Time Capsule's internal HD. If you have multiple Macs, you can back some up to the TC's internal drive, and others to the USB drive.
If you need even more space, you can connect multiple USB drives via a hub (a powered one is usually best), and back up different Macs to each. What you cannot do, however, is have one Mac's backups continue from the Time Capsule's internal HD to a USB drive connected to it, or have the backups for any one Mac "span" two drives.
The exception is, you can connect two (or more) drives that are in a +concatenated RAID+ set (sometimes called +RAID 0).+ In that configuration, all the drives in the set are treated as a single volume (see +Concatenated RAID+ in the Help for Disk Utility for details). This configuration may cause some other difficulties; once they're in a RAID set, you cannot connect any drive to your Mac separately -- it's all or none. And if one drive fails, you risk losing everything on all the drives in the set.
See question #Q2 above for setup instructions for backing-up to the USB drive.
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_*Q5. Should I delete backups? If so, how?*_
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It depends on exactly what you want to do, and why.
Under normal circumstances, you shouldn't have to delete anything. TM automatically "thins" (deletes) backups every time it does a new backup, on the following schedule:
"Hourly" backups after 24 hours (except the first of the day, which is a "Daily" backup).
"Daily" backups after a month (except the first of each week, which is a "Weekly" backup.)
"Weekly" backups are kept until TM needs the space for new backups; then one or more of the oldest weeklies will be deleted.
However, TM will never delete the backup copy of anything that was on the disk being backed-up at the time of any remaining backup. So all that's actually deleted are copies of items whose originals were changed or deleted before the next remaining backup.
But if you do need to delete backups, here's how:
To delete individual backups, or all backups of selected item(s), see #12 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.
To delete everything on the Time Capsule's internal HD, use +*Airport Utility.+* Select +*Base Station > Manual Set-Up+* from the Menubar, then Disks in the tool Bar, then Erase.
To delete everything on a connected USB drive/partition, you can delete via the Finder, but that may take a very long time. It may be faster to disconnect it from your Time Capsule, connect it directly to your Mac, and use Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder) to erase the disk/partition.
To delete all the backups for one Mac, without disturbing anything else on the Time Capsule's internal disk, open the TC via the Finder and delete the sparse bundle associated with that Mac.
To delete all the backups for one Mac, without disturbing anything else on a connected USB drive, either open the USB drive via the Finder and delete the sparse bundle associated with that Mac, or disconnect the drive from the TC, connect it directly to your Mac, and delete the sparse bundle from there.
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_*Q6. How do I back-up my Time Capsule and/or attached USB drive(s)?*_
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That depends to some extent on what you want to back up, and where it is.
It's generally not a good idea to try to back-up your Time Machine backups. If there's a problem with them, it will be copied to (and perhaps magnified on) the copy.
A better solution is probably to use either Time Machine or a different application to make separate, independent backups of your Mac, to a different destination. A portable external hard drive is great for this; you can periodically connect it to your Mac, make a backup, then take it to a secure off-site location, so you're protected against fire, flood, theft, direct lightning strike on your power lines, etc. If you use Time Machine for this, you'll have to use the disk selection process each time you want to switch, via +Time Machine Preferences.+
Many folks use the CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper! apps to make "bootable clones" of their internal HD to an external HD. While these usually don't have "archived" copies of previous versions of things you've changed or deleted, you can boot and run your Mac from them if your internal HD fails. Your Mac may run a bit slower, but it will be usable. Both are easily found via Google.
Since Time Machine cannot back up your Time Capsule's internal hard drive, or a USB drive connected to it, if you have other data there, you'll need a different method to back up that other data.
In a pinch, you can disconnect a USB drive from your Time Capsule, attach it to your Mac, and copy or back it up that way.
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There is a procedure that will let you "archive" the TC's internal disk to a USB drive connected to it.
But it's not quick, since since the data must be read from the TC's internal disk to your Mac, then sent *back through the Time Capsule* to the connected USB drive. And it's "all or nothing" -- you can only use this procedure to copy the entire contents.
All users will be disconnected from both the internal HD and the connected USB disk (but the network will remain usable).
Attach a USB drive with at least as much free space as the total amount of data on the TC's internal HD (see #5 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum, for formatting instructions).
Turn Time Machine "Off" via +Time Machine Preferences.+ Stop all processes that may be accessing the Time Capsule's disk. If possible, connect your Mac to the Time Capsule with an Ethernet cable -- it will still be slow, but faster than WIFI.
Then follow this Apple procedure: Using AirPort Utility 5.3.1 or later to make a copy of the Time Capsule disk.
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PROBLEMS
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_*P1. The Backup disk image could not be created.*_
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Oddly enough, Time Machine can be rather picky about the way certain things are named.
Check your +*Computer Name*+ at the top of the System Preferences > Sharing panel.
It must not be blank; it should not be more than 25 characters long; and you should avoid punctuation, spaces, and special characters.
After changing it, click the Edit button and make the corresponding change to the +*Local Hostname.+*
If that doesn't help, apply the same rules to the name of your Time Capsule and Network, via +Airport Utility.+
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_*P2. Time Machine could not complete the backup .. sparsebundle could not be accessed. (Error 109).*_
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The sparsebundle containing your backups is corrupted.
Try Repairing it, per #A5 in the Time Machine - Troubleshooting *User Tip,* also at the top of the +Time Machine+ forum.
If the sparsebundle is on your Time Capsule's internal HD, and Disk Utility can't fix it, your only option is to delete it (or erase the TC's disk), and let Time Machine start over. You may be able to prevent this from happening again by changing the names per problem #P1 above.
If the sparsebundle is on a USB drive connected to your Time Capsule, and Disk Utility can't fix it, it's possible a heavy-duty 3rd-party +Disk Repair+ application, such as +Disk Warrior+ can. (You'll have to connect the drive directly to your Mac.) These are not cheap, and there's no guarantee they can fix it. Be certain whatever you use is compatible with your OS. For Disk Warrior, you need at least version 4.1.1 for Leopard, 4.2 for Snow Leopard.
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Answer 1

This tip is ready for consideration.
It is an update to the current Tip at: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2296894
Changes:
Q1: replaced info about the TM icons with a link to the TM FAQ tip.
Q2: added info about RAID sets attached to a TC
Q6: reworded a bit and replaced last paragraph with a link to the Apple article.