iMac backing up.

[yellowtriumph]

Members might remember that I posted here a while back on my new iMac purchase - I posted a few questions on email and touched on the subject of backups etc. I'm finding the new iMac to my liking and I'm pleased with my purchase.

It's still early days but we want to move to the next phase of using it 'properly' and therefore I need to keep it backed up. I've read a lot about the the internal Time Machine facility and in particular about using it in conjunction with an external Airport Time Capsule. For those who don't know, the Time Capsule is a Wifi connected 2TB hard drive that can also act as a wifi router. I bought one. But it is not going to be the answer I was looking for. I just want the Time Capsule to wirelessly backup the iMac, I don't want the wifi router capability.

Having spoken to Apple's excellent telephone support it seems that most people connect their Time Capsule to their ISP router with an ethernet cable and switch off the internal wifi router capability of their ISP's router. In essence their ISP supplied router just becomes a modem and the Time Capsule connected to an ethernet port on the ISP router (modem) takes over the wifi network function.

But I am paranoid. If nefarious people entered our house they would, without thinking i'm sure, gather up the iMac, flat screen telly and anything else around the telly and underneath it with wires hanging off it - so there goes my iMac and my Time Capsule too. The nightmare scenario. The Apple support people said they could help me to apply some network mods that would get me what I wanted (The Time Capsule in the loft somewhere quietly backing up the iMac) but they were quiet specific that they could not guarantee it would be 100 percent successful. If it isn't 100 percent then that's no good to me.

Does there team have any further thoughts or useful personal experience? I think the cause of my issues here is that the Time Capsule wants to act as a wireless hub as well as a backup drive. It strikes me if I just bought a 1TB wireless drive I would stand greater chance of having what I want with no issues.

[Hyph]

A standalone drive to use with Time Machine is almost certainly cheaper than an Apple Time Capsule.

Having said that, I have a Time Capsule (henceforth: TC) and I'm very happy with it. I need two WiFi access points to cover Hyph Castle and the TC performs admirably in this regard, as access point #2.

The primary access point is my ISP router. Or more correctly, the far better router that replaced the useless junk my ISP provided. I have a (very long) Ethernet cable connecting the two together. The TC is configured to use the ISP router as a gateway. Both are configured with the same WiFi SSID and password and clients switch seamlessly between them. Works very well, and my MacBook does backups from anywhere in the house without any intervention on my part.

[yellowtriumph]

Thank you Hyph. It does somewhat incredible to me that I can't simply set the TC up to just connect to my existing wifi network and then just sit there quietly performing the backups as and when automatically. The TC set up menu looked as though you could do just that, but in practice you couldn't and it insists on replacing my existing BT wifi service.

[ExXB]

I think you are on the right track. In addition to your time machine you need to also backup to something external to your home. This protects your data against theft, fire, flooding, cyclones, earthquakes, pestilence, terrorism, etc.

Based on comments made on your previous thread I use backblaze(.)com to backup to the cloud. Reasonable price, $50 a year, and easy to set up and run. Initial backup took a few days, but incremental backups are completely transparent. You have a high security option that encrypts your data to 'unbreakable*' standards but don't lose the key!

My (anal) backup strategy consists of;

• Apple time machine. gives me quick and easy access to data history;
• Documents, Photos and Music folders mirrored daily to Wife's Macbook, so they are identical;
• Documents, Photos and Music folders cloned daily to external drive;
• External clone (CC Clone) of internal drive. Bootable. No history but allows me to get up and running should internal drive fail; and
• Backblaze

#3 no longer necessary but since it was already set up ... With #1 and #5 I probably don't need #2 and 3 but ...

When we moved ISPs to cable provider I turned off their wifi and continue to use Time machine. Works for me.

[Background Noise]

My Time Capsule is not connected to my router - it is just added into my wireless network and acts, as you describe, as a wireless backup device. Set it to 'extend a wireless network'. Like Hyph, it helps extend the existing wireless network, which is useful in an old stone cottage, and also I have a printer connected to it via usb which makes the printer available as a wireless printer on the network. It could however, given a suitable power source, be hidden away in the loft or be bricked up in a wall somewhere.

I think I responded before, but like you I am a bit paranoid about losing the laptop and the TC in the same burglary, so I also frequently backup to a separate portable hard drive, which I try to keep in a separate location to the TC. Time Machine will allow you to back up to multiple drives - the TC backs up automatically in the background and the other drive backs up manually whenever I hook it up.

[yellowtriumph]

BN. That's interesting.

If I run the Airport Utility (Finder/utilities/Airport) the utility finds the Airport TC and offers me 3 options.
1. Create a new network (would not want this I presume)
2. Add to an existing Network (would want this I would have thought)
3. Replace an existing device (would not want this I would have thought)

If I select option 2, and hit 'Next', the next page has the heading 'This Time Capsule will create a Network'. Since I think I should be looking to join an existing network, or extend an existing network, this does not look right and I bale out at this point. Any thoughts?

PS. I have an Airport Express to be able to stream audio to my old, but nice, analogue hifi - it is currently switched off to ensure it is not affecting matters.

[Background Noise]

Hmm.. I can't remember how I did it, but it seemed obvious at the time - although having said that, not everything from apple always is, with odd sequences as you describe often happening.

I have a network based on an Airport Extreme, and it is that network that my TC is added to. I don't know if it matters that my original network is apple-based rather than being based on another router.

Under the 'network' tab, I have the router mode option set to 'Off(Bridge mode)' if that helps?

[yellowtriumph]

I think you have hit a nail on the head. From what I can glean on the www, the TC can only join an existing wifi network via an existing Apple device such an 'Extreme', in other words it will not connect directly to an existing wifi network created by a 3rd party device (such as my BT Homehub). Oh well.

[Background Noise]

I wonder what would happen if you tried it with your Airport Express on, would the TC then extend the network?

[yellowtriumph]

BN. I thought of that overnight and gave it a go this morning. The answer is 'no' - The TC still wanted to set up a new network.

I'm thinking now of a usb 3 portable hard drive and a bit of self discipline.

[yellowtriumph]

Update. I gave you duff gen there. When I moved the TC closer to the Airport Express (AE) it did indeed then offer me the option of joining the AE and extending the existing wifi network. This seemed good except I want to put the TC somewhere physically out of the way and not be limited to being within close distance of the AE.

I then remembered that I had some TP-Link 'ethernet over the mains' adapters and wondered if that would work, since, the theory seems to be that if the TC is connected to my BT HomeHub modem/router (HH) with a physical cable (and not wifi) it should give me what I want. I set it up but the TC did not seem able to 'see' my BT router.

I then thought - let's see if it actually works connected directly to the back of the HH and powered it up. I got further in so far that the TC offered me the option to replace my existing HH wifi capabilities. I do not want this as obviously my new TC would be underneath the telly next to the BT master socket in clear view.

So, not the product for me and I will return it this morning.

[Background Noise]

You want the TC to 'see' the AE network. Have you tried the TP-Link with the cable end connected to the AE and the other end somewhere near your preferred TC location?

The Apple solution would be to use an Airport Extreme as your network provider instead of the HH. There are a number of advantages in terms of coverage, speed, 5GHz network, guest network etc, some of which may be available on the latest HH - with which I am not familiar.

I think you can connect an external hard disk to the usb in the HH (with the cable leading to your underground security bunker) but I don't know how well that would work with a mac and time machine. There must be other wireless hard disc (or NAS) options - again, not sure how well they work with TM.

[yellowtriumph]

Thank you for your patience BN. I'm fretful that I may end up with a daisy chain of devices all interdependent on each other, if one link fails then the whole backup operation may become unreliable.

My main concern is that if the iMac is stolen I'm stuffed if the backup device is stolen too. On reflection, and in discussion with Mrs yt, we think the most valuable information to lose would be our emails and financial information. How does this sound as a backup plan?

1. Back up the iMac on a weekly basis to a standalone usb 3 portable drive.
2. Back up to the iCloud the folder containing our email information (you may recall I will be using Outlook and so all the pertinent information will be in a single folder somewhere I presume)
3. Back up to the folder containing the financial package information to the iCloud. We use Moneydance and I'm sure I can find the folder where this app stores the information.
4. Back up the folder containing the Outlook Word documents to the iCloud.
5. Perhaps I can also store the iMac documents folder to the iCloud too?
Without going into too much detail, I am assuming i can schedule 2 - 5 above to happen on a regular basis with no further intervention from me.

Of course I will back up photos etc to a separate external hard drive too.

[Background Noise]

I would guess all of that can be done - you're out of my familiarity zone however. You will get the same injects as before I expect about the pros and cons of pop email vs imap. Leaving the mail on the server would add another layer of backup, which is how imap works, but you can get pop accounts to leave it on the server as well.

[Saab Dastard]

Not part of a regular backup, but do also record all the hardware and software serial numbers and keep them somewhere safe, either hard or soft copy.

SD

[ExXB]

SD, if you register new Apple products when you obtain them, Apple does that for you.

YT. What you need is a backup close to hand, and a backup in a safe secure location. The time machine gives you the first. iCloud doesn't get you the second. I tried it and found it lacking.

[Saab Dastard]

if you register new Apple products when you obtain them, Apple does that for you.

Good to know, thanks.

Unfortunately, MS doesn't, so as general advice it's sound (but unnecessary for Apple). No prizes for guessing how I learned that!

SD

[yellowtriumph]

Originally Posted by ExXB

SD, if you register new Apple products when you obtain them, Apple does that for you.

YT. What you need is a backup close to hand, and a backup in a safe secure location. The time machine gives you the first. iCloud doesn't get you the second. I tried it and found it lacking.

I agree, may I ask what you use for the second part?

I've returned the TC and obtained a refund. I'm thinking now just a simple wireless drive in the back of the understairs cupboard behind the wine rack quietly sitting across the BT HH wifi network using Time Machine. That's all I wanted the TC to do, but it wanted to do so much more that I didn't want or need.

Ps. Good advice taking the serial numbers of course, I'll include the curved screen telly too.

[ExXB]

Backblaze.com, see my post above.

[India Four Two]

Backblaze.com, see my post above.

YT,

I concur. Backblaze will give you peace of mind concerning off-site storage. It is completely transparent, just working away in the background. 15¢ a day.

I recently had cause to contact their help desk and I was really impressed. A rapid response with detailed specific instructions relating to the configuration issue I was having. None of the flowery language, full of fake empathy that I get from other vendors - Apple, I'm looking at you!