Non-Apple time machine NAS backup drive?

[Ramses]

So.. I suck and don't use a Mac. Please don't hate me. I don't hate on em a bit.


Wife has a year old MacBook Pro and I'd like to find a better backup solution for her, preferably something pretty seamless via wifi on our home network.

From some reading around it seems to be hit or miss at best using something like the WD My Cloud to save Time Machine backups to.
Is there any other solution other than the Time Capsule/Router boxes Apple sells?

I have a Synology NAS on the network already with DSM 5, should I even be barking up that tree or just badger her(more) to use her external USB drive to back up her writing and art and such?

I don't mind spending a few bucks to make life easier for her but I want it to work correctly and reliably and I don't like the idea of replacing my router with a dedicated Apple router/time capsule.

Thoughts?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Supposedly, Synology works pretty well as a Time Machine target. I don't have one (mine's fancier!) but my dad does, and he says it works well.

FreeNAS also works fine as a Time Machine target, as it happens.

 

[Zaap]

I've been in the same boat. I much prefer my own home server; never been interested in Apple's backup hardware in the least. I don't even like Time Machine-I find it way too limited and "one-size-fits-all" kludgy. But if it will work with the Synology NAS then it may be all you need.

Personally, I prefer GoodSync combined with Automator to monitor and sync project directories (only specific file types) to my file server. My wife doesn't always remember to backup on her own, so I have to set things up where every time she creates/modifies a file, a backup copy is immediately created/updated on both the file server and cloud storage, while also being able to limit it by file type. GoodSynch does a great job of this, with plenty of options.

 

[jaiello]

I have two Synology NAS systems and I use them for my Time Machine backups for three MAC systems and they work great. I actually have it set up so that the Macs alternate between the two NAS systems on each backup. Very slick. If you already have the Synology you need to enable the Time Machine in the Synology configuration and then point the Mac to it and you are good to go. The first backup will take a while to complete. After that only changes with be communicated each hour.

 

[Ramses]

It would surely be the most economical way, using my little Synology box.
I'll head that direction, appreciate the advice.

Might be a moot point for now, got her home and took a mac diag crash course, mid-12 13" MB pro, booted to flashing ? in a folder, got into the disk utility and it does not see the drive at all. Put drive in windows box with HFS driver, copied off her 60gig of user data fine. Put spare drive in her mac, disk util didn't see it either.
Cable or board I guess, boy those boards are spendy.

Sent her to school with a $200 Chromebook that would probably survive being tossed out of a moving vehicle.

 

[boomhower]

I also use Synology NAS for my TM backups as well.

 

[halw]

I also use Synology NAS for my TM backups as well.

+1 for using Synology for Time Machine backups.

 

[KH85]

+1 for using Synology for Time Machine backups.

Another +1 for Synology :thumbsup:

 

[Mixolydian]

Another +1 for Synology :thumbsup:

+2

 

[Blue Bill]

Another +1 for Synology :thumbsup:

+3, it's a great NAS.

 

[Attic]

I use a Synology NAS (DS214 with DSM 5.1) as well to backup Macs with time machine and i love the Synology setup.

Be sure to read here:

https://www.synology.com/en-us/knowledgebase/tutorials/481

Note section 1.3 subsection 2.


The setup is not just plug and play IME. I'd recommend following that guide and creating TM user with a specified folder with the Mac File Service for Time Machine set. This avoids some other issues I've run into with auto-mounting a network share and stuff that I generally find much more straightforward on PC.

Then backup the Synology using glacier backup or other cloud backup to ensure you've got a backup that you count on.