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User profile for user: archercc81
archercc81 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Any way to start a local time machine and move to ASUS router

Im trying to do a backup of a 4TB setup and store it on my ASUS router but I think Im stuck doing it efficiently because of apples proprietary requirements. My router supports everything BUT APFS but I guess with newer MacOS it ONLY supports APFS because Im not given an option to format HFS+ so my router can see it (ASUS claims they support it).


Anyone aware of a workaround so I can do my first backup locally in a format where I can move it to the router? Doing that its hours while over the network its days. Since apparently apple will only do time machine backups to their supported formats.

Mac mini, macOS 12.4

Posted on Jul 2, 2022 5:28 AM

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User profile for user: PRP_53
PRP_53
User level: Level 10
90,709 points

Posted on Jul 2, 2022 6:32 AM

Backup disks you can use with Time Machine


Network-attached storage (NAS) device that supports Time Machine over SMB

Many third-party NAS devices support Time Machine over SMB. For details, check the documentation for your NAS device. 


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User profile for user: ku4hx
ku4hx
User level: Level 7
23,586 points

Jul 2, 2022 6:40 AM in response to archercc81

Best practice is generally a dedicated HDD for backups. The more complicated the backup routine, the more complicated it going to be when you need to recover.


Assuming you get all the data on your router, if your Mac dies, what's your plan to restore from the router?


Our routers have the ability to attach storage via USB-A ports, but the use of those drives in that way, with data transfers being via our LAN, is dismally slow compare to an HDD attached directly to our Macs.

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User profile for user: archercc81
archercc81 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jul 2, 2022 6:52 AM in response to ku4hx

I dont mind if moving it back to my MAC to restore is required, as long as, apparently, I can restore from an NTFS formatted file.


Honestly I dont even care about the mac itself, there isnt any real userdata I care about, its a mac mini primarily used as a media server, the thing Im trying to backup is the media store.


Im wondering if there is a better alternative to time machine for this, I don't actually need any advanced functionality, just something that recognizes "he added a file in a folder, Id better make a copy." It seems, in trying to make it simple, apple actually made it complicated.


There is a built in function in windows I was using on my old windows media server that worked perfectly for this, I just copied my media folders onto a drive, moved that drive to my router, told windows to backup those media folders to that network drive, and when it detected changes it did just that.

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User profile for user: PRP_53
PRP_53
User level: Level 10
90,709 points

Jul 2, 2022 7:02 AM in response to archercc81

I can restore from an NTFS formatted file. That will Never every happen as that Drive format is a Microsoft Windows Drive format.


macOS Can Only Read NTFS drive formatted drive and can NOT Write to that Drive without Problematic Third Party Software installed.


Time Machine Backup, built into macOS can Only use the Native macOS APFS / GUID or possible HFS Journaled / GUID formatted drives period.


Even using a Cloning Software Specific for macOS will require the same mentioned Drive Formats ( APFS / GUID or possible HFS Journaled / GUID )

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User profile for user: PRP_53
PRP_53
User level: Level 10
90,709 points

Jul 2, 2022 7:05 AM in response to archercc81

" There is a built in function in windows I was using on my old windows media server that worked perfectly for this, I just copied my media folders onto a drive, moved that drive to my router, told windows to backup those media folders to that network drive, and when it detected changes it did just that. "


Can a Windows computer read and write to an APFS / GUID or even the older HFS Journaled / GUID Drive if it were attached to the Windows Machine ??

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User profile for user: archercc81
archercc81 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jul 2, 2022 7:32 AM in response to PRP_53

LOL, so there are routers that work with APFS for SMB? My top-flight 2020 edition Wifi6 compatible mesh system not good enough for Apple?


There are a million different options with how this could be handled, being locked into APFS only isn't the best one. It appears the only way to create an initial sparsebundle locally is to let MacOS format it in APFS (again, the only option given now) and then move to an apple product for remote time machine backups.


I was cool with the workarounds regarding the M1 for the advantages but it looks like there is still a bit of "home cooking for no real reason" going on with Apple, bummer. Guess my bad for assuming they could do something Linux variants and Windows sorted out years ago.


Not world ending. Just means cant use their solution for local backups. At least since you can read from NTFS/SMB I know it will work for disaster recovery (the only real purpose, to recover 7TB of media in case of a drive failure) I'll just let it run that 4 day initial backup over the network.

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User profile for user: Barney-15E
Barney-15E
User level: Level 10
115,960 points

Jul 2, 2022 7:59 AM in response to archercc81

The file system on a network back up drive is irrelevant. Time Machine will create a Sparsebundle disk image of the appropriate file system for the back up.


Listen to fish. Apple doesn’t officially support time machine on a drive connected to a router. However, that set up is essentially a NAS, which is supported if the NAS file server supports the Time Machine over SMB specifications. Most NAS devices support that specification since they almost all run a modern version of Samba.

Your router supporting that specification is probably iffy.

Long ago, under the older Time Machine, you could start the Network backup, then when the Sparsebundle was created, pause, connect the drive to the Mac, then continue the backup. I don’t know if that is possible.

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Any way to start a local time machine and move to ASUS router

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