Macworld: Time Capsule ...

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66 Replies Last post: Aug 4, 2008 2:23 AM by moloko Go to original post 1 2 3 4 5 Previous Next

matthol2

2 posts since
Mar 27, 2008

45. Mar 28, 2008 4:59 AM

in response to: Glenn_Fleishman

Re: Time Capsule

Glenn_Fleishman wrote:

matthol2 wrote:
What's the "obscure network setting change"? Maybe I should try that...

In the Terminal, type:

sudo sysctl net.inet.tcp.delayed_ack

If the value is anything but 0, type:

sudo sysctl -w net.inet.tcp.delayed_ack=0

It was 3, now it's 0, so perhaps I'll see an improvement. Does it require a restart to take effect?

rsmiller

21 posts since
May 16, 2001

46. Mar 29, 2008 12:40 PM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Time Capsule

Glenn, really helpful review and podcast.

I am looking to upgrade my 5 Mac home network from Tiger to Leopard and from a "g" router to 802.11n. While I currently have a serviceable backup system with a combo of Super Duper clones and Retrospect backup server (with two Firewire drives, one always offsite), I long to dump Retrospect and its inscrutable interface for the combination of Super Duper and Time Machine. I will continue to use my FW drives for the Super Duper clones, but would contemplate buying Time Capsule for the TM backup.

However, in reading your Time Capsule review, I guess I just don't understand the real value of Time Capsule over buying an AEBS n router with Gigabit Ethernet and plugging in a 1TB drive for a TM backup. I understand its probably a few bucks cheaper right now for a TC, but buying a separate router and plugging in drives seems to make it more forward compatible. What if prices go down on drives next year (and my storage needs go up) and you can get a 1.5TB drive for about the same price? Also, despite the "server grade" drive description, it seems that drives still fail before routers and that drive capacity becomes obsolete sooner than router speeds improve. Plus having one or more USB drives would make it easier to take one offsite, and it would be faster than to go through the extra step of archiving the TM backup.

Or is this solution not really "supported" by Apple? And is it any less set and forget than using TC?

Bob M

epskionline

2 posts since
Mar 31, 2008

47. Mar 31, 2008 12:05 PM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Time Capsule

It just kills me that this only has one USB port and no digital audio output. I want to replace my Airport Express with this, and hook up my laserjet and multifunction printer. I will never need all those ethernet ports, and I don't want to keep the Airport Express just so I can continue playing music over AirTunes! Seems like such little things to make it the perfect hub.

Also, does anyone know whether I could use half of this to store all my media, and then use the other half as my backup? I only need to backup one 200GB hard drive, and I'd like to use the other 300GB to store my iTunes library for playback.

epskionline

2 posts since
Mar 31, 2008

48. Mar 31, 2008 12:21 PM

in response to: epskionline

Re: Time Capsule

Whoops. Saw a couple of posts on the media storage aspect of TC later in the comments (after "read more"). Still not sure exactly how this implements, but it looks doable, which is key.

sfgs

6 posts since
Mar 17, 2008

49. Apr 13, 2008 4:17 PM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Time Capsule

I posted before about an incompatibility of Time Machine with Intego Virus Barrier X5. I finally got a chance to speak with Intego Tech Support. The fix is simple:

Open Virus Barrier X5
Open Preferences
Click 'Scanner'
Go to 'Trusted Zone'
Click on '+' and add the drive you wish to use for Time Machine or drag the drive's icon to the Zone area.

As I no longer have Time Capsule and my new drive is not here yet, I cannot test this but it makes sense.

Update: My new WD Home Studio Edition 1TB drive arrived and the fix works. I timed my initial backup at 1GB/minute and auto saves work fine.

workingmacs

5 posts since
Apr 21, 2008

50. Apr 21, 2008 8:10 AM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Time Capsule

I've done an archive using Time Capsule. My question is: "Now what?" I end up with a sparse bundle representing the backup, but I don't see how gets used when needed. If I try to double-click on the sparse bundle, it opens a folder that includes a "bands" folder, which includes many subfolders. But none of this looks like the original hard drive and it's data. When I try to point Time Machine to a directly drive containing the archive, it doesn't see the archive. So how do you make use of the archive?

moloko

6 posts since
Jan 8, 2008

51. Apr 21, 2008 8:38 AM

in response to: workingmacs

Re: Time Capsule

open the item you want to restore, run Time Machine.

e.g. launch Mail, run time machine. you will then be shown all the backups of Mail that Time Machine has performed.

workingmacs

5 posts since
Apr 21, 2008

52. Apr 21, 2008 9:23 AM

in response to: moloko

Re: Time Capsule

I understand the process for restoring data from a standard Time Machine or Time Capsule backup, however that's not what I'm asking about. The archive process creates a sparse bundle. In the event that you need to use it, because you've lost your Time Capsule hard drive, for example, then how do you get Time Machine to recognize the archived sparse bundle. I thought it would show up when you point to it in Time Machine preferences, but that's not what I'm seeing.

workingmacs

5 posts since
Apr 21, 2008

53. Apr 21, 2008 9:50 AM

in response to: workingmacs

Re: Time Capsule

I may have found a clue. It appears that there is a bug in the archive process. See http://www.macintouch.com/reviews/timecapsule/

and look at the section on Archive-to-USB Glitch

moloko

6 posts since
Jan 8, 2008

54. Apr 21, 2008 3:07 PM

in response to: workingmacs

Re: Time Capsule

you can right/ctrl-click on the time machine application and select 'browse other time machine disks'

Also you should be able to browse the backup disk image once mounted. Iinside it you should find a folder called something like 'Backups.backupdb', in which you should find another folder that will be named the same as your mac, then inside that there's a whole bunch of folders named by date+time plus a shortcut called 'Latest'. Open that to see the backed-up contents of your Mac.

mluthi

1 posts since
Apr 24, 2008

55. Apr 28, 2008 1:35 PM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Review: Time Capsule Wi-Fi base station

I have a question regarding AFP performance: my TimeCapsule works with acceptable speed (say 30 secs per 100MB) when copying large monolithic files (e.g. audio/video files), but when I copy a bundle/package, performance is just unbearably slow (e.g. over two minutes for the approx. 10MB of the Calculator application). I tried the same tests also Mac to Mac and noticed similar sluggish behavior, i.e. the problem is not TimeCapsule specific, but seems to be protocol related. Hence my question: is this behavior normal?

jimbo67

4 posts since
Oct 3, 2007

56. May 6, 2008 5:05 AM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Review: Time Capsule Wi-Fi base station

Time machine backs up every hour eating up the space on an external drive rather quickly. Is there a method, other than simply turning Time Machine off, to do a daily or weekly backup rather than such a frequent hourly backup? I saw some Command Line instructions for changing the number of backups but I'm not comfortable working in Command Line.

Wizardling

35 posts since
Apr 6, 2006

57. May 6, 2008 6:31 AM

in response to: jimbo67

Re: Review: Time Capsule Wi-Fi base station

jimbo67 wrote:Time machine backs up every hour eating up the space on an external drive rather quickly. Is there a method, other than simply turning Time Machine off, to do a daily or weekly backup rather than such a frequent hourly backup? I saw some Command Line instructions for changing the number of backups but I'm not comfortable working in Command Line.

Sure is!

Just download and use TimeMachineEditor

jimbo67

4 posts since
Oct 3, 2007

58. May 6, 2008 7:04 AM

in response to: Wizardling

Re: Review: Time Capsule Wi-Fi base station

Thanks Wizardling!

Your suggestion is exactly what I was looking for!!! I installed it and will see what happens next Sunday Morning at 3AM. Now all I have to do is remember to turn on the Backup HD before I go to bed Saturday night!!! I guess a reminder wouldn't hurt! Jim

jefferis

24 posts since
Nov 14, 2005

59. May 6, 2008 11:52 AM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Review: Time Capsule Wi-Fi base station

I'm very disappointed. I'm on a G5 with the Time Capsule plugged in via Ethernet to my Mac. While it works great as a wireless hub, it fails as a backup system. The major reason is that if I am working in Adobe CS3, it causes Fireworks and DW to crash and creates end of file errors for the clipboard, and I have to run permission repairs and/or fsck my disk to fix volume bitmap errors. The problem is that it kicks in at unexpected times and puts everything I'm working on into the spinning beach ball of death delays. I cannot afford those kind of system locking crashes. Even force quit doesn't work well when this happens. I quit Time Machine and then eventually regain enough control to force quit FW or DW. It is okay, I suspect if I back up when not in use, but there is no control for setting back up for middle of the night or sometime when it is not in use. If you backup manually, it stays active and starts its auto backup sequence at inconvenient times.
All in all, I'm disappointed and I'd say this program needs major work before it is ready for prime time.
Now I really can't tell how successful was my original backup (it took over 20 hours via Ethernet for 250gigs! I could have cloned it in about an hour!) I had to quit the original backup because it was taking so long and I couldn't work with my development programs. So I don't know if I got a partial backup or a complete one. Subsequent backups were done by restarting the program. So I hope all the files are there.

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