How quiet are the new Macbook 13's?

[diw]

you might check whether Time capsule will back up external hard drives connected to network machines....I dont know how you have configured your music server and whether this might be a problem....Time capsule is a wonderful device but not without its quirks....I use it but back up the music HD directly

 

[Andrew S.]

Interesting.

 

I was planning on using the time capsule in 2 ways - as a netwok drive for my AIFF files and , in a separate partition, as a back up for data on my Mac.

 

I will have 2 separate systems running in the initial stages of my Mac experience: one PC and one Mac. I think I will keep the two systems separate and just make an AIFF copy of my music on the Time capsule. If I like the Mac solution I'll look at another more permanent solution ...In the interim it is just an easy way of getting a large wireless storage capacity at a reasonable cost. Probably migrate it into the office if it all works out.

 

Thanks of all your help. Haven't I come the full circle in a few weeks? Hope I can learn to love the Mac this time around.

 

I'm going to be very interested in the MPD/Amarra comparison. Might have to get a decent dac for it..

 

Chris - incidentally I have read that the G Skill Falcon is exactly the same as the OCZ Vertex but about 20% cheaper. Just by the by.

 

Know a liitle OT can I ask what you need to connect a Weiss Dac2/Minerva to a MacBook Pro 13 inch via Firewire: ie do you need a 4 pin to 6 pin cable and if so which one?

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

You need 9 pin to 6 pin or an adapter.

 

adapter http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technology/FAD824/

 

cable http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/1394B96036/

 

[Bob Stern]

There is no way to partition the internal hard drive in the Time Capsule.

 

The Time Machine backup for each computer on your network is stored in a separate "sparse bundle disk image" file (with extension .sparsebundle) on the Time Capsule hard drive. You can store any other data, such as an iTunes Music folder, on the hard drive alongside the disk image files.

 

The big problem is how to reserve a portion of the hard drive for music files so that the Time Machine backups do not grow to consume the entire free space. There is no elegant solution to this.

 

The simplest solution is to use Disk Utility to create a fixed size (not sparse) disk image file on the Time Capsule that's big enough to hold all your music. However, storing your music on a disk image on a remote volume is a pain because the Finder takes an incredibly long time to do a parity check on the disk image before it mounts it on your local desktop. I don't know whether this will change in Snow Leopard.

 

Another solution is to use Disk Utility to create an empty fixed size (not sparse) disk image file on your internal hard drive whose size is, say, 50 GB. Then copy this to your Time Capsule 12 times to reserve 600 GB of space. When you start to run out of space for your music on the Time Capsule, simply delete one of the 50 GB files. However, you'll be competing with Time Machine to fill up the 50 GB space you just created!

 

Bottom line: Time Capsule is not ideal as your primary music storage device. However, it is fine for storing backup copies of your music if you use another hard drive as the primary music storage device.

 

[diw]

Bob described it very eloquently....Time capsule is a plug and forget application which mindlessly backs up computers on your network and that is great....unless your music is stored on those computers entirely, it wont help with backup for your music library. The dilemma for many people is that their music library exceeds the capacity of a computer hard drive hence the use of external drives. Backing up to another drive which is stored somewhere else ( in case the house burns down or the burglar takes all the computer stuff ) is a good policy advocated by the digital paranoiacs....I recommend Glyph hard drives which seem to cope with casual abuse quite well ( they are designed to be used by musicians ) and come with a convenient carrying case

 

[Andrew S.]

Thanks Bob & diw

that is a nuisance! Couple questions:

a) what's the downside to storing your music in Time Capsule along side your back up's?; and

b) Can Time Capsule back up partitions on other non Apple machines?

Yes I have learnt my lesson - I always have 2 back ups of my music - one readily accessible and one off site - fortunately a mate and I share libraries so he has a copy of mine and mine of his. Has saved me more than once.

Interesting stuff.

Cheers

A

 

[davidR]

I just wanted to add that I'm a big fan of the Glyph drives too. Fast, reliable, and a variety of connections.

 

[Bob Stern]

(Please don't confuse the Time Capsule network hard drive with the Time Machine backup software.)

 

If your music is stored on an external HD connected by USB or Firewire to your Mac, Time Machine can backup the external HD to Time Capsule.

 

There is no disadvantage to storing music on a Time Capsule alongside Time Machine backups until the Time Capsule hard drive fills up. At that point, it becomes a nuisance to preserve free space to continue adding new music, as described in my earlier post.

 

I believe the only constraint on backing up Windows or Linux computers to a Time Capsule is whether the backup software can handle a backup volume formatted in Mac HFS+.

 

[Andrew S.]

Hi Bob

good advice well written.

I am an Apple newbie. Thank you for explaining it to me.

I'll just store both on it while I decide which way I want to go.

Thanks

Andrew

 

[diw]

Hi Bob.....when Time capsule came out I rushed out and bought one to back up my MacMini music server and its attached hard drive on which the music files sit....I couldnt find a way to do that and the Apple store confirmed that it was not possible so I returned the Capsule and reverted to the earlier arrangement of an Extreme base station with attached hard drive for backups. via Time machine, with a direct backup arrangement for the Music HDD...the Time machine backup sort of worked but is not an Apple supported arrangement and when it didnt work they couldnt be very helpful....so I recently succumbed to the Time capsule again for Time machine backups of my computers. I've looked on the Apple website and cant find any reference to Capsule backing up HDDs attached to computers on your network, and I've just searched the forums and found lots of people who want to do this but no one who can say they have actually done it. If you have done it, could I trouble you for explicit instructions that a computer illiterate can follow?

 

[Bob Stern]

diw asked: "I've looked on the Apple website and can't find any reference to Capsule backing up HDDs attached to computers on your network"

 

The quoted statement is true. If you re-read my last post, I said you could backup HDD's attached to your Mac by Firewire or USB. Time Machine will not backup remote network drives.

 

However, several Macs running Time Machine can each backup to the same Time Capsule. (Each Mac will store its backup on a different sparse bundle disk image file on the Time Capsule.) Therefore, to backup your music, you need to run Time Machine on the Mac to which your music HDD is directly attached via Firewire, USB or SATA.

 

Time Machine cannot backup music on a NAS.

 

[Andrew S.]

"Time Machine cannot backup music on a NAS"

 

Well that is as useful as tits on a bull...

 

[diw]

Bob....I have a HDD connected to the MacMini via Firewire....Time machine shows no inclination to back that up and I would know if it did because it is big numbers....is there a way that I can instruct the Capsule to back that up?

 

and Andrew....I totally sympathise.... tits bull etc ...all I can say is that Time machine does what it says on the box and it would be nice if it did more...are there other software solutions that do what we all seem to want?

 

[Bob Stern]

By default, external drives are excluded from Time Machine backups, but you can override this default.

 

To enable backup of an external volume: while that volume is mounted on the desktop, open Time Machine Preferences, click the Options button, and delete that volume's name from the "Do not backup" list.

 

[cfmsp]

 

 

 

"By default, external drives are excluded from Time Machine backups, but you can override this default.

 

To enable backup of an external volume: while that volume is mounted on the desktop, open Time Machine Preferences, click the Options button, and delete that volume's name from the "Do not backup" list."

 

 

I vote this as the most useful post of the week.

 

clay

 

 

[Andrew S.]

I agree Clay...

 

[diw]

Thanks Bob....I'll try this but I know the first backup will take hours, if not months, and the world needs to know about this tweak ! It gets my vote for post of the month

 

[Audio_ELF]

One of the often recomended software solutions for backup is SuperDuper ... worth a look if your NAS doesn't natively support Time Machine.

 

One question about the Time Capsule - does it support Time Backine backups onto a USB connected drive or just to it's internal drive?

 

Eloise

 

[diw]

Eloise....my reading of the spec is that Time capsule will back up to a USB Drive connected directly to it, although I have never tried this. I also have no idea how it allocates space for this....anyone out there with some knowledge?