Home NAS that supports AFP?

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Hi folks, I'm looking for a Network attached storage device that supports Apple's network file sharing (Apple Filing Protocol/AFP).
It doesn't have to be RAID, and I wouldn't mind it being 3.5" hard drive based so I can upgrade in a year or two when 200TB drives end up commonplace! ;D

Is there one this forum prefers? I'm hoping not to break the bank but I'm not afraid to pay for an awesome product.
This would be connected via 100BT ethernet.
 
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I've been using a NetGear ReadyNAS NV+ for about 2 years. I've got it with 4x 1TB drives in a hot-swapable and expandable X-RAID setup that gives it a 3TB fully redundant capacity. It's a UNIX based box that supports AFP, Bonjour, Time Machine, and has an iTunes server in addition to supporting all the usual PC protocols. I bought enterprise grade drives and I have no problems with this machine. This is not an ad, I'm just really happy with it. Hope this helps.
 

Raz0rEdge

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Another Netgear ReadyNAS NV+ user here..have had it for a year now..works really great..The NVX is the newer version of this line and a very nice one..it's x86 based as opposed to the Sparc-based NV+..but my NV+ has no problem streaming music/videos all over the house..

Regards
 

cwa107


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Wow, that's pretty salty.

OP: If you're looking for an inexpensive, but very good NAS, I'd recommend a D-Link DNS-323:

D-Link 2-Bay Network Storage Enclosure

It doesn't support AFP, but can be made to work with Time Machine - also, since it supports SMB, your Mac can browse it just as it could a Windows-based server. It also has a built-in iTunes server, FTP server, Bittorrent client and supports RAID0/RAID1/JBOD, etc.

I've been using it for a couple of years now, and aside from an issue related to Seagate HDDs, it's been pretty much flawless. And those Seagates were the infamous 7200.11 series drives, which are universally known to have firmware issues.
 
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TechieJustin
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What about doing a one time Time Machine backup onto a Windows machine?

My question is, can I save the backup file to a DL DVD or something?
Will it backup the entire machine including all the users and their settings?
 

cwa107


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Yes, you can setup a Time Machine backup to a Windows Share. There are a number of tutorials out there, most namely this one.

As far as a DVD goes, no, Time Machine doesn't have that capability.
 
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Yes, you can setup a Time Machine backup to a Windows Share. There are a number of tutorials out there, most namely this one.

As far as a DVD goes, no, Time Machine doesn't have that capability.

I figure it can't backup to a DVD, but what about restoring from a DVD?
 

cwa107


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I figure it can't backup to a DVD, but what about restoring from a DVD?

No, it won't restore from one either. That's just contrary to how it works. Besides, a base install of OS X is 8GB, so you'd be hard pressed to do a full backup on a single DL DVD that can hold 8.5GB.
 
B

Backhertz

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I bought a DNS-323 with two 2TB hard drives formatted in EXT3 in a RAID 1 configuration. I have unsuccessfully tried for three days in getting my MacBook which has Snow Leopard 10.6.2 for an operating system. I've got the DNS-323 hooked up to a ZyXel wireless router. I can see the NAS box, but Time Machine won't. I even signed up for premium membership when I didn't see an activation email....but it was in the Spam (doh!) folder. Has anyone successfully done this with my configuration above? The tutorials I see when I Google are dated 2008 & pre Snow Leopard. Thanks in advance. I was a PC hostage for many years until I broke free & finally bought a MAcBook. My Unix was fair at one time, but that was about 25 years ago.
 
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Backhertz:
I haven't done it with your setup, but when I first got my ReadyNAS it took some manual setup work to get Time Machine working properly. Go to ReadyNAS.com and look at the older setup method there:

Making Time Machine work with the ReadyNAS : NETGEAR ReadyNAS Community

Some of this isn't necessary if you don't mind Time Machine using all the space on your new device.

By default the Time Machine is set up to NOT recognize third party NAS devices. Use Terminal to change that by executing this command:

$ defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1

You'll need to logout/login to have this take effect. Then mount your external server, if it's not already, using Finder's Go/Connect to Server... Time Machine Preferences will now see the device. Be sure to review the other steps at ReadyNAS.com.
 

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