Build your own time capsule

Hi there

I will hopefully be getting a new MBP within the next 2 weeks and was interested to know if you are able to build your own network storage so that you could backup your back without spending £200 on Apple Time Machine

Sorry if this has been covered before but I was unable to locate anything

Thanks

Are you referring to the cost of a Time Capsule?

Time Machine is the backup software that comes free with OS X Leopard.
A Time Capsule is the wireless router that contains a network drive that works with the Time Machine software.

The simplest (cheapest) way to use Time Machine to backup is via USB to any external drive.

I believe there are a few high end wireless routers out there that also allow you to connect wirelessly to a USB drive, but they aren't cheap either. Also, the Time Capsule contains a print server.

By the time you purchased some other router w/ network drive capability, a 500gb external drive, and a print server, you'd spend as much as you will on the Time Capsule.

If you already have an Airport Extreme, I think you can also connect a standard USB drive to it as well. I think there was a software update awhile back which made this arrangement Time Machine compatible, but someone else will have to verify this.

Well can you please provide us with more details on what you already have available?? (e.g. any network hard drive?)
If you have something like that on your network already then you sure can change a few files in time machine to enable backing up to that volume. But I sure would like to warn you that apple officially does not allow this. And they must have a valid reason for not allowing us to use just any networked hard drive for time machine backup. So if you are really serious about backup I recommend you either plugging a drive into your computer or get a time capsule.
Cheers.

Hi

Thanks for your replies

Sorry if I have been lacking in info..

My current setup is a PC which a 400GB hdd which I store photo's, videos and so on. This is a SATA HDD and this is internal to my PC.

I am in the process of selling all this so that I can get a MBP. I have know you can get a network storage caddy to which you add your HDD to and then you can plug into your router (some say they are mac compatible). What I was wondering if I could also use this network storage to also backup my mac over the network. If this is not possible then I will get another HDD and have a USB backup device as suggested.

Again. Thanks for your replies. Been a PC user too long and looking forward to getting my MBP.

Cheers

Well you may be able to use such network storage device, but again, I wouldn't recommend you if you do not want your back ups to fail or anything. But it is worth giving a try as well & see how it works.
This article will tell you how to enable you time machine to use the network hard drive for back up... How to enable Time Machine on unsupported volumes - Engadget

OK.

Thanks for the info on that

Might just keep the backup to a USB HDD