How To Set Up Time Machine On Synology Nas

Making a Time Machine fill-in from your Mac to a Synology NAS is very convenient and like shooting fish in a barrel to setup. With are a few tricks like quotas and bankroll up multiple Macs you create a smooth and reliable experience. Both background and a pace-by-step guidance are included in this postal service.

Time Machine backup to Synology NAS

Time Machine is the backup solution build into macOS. For storing your fill-in, you tin can use an external disk that you lot adhere directly to your computer. In instance yous have network-attached storage or NAS, you could very well employ this instead.

A Synology DiskStation is a pop NAS device. I have two of them myself, and I am pleased with it. A DiskStation is very well equipped for storing your Time Automobile backups. To exist successful, nonetheless, you need to take a few settings into business relationship.

This post starting time explains what to configure and why. Adjacent, you find detailed step-by-step instructions with screenshots.

More on Synology at Storage Alchemist

This mail is also published and maintained at the Storage Alchemist, our other website about Synology. Yous are welcome to cheque information technology out.

Contents Overview

I am aware that there are quite some posts nearly this topic on the spider web. My reason for adding my version is threefold.

1. DSM, the software on the Synology NAS, is progressing. This makes some publications outdated. The time of this publication marks the stop of the DSM 6 era, with DSM 7 around the corner
2. 2nd, most publications do non take the different setups into account. It is not the same setup for every user. There are several differences that I will highlight here.
3. Last but not least, I wanted to set up up it myself, so why not share it with you?

The basic configuration of a Time Machine backup to a Synology NAS is rather straightforward. I outline it in the Generic configuration department below.

In some additional Background notes, I hash out several differences and exceptions that may or may non utilise to you. It also helps yous to understand what you are doing while setting up your Time Automobile backup to your NAS.

I advise you to go through all of them and determine whether they apply to your setup or non.

Generic configuration

Setting up a Fourth dimension Machine backup to your Synology DiskStation involves several steps on both the NAS and the Mac.

On the NAS, y'all take the following steps:

1. yous create a shared folder on your NAS exclusively for the backups
2. next, you lot create a user account on your NAS exclusively for the backups
3. finally, you enable and optimize a file service for the Fourth dimension Automobile backup

The steps on the Mac are:

1. you connect to the shared folder on the NAS that you created earlier
2. next, you straight the Time Machine to that shared folder
3. optionally, you tin exclude folders on yous Mac from being backed upwardly
4. last, you start the backup and set it to run automatically

Background notes

To assist you better empathise what you are doing and highlight differences in the setup, I add some background notes to the generic configuration overview higher up.

File system

The storage on your Synology DiskStation is configured equally a Volume with a file system. This file system is either Btrfs or EXT4. Both are fine for our purpose. However, they work differently concerning a quota that we configure along the way.

You can cheque your file organisation fromStorage Director, an application you find when you lot log in to the DiskStation Manager or DSM. Select the volume and check your file system.

The Btrfs file system, which you discover more often than not on eachDiskStation Plus series model, allows you to fix a quota per shared folder and per-user or group for each shared folder. We will use the final option (per-user or group).

The EXT4 file system is bachelor on all DiskStation models but is the only pick on the Value serial models. This file system has fewer options for quota management.

A book with the EXT4 file organisation lacks quota on a shared binder. You tin can define a quota for a user or group for the unabridged volume, not per shared binder equally with Btrfs.

I will cover both the Btrfs and the EXT4 file systems when defining quotas in my step-past-step instructions.

File service

Both your Synology DiskStation and your Mac use common file services as SMB and AFP. Besides, both are enabled on either device by default.

Information technology is less common to cull only one file service unless you specifically need both for different purposes. Aye, fewer file services improve performance and stability.

Since AFP stands for Apple File Protocol, it sounds for near Mac users a rubber bet to utilize. Unfortunately, it is not.

AFP is an outdated and deprecated protocol and should be avoided. Apple adapted SMB a long time agone. In fact, since macOS Sierra 10.12, Time Auto backup runs over SMB, if yous allow it to.

Hence my advice to disable AFP on your NAS and exclusively employ SMB unless you lot accept an older version of OS 10 (10.11 and older are called Bone X, not macOS) or an application that needs AFP.

DiskStation Managing director version

Because the technology progresses rapidly, I include the DiskStation Manager (DSM) version in this post. The layout of application pages changes and options often expand with newer versions.

For case, before DSM 6.1, you could only assign a single Time Machine binder in your file services configuration. At present you can assign multiple folders, and the location of that selection has moved to a different tab.

With DSM 6.2.iv current and DSM vii in beta, I fabricated some additional notes for the beta. DSM 7 does not change much about the current setup. Merely a few screens have a different layout.

Yet, note that a version of Agile Fill-in for Mac is expected after DSM 7 is released. This might brand Fourth dimension Machine obsolete. Please annotation that the current range of Agile Backup packages is not available for DiskStation models from the Value and J series. These models will probable keep using Fourth dimension Auto to back up their Macs.

Quota for storage infinite

Time Motorcar creates a multi-generation backup. Information technology continuously adds to the fill-in what is new and changed on your Mac. It will apply all available space in the long run, after which it volition starting time deleting sometime backups. The Fourth dimension Car screen on your Mac states it conspicuously.

To tell Time Machine to showtime deleting the oldest backups, enable a infinite limit through a quota.

Alternatively, you can define a separate volume on your NAS for Time Machine backups as a way to limit disk infinite. I do not cover that option here.

Multiple Macs

Most descriptions of a Time Machine fill-in to a Synology DiskStation practice not cover how to backup multiple Macs. Should yous create divide shared folders, separate user accounts, or both? How practise you manage the necessary quotas?

Since each Mac with Time Auto creates a distinct fill-in file, there is technically no demand to create a split shared binder for each Mac. All backups from your respective Macs tin can go into the same shared folder for Time Machine backups.

Because you must limit the maximum size of your fill-in with a quota, and we assign quotas to the TimeMachineUser account that we utilise for the backup, I advise y'all to create a user account per Mac for its Time Machine fill-in. Information technology obviously makes sense to include the name of your Mac in the proper noun of that user business relationship for easy identification.

You can, withal, create multiple shared folders, ane for each Mac. The do good of this additional step is a complete separation assuming that you only requite one TimeMachineUser access to each shared folder. Now, no TimeMachineUser account can affect (read: delete, change) another Time Machine backup file.

Continue Time Machine

If you already run Time Machine on another device, yous take three options:

• you go on with that backup on your Synology NAS, retaining your backup history
• also, you have the option to use both locations; Fourth dimension Machine volition alternate between locations
• showtime with a new fill-in on your Synology NAS.

I volition assume the last option but comprehend the other two in the step-by-step guide as well.

Configure Your DiskStation

Okay, let'due south go started. Open your browser, point it to your Synology DiskStation with its IP address or server name and log in to DSM with an account with administrative privileges.

You but need the Control Panel awarding, and an icon is probably on your DSM desktop. In Command Panel, we volition only use the top row of icons.

Create a shared folder

Open Command Panel and click on Shared Folder. Click Create push to create a shared binder. Give the shared folder a name like TimeMachineBackup and a description like for Time Car backups.

Note that I prefer not to utilize spaces in folder names, but you are gratuitous to practise so. Select the location if you have multiple volumes on your NAS.

Enable Hide the shared binder in "My Network Places" equally yous won't interactively admission the folder from Finder or Windows Explorer as any other user. This does non touch on whatsoever functionality or the ability for Time Machine to detect and use the folder.

Do not enable the Recycle Bin every bit you won't delete individual files from the backup.

Practise not encrypt this shared folder. If you need encryption, use the Fourth dimension Machine option for encryption. I will show yous that option subsequently in this post.

Ready the avant-garde settings (available on volumes withBtrfs only) to your preferences. I suggest not to employ file pinch and shared binder quota. Nosotros will define a quota for the user later, and file compression asks for many resources from your NAS.

Data checksum is an choice. Information technology takes boosted resource from your NAS. Note that yous can not disable it later.

Tip: if yous are not certain how either compression and information checksum bear on the operation of your NAS, practise a test run and open Resource Monitor from the DSM desktop. If you lot accept a separate storage pool with defended disks for this purpose and a powerful processor, you tin can safely utilize these options, either 1 or both.

Skip the screen to ready the Shared Folder permissions and click OK. Review the consequence as in the screenshot above.

Sidestep

In case you program to create multiple shared folders for unlike Macs, I suggest you lot include the Mac name in the shared binder name. Like I mentioned earlier, however, you tin can store backups from different Macs in the same shared folder and use unlike user accounts for each Mac.

Multiple shared folders for each backup create a full separation of backups and user accounts that have access to these backups. It is the safest option and perhaps a best do in larger environments.

We create a user account in the side by side stride.

Create a user business relationship

Continue in Control Panel and click on User. Click Create to create a new user. In the User information screen, fill in the proper noun like TimeMachineUser.

If you have multiple Macs, I suggest you create multiple accounts with a name like TimeMachineUser_MBP15AZ, where MBP15AZ is the calculator name.

Add a description like for Fourth dimension Auto backup or for Time Machine fill-in of MBP15AZ.

Enter a password or use the password generation here, which is a neat feature but limited to a half-dozen-character password.

Re-create and paste the password into a file or notation. I prefer to utilise a password manager for that purpose. Make sure you use a strong and unique password equally you lot never accept to type it in, and you won't change information technology often.

Check the box for Disallow the user to change business relationship countersign. This ensures that the password volition not accidentally change, every bit this will disrupt your backup process.

Permit the user just bring together the Users group (default). Do not make this user a fellow member of the Administrators grouping. Quota settings are non enforced on members of the Administrators group.

Requite the user Read/Write access to the TimeMachineBackup folder you created earlier.

Set the quota for the user. A rule of thumb for the amount is between two and 3 times the estimator's hard disk size. For a 500MB drive, I set up the quota to i TB. Notation that larger quotas give a more than detailed backup history.

The screen yous see here above is for a volume with the Btrfs file organisation. If you accept the EXT4 file organisation, just the volume(s) is listed. Use the same quota values for the user. Select the volume that contains the Fourth dimension Auto shared folder if you lot have more 1 volume.

The next step is optional. In the Assign application permissions screen, I deny all application permission in my setup considering the backup account will not use any application on the Synology NAS. This as well limits the potential abuse of this account.

Skip the settings for User Speed Limit.

Review the consequence of your piece of work in Control Console > User.

Congrats, yous created the Shared Folder and the User. In the next and terminal pace of the configuration of your DiskStation, we look at the File Services.

Sidestep

If you plan to create multiple users for many Macs, I suggest you lot create a group named TimeMachineGroup and make all Time Auto user accounts a fellow member of this group.

Proceed inControl Console and click on Group. Click Create to create a new group.

Requite this group Read/Write permissions to the TimeMachineBackup shared folder instead of the users.

Adjacent, y'all could assign a quota to the grouping instead of the user accounts, but not all Macs have the same size hard bulldoze. Hence they require dissimilar quotas. Therefore information technology is better to assign quotas to the user account.

Next, you assign the deny application permissions as mentioned earlier to the group instead of the user accounts for easier maintenance.

Configure file services

Go along in Command Panel and click on File Services and select the SMB/AFP/NFS tab if you apply DSM 6. On DSM 7, each file service has its own tab.

I assume you apply macOS 10.12 Sierra or afterward and will therefore use SMB and not AFP. If you adopt to use AFP, read that instead of SMB in the first ii steps and screenshots and the Enable Bonjour Time Machine broadcast setting.

Under SMB, check Enable SMB service if information technology was not enabled already and disable the AFP file service on the same folio.

Next, click the Avant-garde tab.

Under Bonjour, set a checkmark for Enable Bonjour service discovery (default). Side by side, practise the same forEnable Bonjour Time Machine Broadcast via SMB. Click on the Apply button.

A message may appear that notifies yous that the Bonjour Time Machine broadcast via SMB likewise enables SMB3 Windows file service, Opportunistic Locking, SMB durable handles, and SMB2 lease.

These are advanced SMB settings that nosotros will review in a minute. Click on the Yep push.

Click on the Gear up Fourth dimension Machine Folders button and enable the TimeMachineBackup shared folder that you created before. In instance you created multiple Fourth dimension Automobile folders, enable them all. Click Apply.

Become back to the SMB/AFP/NFS tab in DSM half-dozen or theSMB tab in DSM seven. Skip this stride if you apply AFP.

Under SMB, click on the Avant-garde Settings push button. Review the settings that the Bonjour setting enabled earlier. Notation that the minimum SMB protocol is still SMB1. Increase that to SMB2, and click Apply.

Note: but aboriginal Windows clients like Windows XP utilize SMB1. Most Windows and macOS computers utilize SMB2 or SMB3 which are more secure.

Sidestep

Unless you lot have an older Mac that runs Os X 10.eleven El Capitan or earlier, in that location is no demand to use AFP, and I encourage you to switch it off and simply enable SMB. You can do that from the SMB/AFP/NFS tab under AFP in DSM 6 or the AFP tab in DSM 7.

Note that if you connected over AFP earlier from your Mac to shared folders on your NAS, you might accept to reconnect over SMB.

Configure Your Mac

Now that you have gear up your Synology DiskStation, it is time to get your Mac set up. Most of the work is done in Organisation Preferences > Fourth dimension Automobile. We also use the Finder for a moment.

Cease Time Machine fill-in

In instance you already use Fourth dimension Machine to back up your Mac to another device, I suggest you stop Time Machine kickoff before you continue. If it is currently running, either look until information technology is finished or cease the backup from the Time Motorcar icon in the menu bar.

Next, uncheck the option Support Automatically. We enable this once again when we are finished. Whatever running backup volition stop. In instance this selection is greyed out, you have to authenticate as an ambassador first. Click the lock and cosign to unlock it.

Sidestep

Note that it is possible to continue with your current Fourth dimension Machine backup in its new location on your NAS. Alternatively, you tin start fresh with a clean slate on your NAS.

If you lot like to continue with your current backup, just re-create the backup file from the old to the new location on the NAS now. Make sure Fourth dimension Machine does not support during copying. Only when copying is finished, you continue with the next step.

Connect user to NAS

The next step is to make a connectedness from the Mac to your NAS. You connect to the dedicated shared folder TimeMachineBackup with the specific user TimeMachineUser y'all created earlier.

From Finder > Become > Connect to Server, type:

smb://nas_name_or_IP_address/shared_folder_name

If you have prepare up the NAS file service to AFP instead of SMB, supersede smb:// with afp:// in the command above.

Find in the screenshot above that I saved 3 dissimilar syntaxes for the same server. Time Machine defaults to the nas_name.local syntax.

Next, you get the hallmark screen. Enter the name and countersign of the TimeMachineUser that y'all created on the NAS. In case you created more than users for different Macs, enter the credentials for the right user hither. I propose not saving the credentials in your keychain unless you lot prefer to store the password there.

The purpose of this connection is to assist the Fourth dimension Auto connect in the next step. My experience is that this step is non necessary if the Time Automobile folder is configured for Bonjour on your Synology DiskStation, and the computer and NAS are on the same IP subnet (same accost range in obviously English).

Summary: it may help and does non hurt.

Sidestep

Initially, I failed to connect with the new user from my Mac. I had asunder my regular user business relationship from the NAS equally I was aware that two different user connections from the same Mac would not piece of work anyway.

Notwithstanding, on the Mac, you do not always become a dialog for inbound user proper noun and password. It automatically uses my everyday credentials that are stored in the Mac'southward Keychain.

I finally made it piece of work with a fob. The trick is to utilize a unlike syntax for the nas_name. Normally, I use something similar mynas. If you apply the mynas.local name, or the IP accost, macOS handles information technology as a new connectedness, offer a connection dialog that asks for user name and password.

Connect Time Motorcar to NAS

Information technology is now fourth dimension to connect and tell Fourth dimension Machine about the new backup location on your NAS. Open up System Preferences > Time Machine on your Mac. Click on the Select Backup Disk… push.

Assuming you lot currently have no disk selected for the Fourth dimension Motorcar fill-in, select the prepared shared folder on your NAS.

Notation the Encrypt backups choice. Enable information technology if you demand backup encryption. Equally you might call back, nosotros did not enable encryption on the shared folder on the NAS. Your computer processor is more powerful than the one in your NAS. It is therefore better to allow your computer do the heavy lifting for the encryption.

Click on theUse Disk button to ostend the backup location. You lot are at present asked for a user name and countersign. Fill in the TimeMachineUser name and password that you created on your Synology NAS.

Sidestep

If you are currently using another disk, click the Select Disk button, select the location and click the Remove Disk push button.

Optionally, you tin leave the current setup as is. When yous select a new location, you get the following question:

Now y'all can supervene upon the original location, similar to the Remove Disk choice, or use both locations.

Commencement Time Machine

Now that all is set and washed, it is time to start your Time Automobile backup. Enable theBack up Automatically setting that nosotros disabled at the start. I suggest you also enable Bear witness Fourth dimension Machine in bill of fare bar in the Time Machine preferences.

Notation that yous can also manually start and stop a fill-in at any time from the Time Machine icon at the system tray surface area in the menu bar.

Note that the beginning backup may take quite some fourth dimension. You may want to temporarily disable power saving for the reckoner and only let the brandish become to sleep.

Sidestep

In Time Machine, you lot tin exclude items from backup. In System Preferences > Time Car on your Mac, click on the Options… push button.

If you have multiple users on your Mac, note that each user can add a binder to the exclude list for him or herself.

You can enable Exclude system files and applications to make the backup smaller and enable Backup while on bombardment power.

Thank you

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Best Regards,

Image Alchemist

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