Easy Time Machine Setup On Ultra2Plus
Ultra2Plus As Time Machine NAS
We have had a MacBook Pro around the house for a while but just now got around to Time Machine NAS backup to our Netgear Ultra2Plus. There really isn’t anything stored on the Mac so it wasn’t critical.
But now that I have a Mac I’m using for cloud storage reviews I figured I might as well setup Time Machine on the NAS and see what it’s all about.
I know in the past I have heard a number of people claim they had trouble getting Time Machine to work on a NAS from one vendor or another including Netgear ReadyNAS.
And, true to form the new installation of OS X Mountain Lion couldn’t access the Time Machine feature of the Ultra2Plus the first time either.
Setting Up Time Machine On ReadyNAS
Getting the ReadyNAS configured to be a Time Machine NAS server couldn’t be easier. The only problem I encountered was my new edition of OS X and my outdated firmware on the ReadyNAS. Apple made some changes and Netgear followed with an update – but you have to apply it!
Updating the firmware on the ReadyNAS is so straightforward (and only takes a few minutes including reboot) that I won’t go into it here.
Tell ReadyNAS To Act As Time Machine NAS
After turning on the Time Machine service on the ReadyNAS, you simply supply a password for each Apple computer to login to the ReadyNAS with – for whatever reason the user name is “ReadyNAS” and cannot be changed.
You have the ability to set a maximum space quota for Time Machine backups on the NAS in the field below.
Time Machine NAS Selection On The Mac
Next, open up the Time Machine configuration in system preferences and click the “select disk” button. If all is well on the ReadyNAS then you should see it in the selection window. Note that if you don’t you may want to check and make sure you have bonjour discovery service enabled on the Netgear; not sure, I didn’t test without it.
The AFP service must be enabled but the ReadyNAS is supposed to do that automatically if it’s not already turned on.
Time Machine NAS Selection
Once you have it all configured you should see a 120 second countdown begin and then Time Machine will try to backup. The first backup could take a while and will be faster if connected via gigabit wired connection rather than WiFi.
Why We Like Netgear ReadyNAS Devices
Services such as Time Machine and the continuous updates and tech support for when Apple or whoever makes a change is just another reason why we have found Netgear ReadyNAS devices to be such a good fit for our own and our client’s needs.
The ReadyNAS Ultra2Plus is a fantastic home network storage solution.
