How-to: Setup multi-Mac backup shares with quotas. Easy.

Okay, I'm back. Might have a solution ( working so far, so good on 10.6 and 10.8 ). FYI, I am running 4.2.22 on a ReadyNAS Pro 6.

First off, some background. The 4.2.22 firmware is running version 2.2.3 of Netatalk which is the open source implementation that is used to provide the AFP functionality/protocol. In regards to the "AppleVolumes" files, here is some info from the Netatalk 2.2 manual:

http://netatalk.sourceforge.net/2.2/htmldocs/AppleVolumes.default.5.html

What I did was take a look at the entries in the "/etc/netatalk/AppleVolume.default" file. This is where the ReadyNAS stores the Netatalk values for any Shares that are created (not user shares) if AFP is enabled for that share. For a public share, an entry looks like this:

"/<share>" "<share>" cnidscheme:dbd

( BTW, a symbolic link is create at / (root) that points to /c, so /<share> points to /c/<share> )


So here is what I came up with:

1) Create a new user/share combo if you have not already under Security | User & Group Accounts. Set a space quota if you'd like. Then mount this share under Finder.

2) Don't bother with the empty ".com.apple.timemachine.supported" file. As far as I can tell, it is not needed, at least not for 10.6 or 10.8. I may find out later I am wrong, but right now I am trying to keep it as simple as possible, going with the lowest common denominator that works.

3) Either via the CLI in /c/home/<share> (you need SSH installed), or just mount the share and in the root of that share open up a text editor (and TextEdit must be in Text mode not RTF mode!) and enter the following:

"/c/home/<share>" "<share>" cnidscheme:dbd allow:<share> options:tm

I use <share> here, but really it is the <user> that you created, which then gets a home directory ( which you can apply the quota ) that is the share. Point is, user and share are the same name. So the first part is the path to the share, the users home directory ( which is where ".AppleVolumes" will reside ), the second part is the share name ( which may be where people are getting the errors from the original instructions because it states to use ReadyNAS, not the actual share name which is the user name... hope you get this; I am also using quotes as this is how Netatalk is doing it on the ReadyNAS - not sure if this matters ), the cnidscheme: says I think where to store some data, but not worried about it, allow: says only the user should access, and the options: with tm for TimeMachine!!

4) Save this file as ".AppleVolumes". Make sure to uncheck on TextEdit where it states it will add .txt to file names without an extension. Also, agree that you want to save as a hidden files ( that is what "dot" files are. )

5) Go into TimeMachine preferences. Under Select Disk, this share should be visible (it must be mounted first as it does not show up via Bonjour/Avahi.) Select to use it. It will probably ask for a user name and password, same that was used to mount the share. Let it run and see what a happens.


I am going to keep tabs on this and see how things work. If I have any updates I will post them. Share any luck you might have or things you have discovered. Right now, if this holds, it is a simple solutions. Nothing more that a single hidden file that tells AFP/Netatalk to allow TimeMachine on this share.

If anyone has any questions, let me know as I'll monitor this thread for a bit.

Eric