Need to restore from Time Machine but it can't find it!

I did another round with Apple support - as they also could not understand how I could be successfully seeing/using AFP volumes on my ReadyNAS, successfully executing time machine backups to another volume -- but not being able to access those backups using any of the Apple "restore" applicactions (Recovery or Migration Assistant).  At their suggestion I took a separate machine (I used an older MacAir) and installed the High Sierra beta, to see if that version of Migration Assistant or Recovery had the same issue with not allowing authentication to the ReadyNAS backups.  It exhibited exactly the same behavior that you described in your post (default to 'root' userid, not accepting credentials that were configured into the Time Machine service on the NAS, either directly in that dialog box or via a fully-qualified path using the 'other server' option in the restore utilities.  

Very frustrating that I have not been able to get Apple to tell me what protocol I need to get a NAS to support in order to have restore from Time Machine work - nor have I been able to get anyone from NetGear to even acknowledge that this is a problem, or tell me what other model/upgrade might be required to get this back functioning the way it had been working for years before.  

Firmware v4.2.31 (latest as of August 31, 2017), 4x2GB drives RAID-5.

I have exactly the same issue as reported on the first post of this thread.

I'm trying to recover a MacOS 10.11 system to a new 10.12.6 system.

I am trying to use Migration Assistant.  I get stuck trying to enter my credentials ReadyNAS/[password].  These credentials work fine with the TimeMachine control panel in all my systems.  But not with Migration Assistant in 10.12.  I haven't yet tried 

I have several machines from OS 10.5 to 10.11 backed up on this system.  I've been using ReadyNAS products since 2010, and have recovered from many complete drive failures and also done general system migrations, all with Migration Assistant and this and older ReadyNAS units.

Has anyone had any success yet with either NetGear support or Apple support?  I'm going to try the NetGear path first.

No, still have not gotten an answer from either Apple or NetGear.  There is a post on an Apple community board that claims that Apple has never endorsed a configuration that uses a Time Machine client to back up to a NAS - that the only thing they will "support" is

1) A direct-connected drive

2) A server running OSX-server

3) An AirPort server

A senior Apple support engineer told me that there were significant changes made to the way that the file system encrypts storage for different identities with the Sierra release.  This is consistent with my experience that everything worked great up through Mavericks but I have not been able to access time machine backups using Recovery or Migration Assistant with either Sierra or (using a different machine) running the High Sierra beta.  

I also have not been able to get any answer at all out of NetGear.  I even went through Sales (since my ReadyNAS is pretty old, and might be due for a replacement anyway) - and asked them which current model could I buy that would support Restore from Time Machine to a client running Sierra.  The Sales associate had no idea, didn't recognize the NetGear model numbers that I was quoting from their own product page - and I had to send him a screenshot of his own website to show him where it listed Time Machine support as a feature (but didn't mention anything about OS compatibility).  He took my contact info to have a sales engineer call me back - that was 3 weeks ago and have not heard a peep from them.  

One thing you could do if all else fails is to copy the Time Machine backups over to a USB disk and see if you can restore from that.

The Duo v1 (runs RAIDiator 4.1.16) and the Ultra 4 Plus (runs RAIDiator-x86 4.2.31) are using quite old versions of AFP/Time Machine support now. These devices will only receive critical security fixes if there are any further firmware updates as it has been some years since they've been discontinued.

Our OS6 models use the latest version of AFP/Time Machine support for Linux. You can see this when looking at the version of the Netatalk package in the GPL code.

I've got bad news...you probably forgot your password. When Time Machine is configured, the ReadyNAS will ask you to create a password specifically for Time Machine. The default username for the operation is ReadyNAS, if you did not change it, you'll only need the password. If you did change it, you'll have to remember the username, and password, that you used to configure the backup process. The odds of Keychain saving the password you used are very low considering how the web interface is configured. For security reasons, this password is not recoverable. I don't even think it has a hint option when it's configured.

Just had this exact problem performing an SSD upgrade to my iMac late 2010 model. It has been happily using Time Machine Backups to the ReadyNAS NV+ v2 for years and had already come to my rescue a few years back after a hard disk failure. So was very surprised when coming to do the restore using a Mac OS 10.13 High Sierra boot USB it could not authenticate to the ReadyNAS. The system was running HIgh Sierra already. Using the correct username "ReadyNAS" and the correct password just get the shaking box.

With luck I have managed to work around the problem.

• I still have a Mountain Lion boot USB.
  If you look in your purchased section of the App Store you should see these older versions of the OS available to download (assuming you still have a working Mac to access and can make a boot USB)
  This connected to the Time Machine backup on the ReadyNAS with no problem.
• Full restore completed :-)
• First boot I got the dreaded No Entry symbol on the Mac :-(
• I booted from the High Sierra boot USB, ran Disk Utility and selected First Aid on the drive
  It worked, the system booted up as expected with the files restored :-) :-)

Really need a new firmware release for the ReadyNAS to fix the core problem but hope this helps someone.

I have the same problem: trying to set up a new mac from the Time Machine on a Duo v2. I believe I typed the right user name and password, but received a shaking dialogue box (for whatever reason, the authentication to the ReadyNAS Duo wasn't considered correct by mac OS). There are quite a few security updates on Sierra and High Sierra, not sure where the problem is. Since this is not an officially Apple supported hardware product, Apple doesn't have any obligation to support it. I think now Netgear has to come up with a solution fast, otherwise it doesn't make sense for the customers to continue using this product: if I can't access it, what's the benefit of having a backup copy?

Netgear has to come clean to share with its customers the cause(s) of the problem, followed by whether they intend to fix it, and if the answer is yes, a timeline. The storage backup hardware has long life spans. If they advertised that it supported Apple's Time Machine, they should fulfill their promise. Last time I checked, it's still a reputable technology company in the Silicon Valley, not a store front peddling made-in-china junk in amazon.

I have the same problem too. Completely agree with your comments about Netgear support for Time Machine.

Can you provide your logs (see the Sending Logs link in my sig)?

Thanks, I've sent the logs.

Oh BlackIc3 you have a RN102. Can you update to 6.9.3?

If it still doesn't work you could try toggling over to using Time Machine over SMB (a new feature in 6.9.3) and see if that works for you.

Today I try two NAS box (ReadyNAS Pro 4 , 4.2.31  and RN426, 6.9.3), Mac 10.13.

At first, run time machine backup to NAS; then restore from Time machine backup.  Whether it's Firmware v4.2.31 or v6.9.3, both can find, both can restore. Are our test steps the same? 

I use the same Mac , Backup to NAS and Restore from NAS. If you're on the same Mac, can you find it? Or do you do other things? For example, reboot NAS or Mac after backup?

I updated the firmware on my 102 and I can now 'see' the nas as a Time Machine. However the TM backups that I was running from my old mac are not visible.

I am trying to restore from these backups to a new mac as the disc died on the old one.

Are you using the same login that you used from the old Mac?

Hi!

I was also having this same trouble... I managed to get to the back up by using the afp url of the server in the other option:

afp://ReadyNAS:<pass>@<ip-address>/ReadyNAS

Hope that helps!