“NAS is storage that you attach via ethernet or Wi-Fi and access across the network,” Jon L. Jacobi writes for TechHive. “What that doesn’t tell you is that most NAS boxes have the smarts of a PC, with a full-blown app environment that includes extensive backup abilities.”
“But there are two things that even NAS-aware users might not realize: First, many NAS boxes are perfectly capable of backing up data from PCs running any type of operating system (e.g., Windows, OS X [sic] [recte macOS], or Linux) from anywhere, using nothing more than their integrated utilities,” Jacobi writes. “All you need to do is configure the PC to give up its data, and then use the NAS box to grab it.”
“Second, most NAS boxes can also sync with OneDrive, Google Drive, DropBox and other cloud services to keep your mobile data backed up, too. Sadly, Apple’s iCloud is one of the few services that is not widely supported. But there are ways,” Jacobi writes. “Apple doesn’t allow access to iCloud from anything other than its own apps. If you’re an iPhone user, I recommend using DropBox.”
“The simplest way to back up computers on a local network is via SMB. It’s the standard network protocol for Windows PCs, and is what is used by Windows simply as file sharing. But it’s also supported by Macs and Linux PCs. In fact most NAS boxes run some form of Linux,” Jacobi writes. “[Versus a Windows PC], it’s even easier on a Mac as almost everything is already shared by default…”
Much more – including easy-to-follow instructions – in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Better safe than sorry!
For those using NAS, which brand/model and how does it play with your Mac and/or iOS devices and the Apple ecosystem?
synology DS216 +II, using NAS app Cloudstation….have access with apps for both iPhone and iPad and the MAC..
Love my Synology NAS. I’ve had a few other brands but none of them had their act together as Synology does.
I tend to use time machine, cloud backup to backblaze, followed by rotating backups to external drives. On top of that I have dropbox and iCloud data which covers my documents and photos.
Local storage and one off-site trumps Cloud storage I’m afraid. Certain types of small data needed everywhere on Cloud maybe but it’s not realistic to store 30-40Tb’s of data on the Cloud.
QNAP ST-251 with 2 5TB drives for full backup. Time machine backup to external drive, CC Cloner clone of startup drive, iCloud for offsite and M-Disc twice yearly backup.
This is the more important part that is not mentioned- 100 miles into the US is a zone where your rights are essentially suspended. That covers the majority of the US population.
Here is a link to an ACLU page on the issue complete with the 100 mile zone marked on a map.
https://www.aclu.org/other/constitution-100-mile-border-zone?redirect=constitution-100-mile-border-zone
No Trump voters or Obama haters, this shit (8 U.S.C. § 1357(a)(3)) has been on the books for some time (1953) – that would be the Eisenhower (Republican) Administration. The more aggressive policing is what the Right Wingers were asking for and that is what you got- a fucking police state on our border. If you live within 100 miles of the coast or any US land border, your rights are seriously restricted under US law.
There are some who interpret the zone to also include customs at ports of entry- which would include International Airports well within the US.
Leave your cell phone at home, buy a burner when you get to your destination. Get a Chromebook- with no local storage- and use Cloud accounts while away.
Somehow the page about the Customs and Borders ended up here. Not sure how that happened, but I did have multiple open tabs.
So that is where you get your fake news.
“been on the books for some time (1953) – that would be the Eisenhower (Republican) Administration. The more aggressive policing is what the Right Wingers were asking for and that is what you got- a fucking police state on our border.”
First, I’m sure that Eisenhower foresaw the laptop and smartphone in our future. I doubt seriously the man who was General in charge of defeating Germany’s NAZI’s and Italy’s Fascists in WW2, was up to bringing that police state mentality to the USA! Second, 8 U.S.C. or United States Code seems more like arbitrary writings of bureaucrats, the non-elective, unaccountable government officials, kind of like those you’d find at the EPA or IRS that write rules, regulations, directives that even your Representative who is supposed to write bills to send to the president to sign into law don’t even know what the heck is going on. Lastly, we were asking for government and Obama (Democrat) to follow the laws, like those on the books for immigration. If the government is not going to follow the law, the why do we need the lawmaking government and pay taxes to fund those who do not do their job?! In conclusion, I’ve read about the IRS scandal of agents targeting conservatives and Obama administration wiretapping a reporter and his parents. So, get back to me on that whole “Right Wingers & Police State” thing, mkay!
I never implied that Eisenhower foresaw anything. The comment was to pre-empt the nonsense Republicans always throw at anyone outside their camp.
The ill advised USA PATRIOT ACT was written by James Sensenbrenner (Republican 5th District WI), but some here would place the blame on President Obama alone for the more aggressive policing. My point was that the law giving Customs and Border Police greatly expanded authority dates back to the Red Scare days on the 1950’s and was enacted under a Republican President- not a Democrat.
Obama did tighten up the border- greatly expanding the number of agents on the border and the budget for the agencies involved. Border Agents do have a tough job, but have commonly exceeded their legal authority with US Citizens in recent times. American Citizens with proper documentation should not be harassed just because they decide to shop, camp or whatever in Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal.
The Canadian Border was long the longest undefended border in the world and such of that was cast aside by the hyper-paranoid after 9-11. By working with Canadian Authorities we could keep the northern border as open as before and not be so harsh to Canadians and Americans crossing back and forth.
ACLU is a communist organization that should be destroyed
The ACLU is the most American of organizations. It has stood both with Atheists and others who object to the public space being used for private faith and with the rights of students to pray and study religious texts in school. What the ACLU fights for is the maintenance of the freedom and rights of all- not just whatever group you happen to being to. The ACLU is not against practices of faith, just the use of public money or spaces for proselytizing.
Someday you may find yourself on the wrong end of state power and might appreciate the fact that the ACLU is for you even if you are not for it. I am a long time supporter of the ACLU and intend to be as long as I live.
The ACLU is a radical leftist pressure group. They hate a specific category of people: white, Christian, heterosexual males. Once President Trump’s 3rd-world invasion ban is upheld I hope he deports all of the ACLU’s liars and staff.
Funny, I am a WASP and heterosexual and a member of the ACLU. That would mean according to you that the organization I am a member of opposes me.
That is simply not true, but in the world of NewsMax, Fox, Breitbart, etc facts do not seem to matter.
That’s the tragedy of Western society. White leftists are facilitating the destruction of their own culture and people. James Burnham said it best “liberalism is the ideology of Western suicide.” Every dollar you give to the ACLU is used to invade the country with immigrants that would be glad to see you and America annihilated.
I hope you never need it, but some day you might find the full apparatus of the state arrayed against you in court.
Regardless of how you feel about the ACLU, they will be on your side. They are the most American of organizations.
The ACLU promotes and defends the destruction of the United States through 3rd world invasion. The apparatus of the state is already arrayed against all white Americans. The ACLU is on the side of the totalitarian state.
Funny, I’ve been researching my first NAS and up to now Synology has been recommended the most. They’ve got an online demo of their OS and it is basically a home server that can be configured to do just about anything.
I’m looking at the DS216:
https://www.synology.com/en-uk/products/DS216#overview
With 2x2TB WD Red drive to start.
Was looking at Synology but went with WD My Cloud Mirror as it is designed as easier to use but still powerful, comes prepopulated, and made by the folks who make the drives. If you like to spend extra time fiddling with things then Synology is probably perfect. While I *can* do all of that just fine, I prefer to spend my time on other hobbies and the WD was pretty simple. I can still do a lot more with it if I choose to later.
I moved from a Time Capsule that was used for Time Machine and also shared as an iTunes library on the same single partition. This same setup with the WD is even easier and now my backup is mirrored. I haven’t yet needed to use it for other Apple ecosystem purposes but mirrored backups and media storage is all I really need and it works great.
QNAP has TimeMachine support. Could be pain to set up but then works pretty well. All Macs at the household are backing up every night