Time Machine via Airport Extreme

[Falcoholic]

Wanting to perform my initial backup with my hard drive connected directly to the Macbook Pro to shorten the time it takes to backup all 400GB. As soon as I do that and then connect the drive to my Airport Extreme, Time Machine suddenly forgets that I've used the same drive as a backup, asks me if I want to replace my current Time Machine drive or use both as if I've connected a completely different drive.

What's the solution to getting it to recognize that its the same hard drive that was connected directly to the Macbook Pro? Do I just have to perform the initial backup via the Airport Extreme and deal with it?

 

[Taz Mangus]

Wanting to perform my initial backup with my hard drive connected directly to the Macbook Pro to shorten the time it takes to backup all 400GB. As soon as I do that and then connect the drive to my Airport Extreme, Time Machine suddenly forgets that I've used the same drive as a backup, asks me if I want to replace my current Time Machine drive or use both as if I've connected a completely different drive.

What's the solution to getting it to recognize that its the same hard drive that was connected directly to the Macbook Pro? Do I just have to perform the initial backup via the Airport Extreme and deal with it?

What happens if you select "use both" and do a backup? I think it will continue on from the initial backup but I have never tried your situation with Time Machine.

 

[Weaselboy]

This won't work the way you are doing it. A networked TM backup gets placed inside a sparse bundle image and a locally TM backup does not, hence the conflict you are seeing.

There is a workaround described at this link where you can start the backup over the network to create the sparse bundle, then stop the backup and finish it over USB.

http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20080324235423683

Also, do you have the latest, tower shaped Extreme? Networked TM backup is not supported on the older, pancake shaped models is why I ask.

 

[gpspad]

Also, do you have the latest, tower shaped Extreme? Networked TM backup is not supported on the older, pancake shaped models is why I ask.

Thanks, I didn't know this and was trying to get this to work once.