Using one external drive for mac & windows backups?

[jjbirky]

Hi All,
I'm planning on using a single 5TB HDD to store backups of both my Macbook (via time machine) and my windows laptop (via something else).

I know I'll need to make 2 partitions, each formatted differently for both system backups. I'm also planning on creating a 3rd partition to use as NAS. (the 5tb drive will be attached to my router via USB.)

Just wanting to make sure this should all be doable and fairly straightforward as I imagine. Anything I'm not thinking of? or completely oblivious to?

Also, any suggestions for backup software service for Windows10, that is similar in function to Time Machine?

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, jjbirky.

Actually you have another option for the partitions. the exFAT file system is fully supported natively by both Windows and Mac OSX, so you should be able to read/write on it with both computers, instead of formatting one with HFS+ for Mac OSX and one with NTFS for Windows. Anyway it's all up to your personal preference.
As for backing up via Time Machine or a different backup software, I'm not sure if you'd be able to do that through your network, or did you mean that you're going to physically connect the drive to either the PC or the Mac whenever you want to backup? If this is your train of thought and you have a 3rd partition which you want to access as a NAS, this should be doable. Although you should make sure that the router you're talking about really has no issues with a 5TB drive and is compatible with the model you plan on getting.
Backing up through the network via Time Machine or other software for Windows might be doable if you setup the drive as an FTP via your router, but I can't really be sure of that, so you might want to get in touch with the router manufacturer's customer support and ask for further info on the subject.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

 

[jjbirky]

Hey there, jjbirky.

Actually you have another option for the partitions. the exFAT file system is fully supported natively by both Windows and Mac OSX, so you should be able to read/write on it with both computers, instead of formatting one with HFS+ for Mac OSX and one with NTFS for Windows. Anyway it's all up to your personal preference.
As for backing up via Time Machine or a different backup software, I'm not sure if you'd be able to do that through your network, or did you mean that you're going to physically connect the drive to either the PC or the Mac whenever you want to backup? If this is your train of thought and you have a 3rd partition which you want to access as a NAS, this should be doable. Although you should make sure that the router you're talking about really has no issues with a 5TB drive and is compatible with the model you plan on getting.
Backing up through the network via Time Machine or other software for Windows might be doable if you setup the drive as an FTP via your router, but I can't really be sure of that, so you might want to get in touch with the router manufacturer's customer support and ask for further info on the subject.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

Thanks for the input boogieman.

My router - for now - is the wd mynet n750, though I'm considering upgrading in the coming year. Regardless, it has a couple USB 2.0 ports that I was going to use and I'm fairly sure it's compatible... but the more I research this, I think I may return the 5TB HDD I just bought and shell out an additional $20 for a consumer NAS, since I'll be able to connect via Gigabit ethernet, and it sounds like the drives are made specifically to run constantly/frequently, vs an external drive that just gets connected every so often. It also sounds like with a true NAS drive, there's no need to worry about formating... wheather exFAT or partitions, am I right about that?

The 3TB Seagate Personal Cloud has my eye, but it looks like the 3TB seagate drives are notoriously prone to fail early, so maybe the WD my cloud for a few bucks more. Any thoughts on that? I'm tempted to shell out for one of the dual drive RAID1 versions, but my budget won't stretch that far.

 

[JaredDM]

Actually you have another option for the partitions. the exFAT file system is fully supported natively by both Windows and Mac OSX, so you should be able to read/write on it with both computers, instead of formatting one with HFS+ for Mac OSX and one with NTFS for Windows. Anyway it's all up to your personal preference.

Actually Time Machine will only work if it's HFS+ formatted, it will not backup to exFAT that way. Would be better to just create an HFS+ volume at the beginning of the drive, then an NTFS one following it in your partitioning. That or get yourself something like a Synology NAS which supports Time Backup natively over the network and also supports Windows backups.

I hope you're not considering a 5TB Seagate drive though....that would be a big no, no.

 

[jjbirky]

I hope you're not considering a 5TB Seagate drive though....that would be a big no, no.

[/quotemsg]


Thanks Jared.
Can you elaborate on this? Curious as to why that'd be such a bad idea, as I'm new to all this.
Is it because Seagate drives are less reliable? (heard some bad things about their 3tb nas drives, see above) Or b/c it's better to go with true NAS than a regular external HDD connected via the router? Or something else?

As I mentioned in a previous reply, I'm rethinking and planning on going with the Seagate personal cloud NAS or the WD my cloud NAS. Eyeing 3tb since that's about what my budget can do. The seagate has 2 usb ports, and seemingly more funcionality, but has the 3tb drives of thiers are prone to failure. The WD is supposedly more reliable, but not as good of user interface (??), and less additional features, it seems. Maybe that's just marketing though.

 

[JaredDM]

Seagate has been having serious quality issues since they've gone past the 2TB mark. The 3TB drives were especially problematic, in fact they're actually in a class action suit over it now. The 4Tb and larger don't seem to be quite as bad yet, but they are still very new and only time will really tell how they hold up.

WD would certainly be a better choice, though my personal recommendation would be a good HGST drive, or even a pair of them, in a NAS. The NAS will allow you to do both the Apple and Windows backups without having to do any special formatting. exFAT is notoriously unreliable and will likely corrupt the first time you unplug it without doing the safe eject option. Pluse exFAT doesn't support Apple Time Backup.

WD My Cloud is a good option for a NAS and does support the Time Machine backups. It just doesn't have all the cool features you'll get with something like a Synology.

 

[jjbirky]

Seagate has been having serious quality issues since they've gone past the 2TB mark. The 3TB drives were especially problematic, in fact they're actually in a class action suit over it now. The 4Tb and larger don't seem to be quite as bad yet, but they are still very new and only time will really tell how they hold up.

WD would certainly be a better choice, though my personal recommendation would be a good HGST drive, or even a pair of them, in a NAS. The NAS will allow you to do both the Apple and Windows backups without having to do any special formatting. exFAT is notoriously unreliable and will likely corrupt the first time you unplug it without doing the safe eject option. Pluse exFAT doesn't support Apple Time Backup.

WD My Cloud is a good option for a NAS and does support the Time Machine backups. It just doesn't have all the cool features you'll get with something like a Synology.

Right on. Thanks Jared.
This is exactly the push I needed. Probably gonna order the My Cloud right now.
It does sound like Synology or QNAP is the way to go for a beefier NAS, but both are definitely out of my price range and frankly, my needs as well. We're not a super media heavy or tech-needy family... no gaming or hd movies to store.

cheers!