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    Are there any plans for an Apple/Mac version of the Windows Home Server software?  To win over the competition that are already using simple network storage drives Microsoft will need to have software for their competitors products.  Even if they are only limited functionality (just backup not restore) it is the only way to win over those with multiple operating systems in a household.

    Tuesday, February 13, 2007 4:52 PM

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    Apple Macs can connect to the Shared Folders on a Windows Home Server depending on the user and their permissions.  You can use a Windows Home Server as a backup destination for your Apple Macs simply by creating a shared folder called "Mac Backups" (or something like that ) and pointing the Mac backup software to store the backups over the home network to this shared folder on your home server.

    The Windows Home Server Connector software is currently designed to work on home computers running Windows XP and Windows Vista. 

     

    Tuesday, February 13, 2007 8:05 PM
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    Just to update my original post I have been able to get the Mac in my lab to backup to the Windows Home Server using Backup3 that is available with .mac software package.

    I first connect to the server via the ip address (different for every network) then enter in my password and username that I created via another computers WHS console.  The Mac will then ask if I want to store the login information in my Keychain for which I select Yes.

    Then in the software add the share that I connected to as a backup location.  I then manually change the location for the backups to that location. 


    So far this has worked very reliably to backup the machine.  I would still like it to do full system imaging but it will have to do for now.
    Friday, March 9, 2007 12:06 AM

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    Apple Macs can connect to the Shared Folders on a Windows Home Server depending on the user and their permissions.  You can use a Windows Home Server as a backup destination for your Apple Macs simply by creating a shared folder called "Mac Backups" (or something like that ) and pointing the Mac backup software to store the backups over the home network to this shared folder on your home server.

    The Windows Home Server Connector software is currently designed to work on home computers running Windows XP and Windows Vista. 

     

    Tuesday, February 13, 2007 8:05 PM
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    Will Windows Home Server Connector software be available on Mac? I would rather have that instead of upgrading my OS to get the Time Machine feature, which is cool by the way.
    Friday, March 2, 2007 2:54 PM
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    I don't see them making a connector any time soon.  I would bet there would be issues with the way MacOS stores it's files on the hd.
    Friday, March 2, 2007 4:17 PM
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     cigga24 wrote:
    Will Windows Home Server Connector software be available on Mac? I would rather have that instead of upgrading my OS to get the Time Machine feature, which is cool by the way.
    As soon as Apple opens up the ITMS/iPod and starts selling OS/X on the shelf next to windows, then you will see WHS Connector for Macs ;)
    Friday, March 2, 2007 10:17 PM
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    This might be a little OT, but I'm running one of my Connector test clients on a MacBook Pro OS X, running the Parallels VM product, with an XP Pro installation running in the Parallels virtual machine.  Connector works perfectly in XP, and I can see the Shared Folders on 'server' from both Windows and OS X.

    It's possible to see the entire Mac file hierarchy from XP (the part that is specific to the Mac GUI and all of its related files), but not to the rest of the underlying Unix OS over which the GUI was written -- at least not that I can see.  So using the Connector in XP under OS X you could only get part of the OS, and that probably won't do you any good.  You could conceivably use a backup program like Deja-Vu on the Mac and write to the WHS shared files, but that wouldn't give you the time machine feature. 

    Saturday, March 3, 2007 3:27 AM
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    I'd like to be able to "Quick Configure" my built-in Apple Backup software to speak to Windows Home Server too.

    I have recently converted an Ubu**u box that had LVM (Logical Volume Management) to host my Windows Home Server server, so the main benefits to me I see so far for WHS is the built-in replication and a more user-friendly, improved backup interface.

    It would be great if I could bring this same level of features and service to my Intel Mac (a Mac mini I use as "head unit" on my TV due to its size, UI, and power consumption). I use its Backup software to automatically backup to an external hard drive. I know I can configure it to point to a network share, but I was hoping for something more along the lines of getting integrated into the WHS Console as a first class citizen.


    Saturday, March 3, 2007 4:02 PM
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    How do 'point' a Mac to the WHS? Whith the 'connect to server' Finder command? What is the IP for the WHS?
    Sunday, March 4, 2007 11:13 AM
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    Personally, I doubt that we will ever see the level of integration with WHS that PCs offer on the Mac. Right now (from what I've read; I don't own a Mac) that integration is limited to accessing the network shares.

    There's a suggestion on Connect that's marked Closed (postponed) so I get the feeling that Mac users will eventually see something better than what the beta delivers. But I wouldn't expect it for version 1.
    Sunday, March 4, 2007 12:57 PM
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    Along these lines, there is an excellent open source package called psyncx that you can use to schedule backups and it will even save to a remote drive.

    I have my WHS share automounted on my Mac, and then I just have psyncx run it's regular nightly backup.  It works very nicely and I have had no problems so far.

    It does have the annoying habit of creating the ".shadow" file for everything uploaded, but you only see that on the Windows Side.  If you just create a Mac Backup folder as suggested above, and only access that folder from the Mac, you won't notice those annoying files at all.

    The software can be found here:
    http://psyncx.sourceforge.net

    Please note, I have no affiliation with the program other then it just works.

    Another product to look at would be Carbon Copy Cloner by Bombich software.
    http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html
    I believe that package can also backup to a network location.  CCC does a full bit copy of the hard drive, so it might be worth looking into more then psyncx, depending on what you want to backup.

    --adam
    Monday, March 5, 2007 4:46 PM
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    I can point Apple's Backup software (I think it comes "for free" when you get a .Mac account -- they just released v 3.1.1) at a SMB/CIFS network share, no problem.  The Apple backup system software is configurable and supports incremental backups and automated backups.  I also have a way to automount the SMB shares. 

    I may check out at psyncx, as mentioned above...

    Anyway, I tested this out yesterday (Apple Backup to WHS), and it seems to work great.  I created a MacBackups folder on my WHS server, as someone else above suggested.

    The one thing I wish it had, in the WHS context, is a way to "see" the Mac and its backup story from the WHS Management Console, like you can do for Windows backup clients.  As far as having a place to reliably store Apple Mac backups, I think WHS works OK. 

    Monday, March 5, 2007 8:35 PM
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    If you are using OS X 10.4, you should be able to use the 'connect to server' dialog and then the 'browse network' -- can't remember if that's the actual name, since I am sitting in fron of a windows box right now -- and drill down to see your LAN workgroup ('WORKGROUP' by default) and then your WHS host (named 'SERVER', by default).
    Monday, March 5, 2007 8:40 PM
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    Another good/free program that I have been testing with WHS is iBackup. It works in a similar fashion as the backup client of WHS and only retransfers changed/added files.
    • Proposed as answer by JimCwert Wednesday, December 30, 2009 12:15 AM
    Thursday, March 8, 2007 6:42 AM
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    I'm more interested in ability to stream home movies, mp3 and pictures.  So, if I install parallels program and winxp to it, then the connector software, would I be able to see the server and stream from it?
    Thursday, March 8, 2007 5:34 PM
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    One more thing ...   (His Steveness just kills me.)

    Microsoft has a Remote Desktop client for the Mac on their Mactopia site.  It's a little funky - limited screen resolution - but it works and is a nice tool to have.

    Plus, it has entertainment value.  When I first installed it on my wife's PPC iMac, I told her, "Honey, I fixed your Mac." 

    Thursday, March 8, 2007 6:08 PM
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    Just to update my original post I have been able to get the Mac in my lab to backup to the Windows Home Server using Backup3 that is available with .mac software package.

    I first connect to the server via the ip address (different for every network) then enter in my password and username that I created via another computers WHS console.  The Mac will then ask if I want to store the login information in my Keychain for which I select Yes.

    Then in the software add the share that I connected to as a backup location.  I then manually change the location for the backups to that location. 


    So far this has worked very reliably to backup the machine.  I would still like it to do full system imaging but it will have to do for now.
    Friday, March 9, 2007 12:06 AM
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    You do not need WinXP to access the WHS from a Mac.

    You just need to SMB/CIFS mount the WHS shares (typically at \\SERVER\ShareName on your LAN, where ShareName is Photos, Video, etc.)  Others have mentioned that you may need the IP address of your WHS server, but I hadn't needed that.

    Search the Internet for info on how to do this (Connect to a windows fileshare from a Mac).  On my Mac system I have a script that runs the 'mount' command for an SMB filesystem.

    Friday, March 9, 2007 4:52 PM
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    I mentioned this software (Backup from .Mac) in two of my responses to your post, so I hope they were helpful.

    Don't you still have a problem with your SMB shares when your Mac reboots or wakes up from sleep with the shares, occasionally?  I was able to use a solution to that problem as well, with the following as a guide.

    I haven't tried it, but this could work too:

     

    Friday, March 9, 2007 5:12 PM
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    Thanks for this info.  My iMac just became quite a bit more useful.  Now, if iTunes would stream the mp3 rather than copy to iMac before playing...
    Saturday, March 10, 2007 1:45 AM
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    In my case I have a Linksys Wrt54GS as the DHCP server and it keeps the hostname, so I went to "Connect to server", typed "smb://server" and logged normally.

    Also, to the server web site in Safari: "https://server:443" and it worked after a warning about the certificate.

     

    Saturday, March 10, 2007 1:15 PM
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    If you want to admin the Home Server, you can use Remote Desktop Connection, which is available for Mac, you can download it from microsoft.com/mac, and then open the Home Server Console from inside that session.  The limited resolution and other issues will be fixed in an upcoming update (which will also, finally, make the app Universal).

    As to backing up, I don't see it working any time soon. From what I've been told, Leopard's Time Machine will not backup to an NTFS-formatted volume, and that includes network shares over SMB. Windows backups will also fail because of the GPT-MBR sync (Home Server doesn't support GPT, unfortunately).

    Now, there is one potential way to backup (and restore) Windows-installs on a Mac, using Parallels. I haven't tested the workflow below, but it should work. Let's say your MacBook just got stolen, and you have just replaced it.

    1) Run Boot Camp Assistant
    2) Install a clean copy of Windows
    3) Install Parallels and boot from the Boot Camp partition
    4) Then boot the Home Server Recovery Disc in Parallels and have it restore your Windows partition

    Essentially, what this does is retains the GPT/MBR that the Mac needs, but since Windows is only using the MBR, Parallels will write back the backup properly. The only concern about doing it booted "natively" into Windows is that it might screw up the GPT/MBR sync.

    I hope to test this out in the coming months when I get the time. It is exciting for the potential to even backup just the Windows install on a Mac with Home Server. Since Time Machine will handle the Mac side anyways, now both the Mac OS and Windows installs on a Mac can be fully backed up.
    Tuesday, April 24, 2007 10:52 AM
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    For the administration of WHS I'm using an application named CoRD (http://cord.sf.net).

    I think is better than microsoft's solution (which stopped working today for an unknown reason).



    Yiannis
    Saturday, July 14, 2007 5:12 PM
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    Friday, February 15, 2008 7:50 AM
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    FYI

     

    Check this out from Phillip Churchil's blog

     

    http://mswhs.com/2008/02/14/tamba-bay-sbs-user-group-qa/

     

    and pay particulat attention to this section

     

    6. Does (or will) WHS support backing up Macs?

    Ø  SB: Teacher I know this one! Dual boot to a  XP or Vista (Bootcamp for example...) Log into the home server..have it take an image backup of the entire system including the Mac partition.  If you are a WHS PM after backing up that Mac via bootcamp via XP to WHS blow that Mac partition away.  Restore the image.  Amaze your friends with a fully working Mac backed up and restored from a WHS. It has to talk "Redmond" but it can back up "Cupertino".

    Ø  EN: This is the ONLY option for Mac backup with WHS at this point. If you don’t have an Intel-based Mac, or if you don’t have Bootcamp configured to dual-boot the Mac, you will not be able to get your Mac backed up by the WHS backup tools. You can have a Windows environment running under Parallels or Fusion backed up to WHS, but those will not see any of the Mac disk to back up to WHS. So while the answer is technically “yes,” for the vast majority of folks out there, the practical answer is “no” right now.

     

     

    Now who is going to test this and report. MAC user please apply

     

    ANY TAKERS!!!!!

    Friday, February 15, 2008 12:45 PM
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    Hm, I am running 10.5 on my mac, and am using WHS as a destination for the built-in Time Machine-backups, works beautifully.

    All I did was to create a new share for the backups, then enther this in a Terminal window on the mac:

     

    defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1

    Friday, February 15, 2008 1:06 PM
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    A different twist here is having a MacBook which is dual-boot between Win 7 and Mac OS X 10.6.2 (Snow Leopard) and wanting to use a single external disk to backup both the Windows and Mac OS files.  This involves using the built-in Windows 7 backup program (which isn't bad) and Time Capsule on the Mac.  I got this to work and explained how on my blog:

    http://blogs.msdn.com/mikekelly/archive/2010/01/04/backing-up-a-macbook-running-both-windows-7-and-mac-os-x.aspx

    Monday, January 4, 2010 7:33 PM