Noob Question re: WHS and Mac's

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  LMG7823 said:

  ... Does WHS support a Mac as a client? ...
  

  No, at least not in the sense that the connector will install and a Mac will back up to the server using the Windows Home Server backup tool. You can, with some work, configure Time Machine to back your Mac up to a Windows Home Server share. This forum search should get you started. It may not work reliably, however, so good luck.

  
  

  Your Mac is also capable of accessing the server shares; they're standard SMB file shares.
  

  
  

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  I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)

  • Proposed as answer by kariya21Moderator Wednesday, March 25, 2009 12:47 AM

  Tuesday, March 24, 2009 7:44 PM

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  thanks.  I read somewhere that WHS supported Time Machine on the new HP Home Servers which run WHS.  If that is correct, why would it work on the HP server since it runs WHS??  Is it some unique add on that HP includes on their servers?

  Tuesday, March 24, 2009 8:23 PM
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  The new HP servers include (I think; I have neither a new HP server nor a Mac) a tool which performs the required configuration for you. But that's all the support there is, really, and if you read the various threads under that search I linked you'll see that not everyone was successful in getting Time Machine to back up to their server reliably. It's possible that's still the case.

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  I'm not on the WHS team, I just post a lot. :)

  Tuesday, March 24, 2009 8:38 PM

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  I have a completely MAC household with the exception on a home built WHS box.  The WHS provides access to all my media throughout my home and it works very well.
  
  As for backing up my MACs it is correct that this does not work as it would for a Windows machine however there is a work around that I have found.
  
  I use Windows Live Sync to back up my documents on one of my MACs - this backups up to a web based service.  I have created a folder on my WHS called Mac Docs and use Windows Live Sync to sync the docs on the web based server to the WHS - a bit convoluted but it works seamlessly with the exception that Windows Live Sync has some problems with file names longer than 256 characters.
  
  Food for thought.
  

  Tuesday, March 24, 2009 8:39 PM
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  Davids-first off thanks for the advice.  Couple of questions- are you accessing the shared folders via SMB shared access on the MAC?  I set that up awhile back but have not played with it in awhile.
  
  Like your way of using Live Synch...only vaguely familiar with it...question- so you are backing the mac up to the online service, then downloading it to the WHS on a periodic basis?

  Tuesday, March 24, 2009 8:59 PM
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  Its been a while since I set it up and I am away from home right now but to the best of my memory -
  
  All I do is look for the shared folders from my MAC and log onto them. FINDER/GO/NETWORK/SERVER.  I have set it up on the desktops so that when they boot they automatically log on - SYSTEM PREFERENCES/ACCOUNTS/LOGIN ITEMS.
  
  As for WINDOWS LIVE SYNC. I SYNC the MAC Docs folder to WINDOWS LIVE.  I also  run WINDOWS LIVE on the WHS and SYNC a "MAC DOCS" folder from there to WINDOWS LIVE SERVER.  These syncs happen automatically - no input from me once its set up.
  
  Hope this helps.
  

  Wednesday, March 25, 2009 12:05 AM
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  Cool.  This seems like it will work. Definately going to give it a try.  Many thanks!

  • Marked as answer by LMG7823 Wednesday, March 25, 2009 3:30 AM

  Wednesday, March 25, 2009 3:30 AM