Creating a Time Machine Backup Destination with Synology DS220j NAS
The Synology DS220j NAS is an entry-level, budget-friendly model that serves as a simple and affordable backup solution for iMacs. This device comes equipped with two USB-A ports, a gigabit Ethernet connection, and two bays to accommodate hard drives, which are usually provided empty by the manufacturer and must be added by the user.
Upon unboxing and setting up the Synology DS220j NAS, it becomes apparent that this device is designed for consumers. The setup process is straightforward, with the DiskStation Manager providing guidance throughout the entire process, including creating a volume. To establish a Time Machine backup, one must open File Station, create a new shared folder, give it a name, and select the desired volume. The user can skip the encryption step, as this will be handled on the Mac side.
Next, we need to create a Time Machine user account. This involves opening the Control Panel, clicking on "User," and creating a new user with a specific name and password. Since no spaces are allowed in the username, it's essential to choose a suitable name for your backup user. The created user will be used to access the shared folder on the Synology NAS.
Now that we have our Time Machine user account set up, we need to configure the Synology NAS to allow access to this user account. This involves adding an SMB share to the NAS and configuring the permissions so that the new user can access it.
With the Synology NAS configured for Time Machine backup, it's time to move on to setting up the backup process on the Mac side. To do this, we open System Preferences, click on "Time Machine," select the Synology NAS from the list of available devices, and then choose the shared folder that was created earlier. We must also encrypt the backups using a separate password.
The next step is to connect to the Synology NAS using the username and password created earlier. Once connected, we need to establish a password for the backup encryption process. This password should be unique and secure, as it will be used to protect our backed-up data.
With the connection established and the encryption password set, Time Machine is ready to begin backing up our Mac's data. We can see the status of the backup by checking the "Next Backup" count, which indicates how much data has been backed up so far. The backup process will take some time, depending on the speed of our connection, the size of our hard drive, and other variables.
In this article, we have explored the process of setting up a Time Machine backup destination using Synology DS220j NAS. We have walked through each step, from configuring the NAS to setting up the user account and encryption password, ensuring that our data is safely backed up. With this setup complete, we can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing our precious data is protected and easily recoverable in case of any loss or damage.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- In this video,we're using the entry-level,Synology DS220j NASwe're gonna use it to createa Time Machine backupdestination for our iMac.And this creates a super simpleand budget friendly backup solution.(chiming bells)So here it is the Synology DS220j NAS.Now, as I stated at the outset,this is a very budget friendly model.In fact, this is the entry-levelSynology NAS for consumers.Now I covered a lot of Synologyproducts over the yearsand they're usually onthe high end of the scale,but this one is definitelywithout a doubt entry-level.It comes with two USB-A ports,a gigabit Ethernet connectionand yeah, that's pretty much it.So what you're gonnafind inside are two bays.Now, in most cases, whenyou purchase this NAS,it's going to come disklessthat is without any disk inside,you provide your own hard drives.And as you can see, itactually has two baysto accommodate those hard drives.We have two 16 terabyteSeagate drives inside here.So that fits real nicelyin a very compact package.I'm gonna go ahead and plug it in.Then you wanna connect theEthernet cable to your routeror in some cases, evendirectly to your Mac,just depending on your setup.Now, I just recently jumpedon the eero bandwagonand I'm gonna just connect it directlyto one of these guys right here,which, actually I'mreally digging the eero.Let me know if you wannasee more coverage on that,and I'll make a videowith my eero experience,but I have it all connected.Now, just gonna fire up the Synology NAS,it's going to initialize.Then you load up thisDiskStation Manager in a browserand it holds your handthrough the entire process,including creating your volume.So let's talk about establishinga Time Machine backup.First thing you wanna dois open up File Stationand then go to where it says,Create New Shared Folder.All right, so now you want togive the shared folder a nameand I recommend justnaming it Time Machine.So let's go ahead and do that right here.So it's already populatedmy location, the volume one,there's only one volume on this machine.So I'll select that andthen just simply click Next.And now it's gonna askyou about encryptionand I recommend skipping this stepbecause we're actually goingto encrypt on the Mac side.So just go ahead and click Nextthere and then click Apply.All right, so once you click apply,you're gonna see processingand then it's going to presentthe permissions for that shared folder.Just go ahead and click Okay.We're not gonna touchanything here at all.Okay, so the next step is tocreate a Time Machine user.So we're back at our desktop.We're gonna open up control paneland then you want to click on User.All right, so we're gonnaclick where it says Createand then we're gonna give the user a name.Now, no spaces are allowed here.So just type in Time Machine,no spaces, insert a password.(upbeat music)And just give me a secondwhile I compose that.(upbeat music)All right, so once youhave those things in there,go ahead and click the next button.Then after that is gonnaask you to join groups.Nothing you need to changehere, so just click Next.(upbeat music)All right, so it's gonna ask youto assign shared folder permission.So on the screen, youdefinitely do need to add,read, write access to theTime Machine shared folderfor the Time Machine user.So click next and then here for the quota.I'm just gonna set it upso that Time Machine won'tuse all the storage space,but I'm gonna limit it toabout four times the spaceof my iMac, which is 256 gigabytes.So I'm gonna give itabout a thousand gigabytesor one terabyte, and thengo ahead and click Next.And then on the signapplication permissions,nothing to change here.So just go ahead and click Next.In the, nothing to change onthe user's speed limit setting,go ahead and click Next there as well.So everything looks goodand now it's just a matterof hitting the Apply button.All right, so we have ourTime Machine shared folder.We have our Time Machine user.Now we need to establishthe backup location.So in control panel,you wanna click whereit says File Services,make sure SMB is enabled, click Advancedand then Enable BonJour TimeMachine Broadcast via SMB.So just click that little check boxand then click where it says,Set Time Machine Foldersright there below.And now choose your location.Of course you wanna choosethe Time Machine folder,click Apply and you can click Apply again.Although it's gonna sayno settings were changedand now you can closeout of control panel.And in fact, you can actuallyclose out the browser,close out of DSM because we're done here.Now, It's time to head over to our Macand complete the final stepof this Time Machine Synology setup.So the first thing youwanna do on your Macis to open up system preferencesand then click where it says Time Machine.Now you wanna click whereit says Select Backup Diskand then find the nameof the shared folderthat you have SMB access enabled for.So in this case Time Machineon the name of your Synology,which in my case is calleda fire Flowerflower.local.So you wanna select that andthen click where it says,Encrypt backups and then click Use Disk.All right, so it's gonna wanna connectto your Synology to that shared folder.So go ahead and put inthe username and passwordthat you created in that second step.So we're gonna put in Time Machine,put our password in and thenclick the Connect button.And now, since we selectedto encrypt backups,you're gonna want to establish a password,a separate password that TimeMachinewill use to encrypt the backup.So this can its own uniquepassword to encrypt the disc.Be sure not to forget this password,otherwise you will not be able to restoreany data from the backup disc.So once you have the password entered,go ahead and click theEncrypt Disk button.And now Time Machine is ready to go.You can see where it says next backupand it's counting down.Now you wanna click where it says,Show Time Machine in menubar because that allows youto actually go ahead andkick off these backups.You can also click optionsto restrict or exclude itemsfrom the backup if you wish to do so.All right, so up to our menu bar,we're gonna click the Time Machine iconand then click where it says Back Up Now.So that'll force the backup to startand you should also havebackup automatically enabledso that daily backups will run hourly.Backups will run, et cetera.So you can see this thing is kicking off.It's preparing the backup andexpect this initial backupto take a while becauseit has to dump everythingover to the backup location.And lot's gonna dependon your connection speed,the speed of your disc, both on your Macand on the Synology NAS.just a lot of differentvariables involved here.But generally speaking,as you can see there,it says two hours remaining,just to back up a littleover a hundred gigabytes.If you have a much bigger diskexpected to take a lot longer.But remember you're connected wirelessly,at least in my case, I'mconnected wirelessly.And this is gigabit Ethernet,not 10 gigabit Ethernet,like some of the moreexpensive NAS machines.But here's the benefit here folks,I've had these TimeMachine backups runningfor just a few days alreadyand I already have lotsof backups available thereto back up my precious datathat I don't wanna risk losing.And I just really lovethe overall simplicityand ease of use of theTime Machine interface.You can easily go back in time,so to speak and find filesthat you may have deletedor may have changed et cetera.So if you appreciatehow to videos like thiswith an entry-level NAS like the DS220j,let me know down belowin the comment section.If you want more regular NAS content,how to do things like run a Plex server,how to set up your ownprivate cloud backup solution.Let me know as well, so thanksagain for watching folks.This is Jeff Benjamin with 9to5Mac.(upbeat music)\n"
