NAS Configuration Time Machine, configuration notes on D-Link DNS-320

Today I'm going to hand over the time machine backup to the NAS, once on an external hard drive. Even faster than NAS. But every time I plug and unplug the external is a bit troublesome. And the NAS also has the function of real-time online and timed shutdown. With time machine, maximum data backup can be achieved.

In fact, this configuration note is one side of the writing, I do not know I will step on what thunder. So the process of configuration is not necessarily the most concise, just to bring some ideas to solve some practical problems.

No more nonsense, just a little bit about the preparation work. DNS-320 's entry-level NAS (dual-disk). Updated with the latest firmware. Pull out one of the discs and replace them with my original backup disk.

Start the NAS. You can see that the corresponding indicator light has changed from blue to orange. Login management interface, format the new hard drive for the EXT4 format, until the NAS's own active reboot after the light turns back to blue, indicating that the state is normal, the newly inserted hard drive has been able to use.

The following configuration DNS-320 is started:

We need to choose AFP on the share. Either SMB, CIFS, or NFS protocol. It doesn't seem to be supported by Apple's time machine.

Let's create the share and create a directory named "Timemachinebackups" below the new hard drive (VOLUME1) to differentiate the other data on the hard drive (assuming you want to put something else on the hard drive).

Figure 1 Creating a share with this directory

When creating a share. The user rights are followed by default, and later I create the appropriate user. Then come back to adjust.

When we choose the sharing protocol, we only need to keep the AFP, others are not used in the protocol, can remove the option to remove.

Figure 2 Choosing a sharing protocol

The user is then created. This user is dedicated to time machine backup data.

This step is primarily due to security considerations. Let's say that this NAS is used by many people. You can also skip this step and open the "timemachinebackups" permission to your users.

We created a user named "TimeMachine" whose permission is "just agree to read and write timemachinebackups sharing".

Figure 3 Setting user permissions just agree to read and write "Timemachinebackups" share

At the same time in the process of creating a user. We are also able to manage disk quotas on it. However, it is not clear that it is compatible with time machine, so we do not make any restrictions here first.

Figure 4 Disk quotas are not enabled first

Once again, we are changing the shared properties of the "Timemachinebackups", which is mainly to adjust the access rights of other users.

Figure 5 Adjusting the shared properties of "Timemachinebackups"

Come to the User Rights control page and set all other users as forbidden.

Figure 6 Setting other user rights to deny

At last. We need to set the "AFP Service" to "Enable" in "Application Management".

Figure 7 enabling the AFP function

So far. The configuration work on the DNS-320 is complete. The following continues with the configuration in MacOS.

Finder menu, go to, connect to server ...

Then enter the IP address of the NAS (I like to set the IP of the network device, because the author of the network equipment from a number of providers, they each other to the machine name support is not very good)

Figure 8 Connecting the AFP shared server

After entering Usernamepassword, we are able to access the "timemachinebackups" share.

Then come to the settings of time machine. Select the "Timemachinebackups" share as the backup disk.

Figure 9 Selecting a network share as a backup disk

The "Encrypt backup" option is recommended. The details why everyone look at the Mac help is clear.

Figure Mac Help documentation for encrypted backups

Then, time machine starts to back up the data on its own initiative.

Figure 11 When Setup is complete, time machine will proactively start the backup

To this. The setting for time machine backup using D-Link DNS-320 as a NAS is all over.

NAS Configuration Time Machine, configuration notes on D-Link DNS-320