Service access can be adjusted at any time, so if you decide to run more services later you can simply let users have access at that time.

Setup Mini For Remote Access Mac And You

You simply connect an external drive to your Mac and you will be up and running with Time Machine in a matter of minutes.

If you prefer a more centralized approach, you can use one of Apples Time Capsules and your backups will run so long as youre on the same network as your Time Capsule.

But what if a Time Capsule isnt big enough What if you dont want to spend 300 or 400 on a backup solution you cant expand over time.

This article covers how to set up your own Time Machine server on a Mac.

For best compatibility, your Mac will need to be able to run macOS Sierra comfortably.

This means, at the very least, you need 4 GB of RAM and a Core i5 or i7 processor.

Older Core 2 Duo processors can get the job done, but make sure the RAM is maxed out and the Mac is used strictly for Time Machine server purposes.

Even though only the latest version is technically available, if you download it you will be presented with a window such as this one.

If security is not a concern because, for example, your Mac will only be accessible from an internal network and not connected to the Internet, then an older version will get the job done.

In this article I will only cover the latest version, but older Server app versions have a similar setup process.).

If you have a more recent Mac with plenty of horsepower and resources, check out the bonus content at the end of this article.

Using the internal drive of your Mac is not recommended, unless youre using a pre-2013 Mac Pro that has several internal drives.

Depending on how many Macs will be using this server to backup their data and how much data those Macs have on it, select a storage capacity for your external drive appropriately.

Even more so if multiple Macs will be using this server as a backup destination.

To configure the Server app as a Time Machine server, follow these steps.

Once you click Create, a message will pop up and ask, Disable Ignore Ownership on this Volume This is required for the external drive to function as a Time Machine backup destination, so you can click Disable.

Another service that will automatically activate and configure itself is File Sharing.

You can click on that service to have a look around, but no changes are required for Time Machine server to work.

There is just one more thing to look at before connecting your Mac(s) to the server: Users.

Instead, you should make a new account for yourself that you will use to connect.

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Make sure the password is a secure one and the home folder is set to None Services Only.

This way the users cannot log in to the server directly, instead they can only use the services which they have been granted access.

For the user to be able to use Time Machine, select only File Sharing and Time Machine.

Setup Mac Mini For Remote Access