TimeMachine Server frustration

cpragman · 03-26-2012, 07:55 PM

I've got a server running 10.6.8 serving files via AFP, DNS, LDAP, and a TimeMachine backup destination. About 10 users. Some with network homes, some with local homes, and some with portable homes. My intent was to use TimeMachine server as a backup for each workstation.

Initially I configured TM for each client mac while logged in to my local admin account on each client mac. That worked OK for the first one or two clients, but started giving failures as I increased the number of macs involved. I suspect a limitation in AFP not liking seeing the same userID logging in from so many locations, but I have no proof.

Then I tried re-configuring TM on each client while logged in as the primary user of that client's mac. That seemed to work, but seems to interfere with our password policy. Each time a user changes their password, the keychain item that remembers the TM password becomes out of date. Backups fail, and the client's mac gets blacklisted by the server's firewall software. As you can imagine, once a client's mac gets blacklisted, all services provided by the server become unavailable, including DNS. It is baffling to the users why their computer has become completely non-functional, and takes me a while to figure it out as well.

Has anyone else come up with a workable strategy for using TM in a client-server environment such as this? What USERID do you use to configure the TM backups?

anthlover · 03-26-2012, 10:48 PM

I can not comment but fear TM is not really a good choice for back up even for an individual user.

There are many here are more knowledgable about what may be trying to achieve... But Can we assume your not trying to do an image based back up just the Home Directories then mostly?

I know CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner has some nice remote capabilities). I am very fond of Crash Plan mostly for Cloud based back ups but the Client is free and does support Workstation to Workstation or Workstation to Server based backups.

Are you interested in TMs snapshots? Or just regular back ups? What are you backing up to anyway storage wise?

cpragman · 03-27-2012, 08:47 AM

Mostly using TM out of neuroses/paranoia. The clients are already having their user folders backed up by retrospect server. Having TM as another backup was my way of exploring the possibility of retiring retrospect. It would have also given me a way to restore the client macs from a TM image quickly. Truthfully, there's nothing on these machines I can't reinstall in a couple hours from source, and the user folders ARE being backed up by retrospect.

anthlover · 03-27-2012, 09:57 PM

found this thread that might be helpful below. You never can be too backed up

http://serverfault.com/questions/348...buying-a-bunch

cpragman · 03-28-2012, 04:18 PM

Doesn't solve my TM problem though. Seems my password policy requiring users to periodically change password causes TM to fail.

neuralstatic · 04-20-2012, 03:14 PM

can you use a local/single admin account (with fixed password) to authenticate the TM mount for the users?

cpragman · 04-29-2012, 07:22 AM

For some reason, that doesn't work. I think that the AFP protocol or Kerberos gets messed up when two different userID's try to connect from the same client. (one being my admin running time machine, the other being the currently logged-in user).

03-26-2012, 07:55 PM	#1
cpragman All Star Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Limerick, PA Posts: 693	TimeMachine Server frustration I've got a server running 10.6.8 serving files via AFP, DNS, LDAP, and a TimeMachine backup destination. About 10 users. Some with network homes, some with local homes, and some with portable homes. My intent was to use TimeMachine server as a backup for each workstation. Initially I configured TM for each client mac while logged in to my local admin account on each client mac. That worked OK for the first one or two clients, but started giving failures as I increased the number of macs involved. I suspect a limitation in AFP not liking seeing the same userID logging in from so many locations, but I have no proof. Then I tried re-configuring TM on each client while logged in as the primary user of that client's mac. That seemed to work, but seems to interfere with our password policy. Each time a user changes their password, the keychain item that remembers the TM password becomes out of date. Backups fail, and the client's mac gets blacklisted by the server's firewall software. As you can imagine, once a client's mac gets blacklisted, all services provided by the server become unavailable, including DNS. It is baffling to the users why their computer has become completely non-functional, and takes me a while to figure it out as well. Has anyone else come up with a workable strategy for using TM in a client-server environment such as this? What USERID do you use to configure the TM backups?

03-27-2012, 09:57 PM	#4
anthlover Hall of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,703	found this thread found this thread that might be helpful below. You never can be too backed up http://serverfault.com/questions/348...buying-a-bunch

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03-26-2012, 10:48 PM	#2
anthlover Hall of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,703	I can not comment but fear TM is not really a good choice for back up even for an individual user. There are many here are more knowledgable about what may be trying to achieve... But Can we assume your not trying to do an image based back up just the Home Directories then mostly? I know CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner has some nice remote capabilities). I am very fond of Crash Plan mostly for Cloud based back ups but the Client is free and does support Workstation to Workstation or Workstation to Server based backups. Are you interested in TMs snapshots? Or just regular back ups? What are you backing up to anyway storage wise?

03-27-2012, 08:47 AM	#3
cpragman All Star Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Limerick, PA Posts: 693	Mostly using TM out of neuroses/paranoia. The clients are already having their user folders backed up by retrospect server. Having TM as another backup was my way of exploring the possibility of retiring retrospect. It would have also given me a way to restore the client macs from a TM image quickly. Truthfully, there's nothing on these machines I can't reinstall in a couple hours from source, and the user folders ARE being backed up by retrospect.

03-28-2012, 04:18 PM	#5
cpragman All Star Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Limerick, PA Posts: 693	Doesn't solve my TM problem though. Seems my password policy requiring users to periodically change password causes TM to fail.

04-20-2012, 03:14 PM	#6
neuralstatic Triple-A Player Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 62	can you use a local/single admin account (with fixed password) to authenticate the TM mount for the users?

04-29-2012, 07:22 AM	#7
cpragman All Star Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Limerick, PA Posts: 693	For some reason, that doesn't work. I think that the AFP protocol or Kerberos gets messed up when two different userID's try to connect from the same client. (one being my admin running time machine, the other being the currently logged-in user).