[Help] Apple dropping support for AFP for Time Machine

[REBELinBLUE]

oh well, not supporting your products, I guess I will be looking for a new non terra-master NAS when macOS 27 is due next year then. Daft that TOS 4 was never compiled with SMB supporting Time Machine given it has been the recommended approach since macOS Sierra released in 2016 so hardly surprising that Apple are dropping AFP 10 years after they told people to switch to SMB for backups

[TMzethar]

Although I'm not sure if you might no longer consider... all other TNAS models except for the 210 series can meet your SMB time backup needs on new macOS.

[argylesweatshirt]

That's really upsetting. I've been using an F4-210 for three years, and it has been rock-solid as a time machine backup target. The NAS works perfectly. It's ridiculous not to make one small change to allow it to properly support SMB3. If I have to replace it to get proper SMB support, I definitely won't be choosing a Terra Master NAS to do so.

[ALORE]

What about my F2-221? Is it still supported? How do I get it prepared?

[crisisacting]

What about the F2-221? Is it still supported? How to get it prepared?

The ×86/×64 TNAS models like the 221 series have SMB3 support as long as you've kept up with updating to newer TOS builds; a minimum of TOS 5.1.× is necessary.

[ALORE]

Quick check shows I'm on 4.2.40. How do I update?

[crisisacting]

Quick check shows am on 4.2.40. How to update?

As that version was available for both ARM & ×86/×64 TNAS models, per viewtopic.php?t=3941, you need to double check what's the exact model of TNAS you own first.

If it's an ×86/×64 TNAS like the 220/221/420/421/422 series units, you'll need to follow this: viewtopic.php?t=6984 to at least get to TOS 5.1.× builds which support SMB3.

If it's a 210 series ARM TNAS, it cannot be updated to TOS 5 & has been end-of-life for a while now; you might be able to get a discounted price through TerraMaster for a newer TNAS if you'd like to stay with their offerings.

[CursaYang]

Thanks to crisisacting for the explanation. To add some information, first, confirm if your model meets the upgrade requirements. Additionally, note that TOS 5.1 and later systems require an 8GB system partition, while TOS 4 only requires a 2GB system partition. Therefore, if you need to upgrade to TOS 5.1 or later, it is recommended to back up your current data and create a bootable system for TOS 5. The system partition will be reallocated during system reinstallation.

[sorrygonesurfing]

Create a Manual SMB Time Machine Share (TOS 4 Workaround)If you must stay on TOS 4, you can bypass the default Time Machine wizard entirely and trick macOS into using a standard SMB network folder:Create a Dedicated Folder: Go to Control Panel > Shared Folder and create a new folder named TimeMachineSMB.Assign Permissions: Under the User settings, ensure your Mac's backup user profile has full Read/Write access to this folder.Mount over SMB: On your Mac, open Finder, press Cmd + K, and connect directly via SMB using your NAS IP address:textsmb://your-nas-ip/TimeMachineSMB
Use code with caution.Force Time Machine Recognition: Since TOS 4 won't broadcast this folder as a backup target automatically via Bonjour SMB, open your Mac's Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal) and force macOS to accept the manually mounted network path with this command:bashsudo tmutil setdestination /Volumes/TimeMachineSMB
Use code with caution.(Note: This requires you to enter your Mac login password to authorize the change).Once executed, open Time Machine Settings on your Mac. The TimeMachineSMB folder will now be registered as your active target disk over the SMB protocol.