{"id":75001,"date":"2017-03-16T10:09:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-16T17:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/?p=75001"},"modified":"2021-12-17T16:04:13","modified_gmt":"2021-12-18T00:04:13","slug":"time-machine-synology-b2-backup-restore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/time-machine-synology-b2-backup-restore\/","title":{"rendered":"Back Up and Restore Time Machine Using Synology and the Backblaze B2 Cloud"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"B2<\/p>\n

Editor’s note: On March 20, 2018, Backblaze announced the Backblaze B2 Snapshot Return Refund Program<\/a>, which makes getting your Snapshots from Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage essentially free!<\/div>\n

Have you ever wished that you could have Time Machine, your Synology NAS, and Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage work together to automatically back up your Mac locally and to the cloud? That would be cool. Of course, you\u2019d also want to be able to restore your Time Machine backup from your Synology NAS or the Backblaze B2 cloud. And while you\u2019re wishing, it would be great if you could have an encrypted USB hard drive show up at your doorstep with your Time Machine backup. Stop wishing! You can do all that today. Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n

Download Our Complete NAS Guide<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n

Overview<\/h2>\n

Apple\u2019s Time Machine app, included with every Mac, creates automatic backups of your Mac computer. Typically, these backups are stored on a local external hard drive. Time Machine backups can also be stored on other devices such as a network attached storage (NAS) system on your network. (You can even use Time Machine with multiple backup drives. See our post, “How to Use Multiple Hard Drives With Time Machine<\/a>.”) If your computer crashes or you get a new computer, you can restore your data from the Time Machine backup.<\/p>\n

We advocate a 3-2-1 backup strategy<\/a> that combines local storage like a Time Machine backup with off-site backup to provide an additional layer of security and redundancy. That\u2019s three copies of your data: two local (your \u201clive\u201d version and your Time Machine backup), and one off-site. If something happens to your computer or your NAS\u2014if they\u2019re stolen, or if some sort of disaster strikes\u2014you can still count on your cloud backup to keep you safe.<\/p>\n

You can use Backblaze to back up your computer to the cloud<\/a> and use Time Machine to create a local backup. In fact, many of our customers do exactly that. But there\u2019s another way to approach this that\u2019s more efficient: Make a copy of the Time Machine backup and send it off-site automatically.<\/p>\n

A Streamlined 3-2-1 Backup<\/a> Plan<\/h3>\n

\"diagram<\/a><\/p>\n

The idea is simple: Have Time Machine store its backup on your Synology NAS<\/a> device, then sync the Time Machine backup from the Synology NAS to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage<\/a>. Once this is set up, the 3-2-1 backup process occurs automatically and your fi<\/p>\n

les are stored locally and off-site.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve prepared a guide titled “How to back up your Time Machine backup to Synology and Backblaze B2”<\/a> in the Backblaze Knowledge Base to help you with the setup of Time Machine, Synology, and Backblaze B2. Please read through the instructions before starting the actual installation.<\/p>\n

Restoring Your Time Machine Backup<\/h2>\n

The greatest backup process in the world is of little value if you can\u2019t restore your data. With your Time Machine backup now stored on your Synology NAS and in B2 Cloud Storage, you have multiple ways to restore your files.<\/p>\n

Day to Day Restores<\/h3>\n

From time to time you may need to restore a file or two from your local backup, in this case, your Time Machine backup stored on your Synology NAS. This works just like having your Time Machine backup stored on a locally connected external hard drive:<\/p>\n