Laptop Setup Guide

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📦 Nice-to-Have: NAS Backup with Time Machine (macOS) ​

This section describes how to configure Time Machine on your MacBook to use Renuo's NAS (Network Attached Storage) over SMB as the backup destination. This gives you automatic versioned backups of your system and data.

Setup Steps ​

  1. Retrieve credentials from 1Password

    • Open 1Password.
    • Find the entry [Renuo-NAS] Backup User.
    • Copy the Password.
    • Click the smb:// link under Server Address in 1Password.
    • When prompted, enter:
      • Username: backup-user
      • Password: paste the one you copied

    If this method doesn’t work, follow the manual step 1.1 below. Otherwise skip it and jump to step 2.

1.1. Manual method (fallback)

  • Copy the following values from the same 1Password entry ([Renuo-NAS] Backup User):

    1. Username
    2. Password
    3. Server Address

    Example placeholders (don’t use these directly):
    Server Address: smb://NAS_ADDRESS_HERE/laptop_backups
    Username: backup-user
    Password: ••••••••

  • In Finder, press ⌘ + K (Go → Connect to Server).

  • Enter the server address, e.g.:

    smb://NAS_ADDRESS_HERE/laptop_backups

  • Click Connect.

  • When prompted, enter the username and password you copied from 1Password.

  • Optionally, check "Remember this password in my keychain".

⚠️ If macOS asks which volume to mount, choose laptop_backups.

  1. Enable the share for Time Machine

    • Ensure the NAS share is mounted (visible under Locations in Finder).
    • Open System Settings → General → Time Machine
      (on older macOS: System Preferences → Time Machine).
    • Click Add Backup Disk… (or Select Backup Disk…).
    • From the list, select the NAS share: laptop_backups on NAS_ADDRESS_HERE.
    • Click Set Up Disk.
    • enter the NAS username/password again (from 1Password).

  1. Configure backup options

    • Enable Encryption.
      • When prompted, set a strong password you can remember.
      • ⚠️ This password protects your backup. Do not share it with anyone, and store it safely (e.g., in 1Password, Employee vault).
    • Set Disk Usage Limit to custom and with the slider set a quota around 2TB.
    • Click Done.

  1. First backup

    • The initial backup may take several hours depending on your data size.
    • Keep your Mac powered and connected to the network (preferably wired if possible).

✅ That’s it! Your Mac will now back up regularly to the shared NAS folder, keeping your system and files protected. You can access the backups using the time machine app:

open -a 'Time Machine.app'