Time Machine on ZFS Tutorial

[ylluminate]

So I just had an interesting revelation about how to force Time Machine to work more-or-less directly with ZFS.

You'll need Apple's Server.app for this to work.

1) Set up your ZFS Time Machine volume (eg, `sudo zfs create "tank/Time Machine"` and set your compression, etc. options to your pleasure)
2) Open Server.app -> Time Machine. Pick your ZFS "Time Machine" volume here.
3) (In Terminal.app) Add an extra address on the loopback interface: `sudo ifconfig lo0 alias 127.0.0.2/32` (or play around with `sudo socat -d -d TCP4-LISTEN:5248,bind=127.0.0.1,reuseaddr,fork,su=nobody TCP4:127.0.0.1:548,bind=127.0.0.1` as per @ilovezfs)
4) In Finder, mount your AFP shared "Time Machine" volume (eg, cmd-k, afp://127.0.0.2, connect)
5) Open System Preferences -> Time Machine and pick your "Time Machine" volume that will now appear thanks to Server.app.

You may want to use autofs to automount your "Time Machine" volume.

Now I just need to look into hiding ZFS volumes so that I can hide my redundant "Time Machine" volume.

[macz]

slick.. if not just a little bit convoluted...!!

I would love to see a section on here on how to get and best practices with ZFS and OSX server

things that come to mind...

what services require hfs+ for storage backing.. which ones can get by with the hfs mimic vs having to to a zvol

how to handle sharing and storage ... from a user ACL perspective.. my old 10.6.8 apple ZFS rig I could just use the GUI... no more...

etc...

this project has really moved along but sadly apples lack support for pro machines and server hardware .. its getting tough finding enterprise grade hardware like HBA cards with osx driver support at a REASONABLE price..

I am messing wiht having to use ESXI / napp-it / and an osx VM just so I can use an LSI 9211 and an enclousre over 8088... if I cant get nappit to work for primary I will probably feed ZFS to osx by passing the sata ports to OSX and have napp-it manage ESXI storage and backup on to the external array....