Document reusing existing Time Machine backups

[houmark]

Summary

• add FAQ guidance that install/deploy does not overwrite existing Time Machine sparsebundle backups
• describe how to reuse an existing sparsebundle by moving it to the SMB share root, including the default ShareRoot behavior
• document the old per-user folder case and the privacy limits of the single device-password SMB share

Context

This follows the discussion in #29 where an existing AFP Time Capsule backup was successfully reused after moving the sparsebundle into the root of the SMB share and rebooting the Time Capsule and Mac.

Testing

• git diff --cached --check

No code tests were run; this is a documentation-only change.

[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request updates the FAQ.md file to address common questions regarding existing backups, user folders, and multi-user privacy. The reviewer suggests updating references to .sparsebundle to also include .backupbundle across the document, as modern macOS versions (Big Sur and later) use the .backupbundle extension for SMB-based Time Machine backups.

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[gemini-code-assist]

Since modern macOS versions use the .backupbundle extension for SMB-based Time Machine backups, we should mention both .sparsebundle and .backupbundle here as well to ensure users can locate their existing backups correctly.

Suggested Change:

Yes. Install with the standard settings first and confirm the SMB connection works. Then move the existing `.sparsebundle` or `.backupbundle` into the root of the SMB share Time Machine sees. With standard internal-disk settings, that is the `ShareRoot` folder. If you intentionally enabled "Internal Share Uses Disk Root", that is the disk root.

[gemini-code-assist]

Update this reference to include .backupbundle as well, ensuring consistency across the FAQ for users on newer macOS versions.

Suggested Change:

Old Time Capsule setups could store backups under separate user folders. TimeCapsuleSMB uses one device-password SMB share, so move any `.sparsebundle` or `.backupbundle` backups you want to keep out of those user folders and into the root of the SMB share.

[gemini-code-assist]

Update this reference to include .backupbundle as well, ensuring consistency across the FAQ for users on newer macOS versions.

Suggested Change:

For privacy, turn on Time Machine encryption for each Mac. Other household members may still see or delete the `.sparsebundle` or `.backupbundle` file if they have SMB access, but they should not be able to open the backup contents without the encryption password.

[DMBlakeley]

I believe that there is a much easier approach.

After installation and confirmation of SMB connections, go to Settings/Genera/Time Machine, delete the old Time Machine by highlighting and then selecting "-", which will delete this instance. Then select "+" which will find the new SMB version, select, and answer Yes to reuse backups that already exist. At that point, you are all set.

[houmark]

I believe that there is a much easier approach.

After installation and confirmation of SMB connections, go to Settings/Genera/Time Machine, delete the old Time Machine by highlighting and then selecting "-", which will delete this instance. Then select "+" which will find the new SMB version, select, and answer Yes to reuse backups that already exist. At that point, you are all set.

That depends on the setup you had on your Time Capsule prior to installing this tool.

I had multi‑user configured, meaning it creates a user’s folder with my user inside, and that’s where it places the backup so only I, with my actual username and password, can access it. Other people in my household can have their own user folder, and they can both store backups and files in that folder to use it as a mini NAS (this feature is what I will miss the most about the original setup, being able to provide a network volume/folder for other members of my household where they can save stuff they don't want on their main Mac without anyone else having access to those files). This tool currently does not support that, so all backups must be in the same folder. If I follow your suggestion, it won’t find my existing backup because it was placed in a different folder, so I had to move the backup into the root of the volume.

[houmark]

And just to add to this, my testing did show that once I tried to set up the actual Time Machine configuration exactly following your steps, it would only set up a brand-new Time Machine backup until I actually manually went in and moved the existing sparse bundle file from my user folder to the root using the mv command line function which btw took less than a second to complete because it was just doing a metadata rename.

[DMBlakeley]

I believe you, but I only deleted the old and added the new accepting the pop-up that backups already existed for my system.

[houmark]

Maybe you didn't use users?

I don't know how your system works, but I'm assuming that other people might have the same problem as I've encountered. And for that reason, I think that a FAQ item that explains it in the case that it doesn't work for them is helpful. Maybe there is a point that this could work automatically, but since I am not able to replicate that or even attempt to do that, I cannot obviously say if this will work in most cases.