Posted Apr 9th 2008 8:00AM by Mat Lu Filed under: OS, Airport
As we noted when the latest Airport Extreme Base Station firmware shipped, Time Machine now seems to recognize USB hard drives connected to the AEBS as valid backup locations. Was this feature added deliberately? Well, Glenn Fleishman over at TidBITS took the trouble to ask Apple about this and he reports that they told him that this is an unsupported feature (and not much else). This is unsurprising given that Apple never made mention of the feature connected with the firmware update (though it was originally promised before Leopard shipped). Fleishman himself even speculates that it was turned on by accident.
So what's the upshot? Apple is offering no support for using your AEBS this way, and so if you have a problem you're pretty much out of luck as far as they're concerned. Further, considering that there have been reports that the Airport Disk can be unreliable, it's probably not a good idea to depend on an Airport Disk and Time Machine for your only backup.
Today Apple released an AirPort Extreme Update for those Mac users running Mac OS X Tiger (version 10.4). Here's the information that Software Update gives us:
This update is recommended for all Intel-based Macintosh computers running Tiger OS and improves the reliability of AirPort connections.
You can get this update by either opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by downloading the installer package from the Apple Support downloads site.
Update 9 pm ET: Our comrade David Chartier from Ars Technica points out that the 7.1.3 firmware itself may not be necessary for the new functionality to work; he says he tested a 7.1 AEBS with a machine running Time Capsule & Airport 1.0, and Time Machine was able to see the remote disk. Other readers have reminded us that the disk must be formatted as HFS+ with journaling, and you may have to mount it in the Finder before Time Machine sees it. The freeware TimeMachineScheduler is disabled by this update, comments note.
Update 6:45 am Thursday:More comments point out that if you take a locally-connected Time Machine drive and attach it to an AEBS, you will be starting over with new backups (because the remote backups are stored on sparseimages, not as folders). Something to keep in mind if you already have a long backup history -- you might want to use a different drive.
Sometimes the fixes are subtle and quiet. Once TUAW reader Peder downloaded today's Airport updates and ran the utility, he noticed a new version of the Airport Extreme firmware queued up and ready (v7.3.1). When he installed and rebooted his AEBS -- which happened to have a USB hard drive hanging off of it... well, let him tell you:
After downloading the latest Airport-update I checked for updates for my AirPort Extreme. After upgrading to version 7.3.1, Time Machine recognised the attached USB-drive.
If this is a reproducible result -- this means you, everyone, go ahead and start testing this firmware! -- that means that the now-you-see-it, now-you-don't Time Machine to AirDisk feature of Leopard has finally arrived. Sure, the Time Capsule is a one-piece solution and quite economical, but for all the AEBS owners out there who have been waiting patiently, this would be a very nice bit of March madness indeed. [Response to "just-a-guy" below: Remember, this is the Airport EXTREME only; the Express doesn't support AirDisk at all.]
Seeing the same results as Peder? By all means let us know. He was kind enough to send us a few screenshots, see below.
Got a shiny new AirPort Extreme base station, speeding those bits around the ether? Today Apple released new firmware for the fast-but-flat access point, version 7.2.1, downloadable directly or via the AirPort Utility. You'll need version 5.1 or better of the AirPort Utility to install the patch (you can get 5.2.1 via the Base Station Update 2007-002).
In addition to the usual bug fixes and security updates, this patch is WiFi certified for 802.11n draft 2.0. This certification may help when integrating the AE with third-party devices. Then again, it may not... via MacFixit
After all the trouble they had with their Airport Extreme, ComputerWiz did exactly what any sane person would do with a computer they didn't understand, and took it apart. No? That's not what you would do? It's what I would do.
Anyway, the main goal was to find out if the new Airport's Gigabit speeds could have just been accomplished by upgrading the firmware of the old Airport Extreme, so CW ripped them both apart and took lots of pictures. All the watermarks make it a little hard to see, but what's clear is that the two different Airports use two different chips-- the earlier one uses the Broadcom BCM 5325, while the latest, Gigabit-speed Airport Extreme uses a BCM5395 chip.
What does this mean to you, as an Airport Extreme user? Not much. But it does mean that the Airport update is firmly hardware based-- you can't, for example, use an expander or a software update to speed up your old Airport Extreme unit. On the other hand, thanks to CW, you can get a look at the innards of both units, without having to take them apart yourself and that's always fun.
Do you have an AirPort Base Station? Do you enjoy applying updates? Well then, buster, today is your lucky day. Apple has just released an update by the name AirPort Base Station Update 2007-002 for Mac. You'll need any flavor of OS X 10.4 to get this update, as well as an AirPort Extreme or Express. This update, 'includes general fixes and compatibility updates for the following applications: AirPort Utility, AirPort Disk Utility, AirPort Base Station Agent.'
I know our very own David Chartier has encountered many issues with AirPort Disk, so here's hoping this update fixes it.
Along with all the other updates in the Apple Store on Tuesday, Airport Extreme got a nice one-- according to the specs on the page, they're now offering Gigabit ethernet speeds. Or are they? ComputerWiz went out and grabbed two of them right away, but no matter what he tried to do, he couldn't get the base station to move past 100Mb speeds.
There could be a number of things happening here-- I don't have the knowhow to judge whether they did everything they could or not, but the attempt seems reasonable to me, and if you have to mess with settings that much on an Apple product, something is wrong. They also say that Apple had to go into the back room to get the Airport Extreme, so it's conceivable that they grabbed the wrong one-- except that CW claims the box itself said Gigabit.
So something is screwy here-- is it possible that Apple shipped Gigabit Airport Extremes that weren't actually Gigabit?
Update: Looks like it was just a faulty unit, as CW updated, and apparently the second unit worked fine. Anyone else having problems with theirs?
Apple has quietly updated one more product today. Hidden at the end of the iMac press release we find out that the Airport Extreme Base Station now sports Gigabit Ethernet ports (one WAN, 3 for devices) whereas only yesterday they were 100baseT. The Airport Extreme Base Station tech specs haven't been updated on its own site as of yet, but the picture above was snagged from the Apple Store. They are still priced at $179.
Last week many, many of you reported problems with wifi since the OS X 10.4.10 update. Fortunately, Apple appears to have heard your cries of anguish and has released the Airport Extreme Update 2007-4. Apple doesn't say much about what the update contains but does say it "is recommended for all Intel-based MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini computers and improves the reliability of AirPort connections."
So, for those of you who had problems, did this fix it?
If you've got an Airport Extreme Basestation and haven't yet downloaded Firmware 7.1, this is your chance to do that and more. Today, Apple has released Firmware 7.1.1 for the Extreme Basestation with 802.11n. This includes all the fixes from 7.1, plus improved support for:
Printers and Routers, VPN, PPPoE, WDS(ACL), WEP(TSN)
Localized file naming, port mapping, IPv6, and NAS
Improved stability with keychain passwords
Improved support for third party applications saving files to a USB disk
Improved support for AirPort USB disk stability and power saving, disk read/write performance, disk file sharing and passwords
Addressed an issue where Base Station would not request a password when expected
Get it while it's hot (though we're guessing this won't be the only "new" release from Apple today).
In today's New York Times, friend to Mac users and finder of lost loves, David Pogue does a nice user-focused job of reviewing four 802.11n wireless routers (story, video), evaluating performance and ease of setup for the Apple, Belkin, Netgear & Linksys offerings. His conclusion: the Airport Extreme, while slightly more expensive than the other units and lacking Gigabit support on the Ethernet side, is far and away the best performer (up to 90mbit transfer speeds, almost double the best results with the other three routers, testing details in his video) and certainly the easiest to configure and control. He also points out that current Macs are firmware-updatable to 802.11n, while most other PC manufacturers will make you buy a new card to get your speedy on.
For the real entertainment, however, check out Pogue's behind-the-story blog post. His experience with the Netgear software installation for a USB 802.11n adapter -- a madness-inducing swirl of EULAs, unsigned drivers, UI design from Graphix-R-Us, and plain ol' Windows user-hostile behavior -- is both familiar and chuckle-worthy.
Update: Clarified the 2nd paragraph to note that Pogue's issues with the Netgear installation were specific to the adapter, not the router itself.
Apple has just released a new update for AirPort Extreme base stations. The update includes general fixes, security improvements and addresses compatibility for the 802.11n base station. To install this update, you'll need AirPort Utility 5.1 for Mac or Windows.
The first security concerns seem to be the AirPort's ability to allow incoming IPv6 connections, which it does by default. The new update changes those default settings to limit inbound IPv6 connections to the local network only. You can check your settings after installing the update by opening AirPort Utility, selecting an 802.11 Extreme base station, clicking Advanced -> IPv6, and making sure that Block incoming IPv6 connections is checked.
A second security issue allows file names from a password-protected AirPort Disk to be viewed by users on the local network without a password. This is patched to require validation before file names (not file contents) can be seen.
Apple has released a 2007-001 update for the AirPort Base Station for Mac which "includes general fixes and compatibility updates for the following applications":
AirPort Utility
AirPort Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow Base Stations
AirPort Disk Utility
AirPort Disk Agent
While Apple's Support Doc says the update covers a range of AirPort Base Station software, MacUser is reporting that this one apparently only updates the latest 802.11n version (AirPort Utility 5.1, to be exact). Either way, I'm about to install it for my 802.11n-enabled station now, and I'm keeping as many fingers crossed as possible that AirPort Disk begins to actually work.
[Update: Apple's support doc is titled "AirPort Base Station Update 2007-001 for Mac" (hence my own post's clever title), and I tried specifying that this only updates software in the post, what with the bulleted list that contains nothing but software and the lack of the term 'firmware' anywhere, but to clarify: despite the mention of "AirPort Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow Base Stations" in Apple's announcement, this update allegedly only affects current software/utilities (the stuff that gets installed on your Mac) for the latest 802.11n Base Station.]
No doubt you know that sharing your internet connection on your Mac is easy. For instance, if want to turn any Mac with a built-in Airport card into a wireless router (e.g. with a cable or DSL modem plugged into the built-in ethernet port), all you have to do is go to the Sharing pane of your System Preferences select it and hit start. However, what if you want to do something a little bit more complicated? In this tutorial I'll cover some other ways for turning your Mac into a router, including over FireWire and adding a second ethernet port via USB (which can be really tricky).
Ah, the weekend; it stretches out before you like an open field, waiting to be plowed into furrows of laundry, errands, home improvements and recreation. Of course, for us, recreation = new stuff for our beloved Macintoshes! Ready to load up that shiny new Airport Extreme with some capacious shared storage to hold your iTunes library? Let's see... mix one part Staples $140 closeout deal on 500GB Maxtor PATA internal drive, add in one part external FW/USB enclosure with wicked flame graphics for $30... result: one excellent drive that wouldn't look out of place alongside the Mystery Machine. If you prefer the MacAlly cases (rugged!), there's a free shipping deal on those too.
Update: The trend of the comments is decidedly unfavorable towards the reliability of both the Maxtor drive and the Metal Gear case, so: message received. Here's a deal on a cheaper DiabloTek enclosure, which makes up for the extra you'll spend on a Seagate or WD drive. If you'd prefer a SATA drive, there is a Maxtor out there for a strangely low $127, as pointed out by Trojan below.
As we noted when the latest Airport Extreme Base Station firmware shipped, Time Machine now seems to recognize USB hard drives connected to the AEBS as valid backup locations. Was this feature added deliberately? Well, Glenn Fleishman over at TidBITS took the trouble to ask Apple about this and he reports that they told him that this is an unsupported feature (and not much else). This is unsurprising given that Apple never made mention of the feature connected with the firmware update (though it was originally promised before Leopard shipped). Fleishman himself even speculates that it was turned on by accident.
Today Apple released an AirPort Extreme Update for those Mac users running Mac OS X Tiger (version 10.4). Here's the information that Software Update gives us: 
Update 9 pm ET: Our comrade 
Got a shiny new AirPort Extreme base station, speeding those bits around the ether? Today Apple released new firmware for the fast-but-flat access point, version 7.2.1, downloadable directly or via the AirPort Utility. You'll need version 5.1 or better of the AirPort Utility to install the patch (you can get 5.2.1 via the 
Along with all the other updates in the Apple Store on Tuesday, 
Last week many, many of you 
If you've got an Airport Extreme Basestation and haven't yet downloaded Firmware 7.1, this is your chance to do that and more. Today, Apple has released 
In today's 
Ah, the weekend; it stretches out before you like an open field, waiting to be plowed into furrows of laundry, errands, home improvements and recreation. Of course, for us, recreation = new stuff for our beloved Macintoshes! Ready to load up that shiny new 
