TimeMachine

Overview

This application provides a Samba based Time Machine network share. It can be configured to support multiple or single users and restrict the maximum size used for Time Machine backups.

Requirements

You will need to set the filesystem permissions on disk. By default, the timemachine user is 1000:1000.

Granting Permissions to write to the directory can be achieved by executing the following command on the host (Unraid): sudo chown -R 1000:1000 /mnt/user/timemachine/

The backing data store for your persistent time machine data must support extended file attributes (xattr). Usually for shares in the Unraid Array this is not a problem. Remote file systems, such as NFS, will very likely not support xattrs. This image will check and try to set xattrs to a test file in /opt/${TM_USERNAME} to warn the user if they are not supported but this will not prevent the image from running.

Also note that if you change the User Name (TM_USERNAME) value that it will change the data path for backup data inside of the container from /opt/timemachine to /opt/value-of-TM_USERNAME.

Runtime arguments

Network: br0
Shell: sh
Privileged: false
Extra Params: --hostname timemachine

Template configuration

Time Machine Backup DataPathrw

Directory to store the time machine backups. If you change the User Name (TM_USERNAME) value that it will change the data path from /opt/timemachine to /opt/value-of-TM_USERNAME.

Target: /opt/timemachine
Value: /mnt/user/timemachine/

Size LimitVariable

Limits the reported disksize, thus preventing Time Machine from using the whole real disk space for backup. The option takes a number plus an optional unit (e.g. 1 T for 1 Terrabyte). IMPORTANT: This is an approximated calculation that only takes into account the contents of Time Machine sparsebundle images. Therefore you MUST NOT use this volume to store other content when using this option, because it would NOT be accounted. The calculation works by reading the band size from the Info.plist XML file of the sparsebundle, reading the bands/ directory counting the number of band files, and then multiplying one with the other.

Target: VOLUME_SIZE_LIMIT
Default: 1 T
Value: 1 T

User NameVariable

sets the username time machine runs as

Target: TM_USERNAME
Value: timemachine

User PasswordVariable

sets the password for the timemachine user. The default value is Z92efVNcokU26x.

Target: PASSWORD
Default: Z92efVNcokU26x
Value: Z92efVNcokU26x

Advertised HostnameVariable

Avahi will advertise the smb services at this hostname instead of the local hostname

Target: ADVERTISED_HOSTNAME
Value: timemachine

Use Custom SMB ConfigurationVariable

indicates that you are going to bind mount a custom config to /etc/samba/smb.conf if set to true

Target: CUSTOM_SMB_CONF
Default: false
Value: false

Custom UserVariable

indicates that you are going to bind mount /etc/password, /etc/group, and /etc/shadow; and create data directories if set to true

Target: CUSTOM_USER
Default: false
Value: false

Debug LevelVariable

sets the debug level for nmbd and smbd

Target: DEBUG_LEVEL
Default: 1
Value: 1

Mimic ModelVariable

sets the value of time machine to mimic (e.g. TimeCapsule8,119 or TimeCapsule6,116)

Target: MIMIC_MODEL
Default: TimeCapsule8,119
Value: TimeCapsule8,119

External Configuration DirectoryVariable

specifies a directory in which individual variable files, ending in .conf. In order to add multiple users who have their own shares, you will need to create a file for each user and put them in a directory.

Target: EXTERNAL_CONF

Hide SharesVariable

set to yes if you would like only the share(s) a user can access to appear

Target: HIDE_SHARES
Default: no
Value: no

Group NameVariable

sets the group name time machine runs as

Target: TM_GROUPNAME
Default: timemachine
Value: timemachine

User UIDVariable

sets the UID of the Executing User (TM_USERNAME)

Target: TM_UID
Default: 1000
Value: 1000

Set PermissionsVariable

set to true to have the entrypoint set ownership and permission on the /opt/ in the container

Target: SET_PERMISSIONS
Default: false
Value: false

SMB Inherit PermissionsVariable

if yes, permissions for new files will be forced to match the parent folder

Target: SMB_INHERIT_PERMISSIONS
Default: no
Value: no

SMB fruit:nfs_acesVariable

value of fruit:nfs_aces; support for querying and modifying the UNIX mode of directory entries via NFS ACEs

Target: SMB_NFS_ACES
Default: yes
Value: yes

SMB fruit:metadataVariable

value of fruit:metadata; controls where the OS X metadata stream is stored

Target: SMB_METADATA
Default: stream
Value: stream

SMB PortVariable

sets the port that Samba will be available on

Target: SMB_PORT
Default: 445
Value: 445

SMB vfs objectsVariable

value of vfs objects

Target: SMB_VFS_OBJECTS
Default: acl_xattr fruit streams_xattr
Value: acl_xattr fruit streams_xattr

SMB Workgroup NameVariable

set the SMB workgroup name

Target: WORKGROUP
Default: WORKGROUP
Value: WORKGROUP

Group GIDVariable

sets the GID of the TM_GROUPNAME group

Target: TM_GID
Default: 1000
Value: 1000

Share NameVariable

sets the name of the timemachine share to.

Target: SHARE_NAME
Default: TimeMachine
Value: TimeMachine

Links

Template Support Docker Hub Project

Details

Repository

mbentley/timemachine

Registry

https://hub.docker.com/r/mbentley/timemachine

Last Updated2026-05-09

First Seen2022-05-25

Run TimeMachine on Unraid.

TimeMachine is listed in Community Apps for Unraid OS. Explore Unraid to build a flexible home server, NAS, or homelab.

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