syncing icloud backup with synology

[Rickwang]

Hi

I an a new user of Synology, operating in a Mac environment and having backed up all files to iCloud.

To be sure to be sure i would like an additional backup that doesn't rely on Apple. Is it possible to sync backup between iCloud and Synology? I have done some checking but have not come up with an answer that a (relatively low level) user can understand.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for your help

Rick

 

[Rusty]

Hi and welcome to the forum and into Syno world.

The quick answer is there is no native support for icloud <> syno.

There are a number of ways you can backup your mac data that are also being pushed into iCloud. It all depends do you want them to be accessible instantly or as a backup/restore option.

If you want iCloud drive solution (so data accessible via your Finder app on your Mac) then you can use Synology Drive package. It will create an iCloud drive/dropbox solution for you that will allow you to have all your data synced with your NAS. With it, you will be able to have access to your data that will be synced with your NAS all the time as well as your Mac.

The problem here is that you will have to "move" your iCloud drive to Synology Drive location on your mac in order to avoid doubling your data. If this is not a problem, then just ignore this. If it is, then 1st look up how to move your iCloud drive location to any custom location. Afterward, you can focus on installing Synology Drive local mac client and select its "location" on your mac.

Regarding a conventional backup, you can use Time Machine with your Synology as well. There is an extensive KB article on that matter here: DiskStation Manager - Knowledge Base | Synology Inc.

Ofc this is not the same, instant, access to files but it will get the job done if a backup is what you are after.

 

[Rickwang]

Hi Rusty and thanks very much for that! i will check out those alternatives.

I have been doing a bit of checking and I see that iDrive is rated more highly than iCloud as a cloud storage solution.

On checking the product literature the first reading suggests there is a way to sync data on it with Synology - or am I getting confused between just backing up and syncing?

Thanks again.

Rick

 

[Rusty]

Drive is a sync tool and you can backup with it as well. So it can be used in multiple scenarios.

 

[Rickwang]

Thanks Rusty! May the virus avoid you!

Rick

 

[fredbert]

The iCloud Drive documents are synchronised by iCloud to your Mac accounts Library / Mobile Documents folder.

From Finder you can't access this folder but you can in Terminal app.
cd ~/Library/Mobile\ Documents/

For Mac/iOS apps the create their own storage/folders there will be a folder in here for them. For folders and files you added to iCloud Drive then these are in com~apple~CloudDocs.

To reconstruct iCloud Drive you would take the contents of:
~/Library/Mobile\ Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/ ~/Library/Mobile\ Documents/*/Documents/
Where each app's Documents folder is presented as the app's name in iCloud Drive, and CloudDocs content is added to the top-level folder.

I don't think Apple has opened up iCloud Drive access to any third-party platform, only their macOS and iOS flavoured devices. So you'd have to backup you Mac to the NAS and include the iCloud folders above (that'll backup the data in case Apple closed your account). Otherwise, like me, you opt for private and public cloud services that DSM and Mac/iOS supports.

 

[Rickwang]

Hi fredbert and sorry for the delayed response. Your advice and information is most welcome and useful.

Rick

 

[Zathras]

I chose to use Backblaze's B2 for my NAS backup. The price is right at a half cent per gigabyte per month. Nobody else has anything close. Lots of software will backup your Mac to it. Chronosync, GoodSync, Hyperbackup. I use GoodSync. And it's phenomenally fast. I use it to move files between drives at home too because it's so fast and accurate. Chronosync would be my second choice. They both natively support B2.

 

[Rickwang]

Thanks for that Zathras. I will look into both. Rick

 

[tekguru]

Remember though that Backblaze has data storage in accordance with USA law. Worth a mention. I'm sticking with Synology C2 as that for me is under European data protection.

 

[mikelima]

I'm using TimeMachine on both iMacs (and free Veeam for Windows for our PCs/laptops), all backing up to my DS-1817 which is located in a detached garage. I'm not especially worried about losing these backups due to disaster event as I'll probably buy new computers, so I don't cloud back them up.

However for important data like Documents and Pictures shared folders on the DS1817+ I'm using (in addition to house NAS to detached garage NAS shared folder sync) synology Cloud Backup to Backblaze, and can recommend it. I think for 1TB of cloud backups it's costing around $5 a month or there abouts. Cheap piece of mind to get those files geographically dispersed.

 

[tekguru]

If you live in the US of A it is a good plan but for us non-Trumpian Empire folks not so much

 

[nickdavies]

The iCloud Drive documents are synchronised by iCloud to your Mac accounts Library / Mobile Documents folder.

From Finder you can't access this folder but you can in Terminal app.
cd ~/Library/Mobile\ Documents/

For Mac/iOS apps the create their own storage/folders there will be a folder in here for them. For folders and files you added to iCloud Drive then these are in com~apple~CloudDocs.

To reconstruct iCloud Drive you would take the contents of:
~/Library/Mobile\ Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/ ~/Library/Mobile\ Documents/*/Documents/
Where each app's Documents folder is presented as the app's name in iCloud Drive, and CloudDocs content is added to the top-level folder.

I don't think Apple has opened up iCloud Drive access to any third-party platform, only their macOS and iOS flavoured devices. So you'd have to backup you Mac to the NAS and include the iCloud folders above (that'll backup the data in case Apple closed your account). Otherwise, like me, you opt for private and public cloud services that DSM and Mac/iOS supports.

The third-party method can download the iCloud backup. I am puzzled about this.

 

[fredbert]

Doesn't that look like it's working with iOS device backups that are stored in iCloud?

The original question in this thread was regarding iCloud Drive (the bit that's like Dropbox) which isn't the same as iOS device backup to iCloud.