Hi, Can I use both ethernet ports on my Mac Pro to make local network backups faster, or at least to keep local network backups from slowing down internet use?
I recently bought a LaCie 5big Thunderbolt disk array and my current plan is to use it for local (Time Machine) backups. Unfortunately, the only 2 ports on this unit are thunderbolt (no ethernet, no USB, no firewire). Thus, I can't connect it directly to my 2012 Mac Pro. But I have a 2011 Mac Mini with a thunderbolt port, so I figured that I would do the following: 1. connnect LaCie disk array to Mac Mini via thunderbolt 2. connect Mac Mini to gigabit router via ethernet 3. connect Mac Pro to gigabit router via ethernet I read somewhere that I could run 2 ethernet cables between the Mac Pro and the router, which in theory might (nearly) double local throughput, but would this do any good if no other computers are connected to the router with 2 cables? My guess is that it would do no good, but if I'm wrong, please explain and please tell me if anything is required beyond physically connecting the ethernet cables. Or, assuming the above scenario is a bust, can I use the second ethernet port on the Mac Pro to keep local network backups from slowing down internet use? That is, rather than connecting the Mac Mini's ethernet port to the router, could I connect it to the second ethernet port on the Mac Pro (with the first ethernet port on the Mac Pro going to the router)? If so, would it make internet access from the Mac Pro faster during backups? In general, I don't care if the Mac Mini sees the outside world, but would this second setup (assuming it is even feasible) prevent software updates and Back-To-My-Mac screen/file sharing on the Mac Mini? Or should I continue to allow the second ethernet port on my Mac Pro sit unused (and reserved as a replacement if the first ethernet port fails), as I have on every Mac Pro I've owned over the years? Thanks, Gregg _______________________________________________ MacOSX-talk mailing list [email protected] http://www.omnigroup.com/mailman/listinfo/macosx-talk
