How I used Linux for a Time Machine/File Server/Xbox 360 Media Server.
Linux can be used to do pretty much anything. It installs on almost any device, can be modified extensive
ly, and the best part: it’s free. Even though users can think it’s difficult to use, there are plenty of guides and forums for help.
When I got the idea to make a Linux time machine/file server/Xbox 360 media server I was getting ready to back up my MacBook. I was setting up the cables for my external hard drive because time machine told me I didn’t backup in 40 days. I really wanted a time capsule, but I couldn’t afford the price. As the backup started I noticed my old PC sitting in the corner collecting dust. Thats when it hit me. Why not throw Linux on the PC and use it to backup to my external hard drives wirelessly?
With that, I went to Twitter, announcing the idea to everyone. A few coworkers replied with some extremely helpful links and encouragement. One coworker doubted it would work at all. Armed with some information and an ISO of Ubuntu Linux, I got started.
To be honest, I didn’t really discover anything on my own. I just followed the guides step by step and everything worked pretty smoothly. Below are the sites I used to get everything setup and working. I have to say, I even learned some things (linux commands/how to use terminal) in the process.
If you haven’t figured it out: These are pretty much guides on how to make a Linux machine work with Apple’s “Apple Talk” protocol and share files with Macs. Not PC 
This is the guide I used the most. It pretty much explains how to get Apple Talk working on an Ubuntu Linux machine and how to set everything up for time machine. I also found the user comments pretty helpful when figuring out how to get some minor stuff working.
Getting uShare to work was really easy compared to the time machine backup. Just follow the steps in terminal and viola!
With following both of those guides and investing a little time I got it all to work and work well. My macs will automatically backup to my external hard drive over the network, I can share files from the server with macs and windows computers, and I can put movies on the linux server and watch them in HD on my Xbox 360. It’s really cool and wasn’t that hard to do (even for a complete Linux noob).
Post comments if you have any questions or feedback. Hope this helps 
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