Time Machine fails validation often; needs to create new backup

[cbredesen]

TS-469L, QTS 4.2.3 20170213 (though updates seem to come fast and furious, never mentioning this problem)
2016 tbMBP, fully updated Sierra

I'm getting a message now as frequently as every couple weeks:

Code: Select all

Time Machine completed a verification of your backups on “nas2(TimeMachine)”. To improve reliability, Time Machine must create a new backup for you.

Backups generally succeed but this happens too often for comfort and I no longer trust the backups to QNAP. I can't seem to find anything helpful about this since the search is not great on this forum. Google is better but turns up very old postings that reference incompatibilities with new versions of OSX/macOS. I'm at a loss here ... how can I further diagnose?

[Trexx]

Are you doing the time-machine backup over wifi or via TBolt Ethernet connection? I have been running mine over TBolt Ethernet and haven't had hardly any issues.

[cbredesen]

Are you doing the time-machine backup over wifi or via TBolt Ethernet connection? I have been running mine over TBolt Ethernet and haven't had hardly any issues.

Mostly USB-C/tbolt Ethernet...

[Trexx]

Well you are still connecting to TM over AFP I believe in QTS 4.2.3. I know Apple has enabled SMB backups in Sierra for TimeMachine, but I don't believe QNAP has enabled support for that yet.

Might be worthwhile opening a helpdesk ticket with QNAP on this as could be an update bug. Other possible options is either NAS load during a TM backup or you sometimes are hitting it via Wifi and getting some spotty connection/transfer issue.