Version History

Newest items are listed first.

Release 4.2 (Build 260928)

This version fixes an unexpected compatibility issue with macOS 27 which could cause the Full Disk Access status of Apple’s SMB server not to be shown correctly. This was a cosmetic problem which had no influence on the server itself.

Release 4.1 (Build 260911)

This version adds full support for macOS 27 Golden Gate.

Release 4.0 (Build 250911)

• Added full support for macOS 26 Tahoe. The minimum operating system version for Backup Server Control 4 is now macOS 15 Sequoia. Releases for older operating systems down to macOS 10.13 remain still available and the licenses are valid for all variants.
• The application icon has changed to support the new design features of macOS Tahoe.
• The security component for privileged operations now uses the latest macOS technologies. It is no longer necessary to install it upon first start, it only needs an approval to run.

Release 3.3 (Build 241120)

• Added new user interface for simplified license registration and activation features which will become available in the near future.

Release 3.2 (Build 240910)

• Added full support for macOS 15 Sequoia.
• The timing behavior when accessing values from the Open Directory database has been changed. The ensures better performance and avoids possible deadlocks with slow database connections.

Release 3.1 (Build 240614)

• Added preliminary support for future versions of macOS.
• Cases where the user damages the Time Machine server setup by using external applications are now handled more robustly.
• Fixes a possible issue where a race condition could cause the feature to remove outdated versions of the privileged helper program to fail.

Release 3.0 (Build 240117)

• Added new features for authorization of privileged operations. The application will now allow authentication of administrative users in additional special cases previously not permitted:
  • authorization within a running login session of a non-administrator
  • authorization by administrators with empty passwords in operating system versions that don’t block this generally
  • authorization in cases where multiple users are logged in, but the affected user is not on the frontmost console session
• Administrators can return to the previous stricter authorization policies if needed.
• Modernized organization of language support files.

Release 2.91 (Build 230701)

• This update fixes a communication problem that could result in the list of backup sets being incomplete or empty depending on the number of backup clients and the speed of the server.

Release 2.9 (Build 230628)

• Added preliminary support for future versions of macOS.
• Legacy code was removed. The new minimum operating system is now macOS 11.

Release 2.82 (Build 230221)

• Added new workarounds for the continuing quality problems of macOS 13.

Release 2.81 (Build 221221)

• Added protection against operating system defects of macOS 13.1. The application also provides additional user guidance for situations where such defects cause issues.
• Added protection against cases where the application is configured for automatic software update checks, but is operated with a network firewall that doesn’t allow the necessary Internet connections. In specific cases, this could result in intermittent program termination instead of an error message.

Release 2.8 (Build 221021)

• Added full support for macOS 13 Ventura.
• Fixes a compatibility issue with recent versions of macOS. The feature to remove old versions of the privileged auxiliary tool will now show the correct status information instead of “unknown” on the affected systems.

Release 2.7 (Build 220608)

• Added preliminary support for future operating systems.
• Added more user guidance when it is necessary to modify the privacy settings of the SMB server.
• The user interface for licensing and product activation was slightly revised.
• Revised user guidance for privacy settings.
• Corrected an issue where an AFP service option could be selected with macOS 11 or later.

Release 2.6 (Build 211020)

• Added full support for macOS 12 Monterey.
• Support for macOS 10.13 High Sierra was removed.
• Added a new preferences window to the application.
• Added a new option that controls whether determining the size of backup sets in the overview table of the application can take an unlimited time, or should be stopped after 30 seconds per backup set.

Release 2.54 (Build 210803)

On slow computers running a version of macOS with slow service management, switching the share button could cause a confusing flicker effect of the corresponding check mark which could temporarily stay in the wrong position for up to one minute. This version adds an additional wait panel to avoid this issue.

Release 2.53 (Build 210722)

This version fixes a problem where the stop button may not have worked while trying to retrieve the list of all backup sets if the operation was already running for more than 30 seconds.

Release 2.52 (Build 210621)

Added support for future versions of macOS.

Release 2.51 (Build 201119)

Added support for future versions of macOS.

Release 2.5 (Build 201021)

• This versions adds full support for macOS 11 Big Sur.
• The timeout to compute the size of a backup set was increased to 30 seconds.
• Parts of the user interface for product activation and registration management have been redesigned.

Release 2.4 (Build 200706)

• This version adds preliminary support for future operating systems.
• The application can now be quit by closing its main control window.
• The application now accepts that its icon can be replaced by the Finder. This will no longer raise a security warning.
• The feature for automatic notification of updates no longer relies on Notification Center.
• Pressing the Stop button when retrieving information about backup sets will now cause a much faster reaction.
• This version fixes a problem where retrieving information about backup sets could become extremely slow if a client was performing a backup at the same time.

Release 2.3 (Build 191112)

• Added new feature to show client compatibility information on the detail sheet for backup sets.
• Fixed a problem on computers with a specific upgrade history where the privacy settings may not have been shown correctly, because macOS did not grant the application permission to determine the true privacy configuration. Only specific systems running macOS Catalina had been affected.
• Fixed a cosmetic problem on computers running macOS High Sierra or Mojave where an incorrect privacy warning was shown on the Backup tab item.

Release 2.2 (Build 191106)

Added new features for user guidance on macOS Catalina that makes users aware if their privacy settings don’t allow network clients to access external disks.

Release 2.1 (Build 191008)

This version adds support for macOS 10.15 Catalina.

Release 2.0 (Build 190723)

• By request of many users, release 2.0 adds support for older Apple technologies. Network backups can be stored on volumes formatted as Mac OS Extended (HFS+) and can additionally be shared via AFP. This has no influence on the compatibility with client operating systems, however. The minimum OS version for clients is macOS 10.12.
• Added new feature to change the operating system setting that controls whether external drives should always be available even if no user is logged in at the server.
• Added new feature to enforce the use of encrypted SMB to access backup destinations.
• Added preliminary support for future operating systems.
• The feature to compute size details of backups can now be canceled by the user.
• The internal diagnostics features have been completely rewritten to be still operative in cases where operating system logging is not usable.
• The application has been made robust against dubious “cleaner” software that damages the launch configuration of the operating system.
• The distribution package now uses the latest Gatekeeper security features.

Release 1.5 (Build 181217)

• The application will show more targeted error messages if licensing fails due to a misconfigured network firewall.
• The distribution package now uses the latest Gatekeeper security features.
• The date and size columns can now be sorted numerically (instead of alphabetically) when listing the backup data sets.

Release 1.4 (Build 180911)

• This version adds full support for macOS 10.14 Mojave.
• Fixes a problem with the English user interface where a duplicate “to” was displayed in dialogs that ask for privileged operations.

Release 1.3 (Build 180621)

• Added preliminary support for future versions of macOS.
• This release enhances compatibility with specific operating system versions that may have problems to automatically find the network destination if the share name for Time Machine contains spaces.

Release 1.2 (Build 180516)

This is a maintenance update which fixes a problem where the application might not have deleted all selected backup sets upon a command to do so.

Release 1.1 (Build 180417)

• Added new user interface to the product activation feature in order to be compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union (EU Regulation 2016/679).
• The application now shows a wait message when it needs a longer time to collect data for the overview of backup sets.
• The table of backup sets will now remember column widths and sort order selected by the user.
• The detail sheet for backup sets now indicates the full Unix path for the actual backup file.

Release 1.0 (Build 180130)

First official version of Backup Server Control.