The D-Link DNS 323 is an extremely affordable SAN solution for a home or small business network. And since Bonjour support has been cooked into firmware version 1.09 it is now even more useful for Mac users. However, out of the box it still cannot be recognized by TimeMachine as a valid backup drive. Infuriating to say the least, however, with a bit of time and perceverance it is possible.
Firstly, you will need to fun plug your DNS 323. Excellent instructions are found at the DNS323 Wiki site which is an excellent resource for all your DNS 323 hackery needs.
Secondly, you need to add AFP support.
Lastly, do the following command on the command line to get TimeMachine to recognize network drives which it does not do by default (really Apple? Why?!?):
defaults write com.apple.systempreferences TMShowUnsupportedNetworkVolumes 1
That’s it. You should be able to point TimeMachine at your DNS 323 and you are good to go!
Note that you used to have to trick the Mac into using the SAN as a backup drive but I did not find this to be the case with my latest setup, but if you are having trouble, read A Poor Man’s Apple Time Capsule.