Backing up multiple Mac's / OS's to one drive.

Current network connected via 802.11G
~Intel Mac Book Pro running 10.4.1
~iBook G4 running 10.4.1
~New MacBook running Snow Leopard
~New Mac Mini running Snow Leopard
Can I back up all these machines to a 1TB firewire 800 drive attached to the Mac Mini using Time Machine?
How should I partition the drive?
What format should I partition the drive in?
Will the “GUID Partition Scheme” cover all 10.X.X operating systems?
Does each computer backup require its own partition?
How do I back up the 10.4.1 machines? I’m presuming I can’t use Time Machine.
Is there third party software that would work better in this environment?
Will the Colts cover the 5 points in the Super Bowl?
Thank you Mac Gods…I appreciate your knowledge transfer!

Not the iBook because it cannot run Time Machine, but yes for the others. You have some things to consider in implementing your plan.
1. Should you create separate partitions for each machine's backup? I would suggest that you do, but the only mandatory partitions would be for your iBook's and MBP's backup because you cannot use TM on either.
2. Size considerations. A TM backup drive should be at least twice the capacity of the drives it backs up. So, if your three Intel Macs each have 250 GB drives, for example, then your TM backup drive should be at least 1.5 GBs. The size of the partition used for the iBook should be equal to the size of the iBook's hard drive.
3. What backup utility will you use for the iBook? I can suggest a few choices:
Carbon Copy Cloner
Deja Vu
Synk (Standard)
SilverKeeper
They can all be found at VersionTracker or MacUpdate.
All Intel models require the TM backup drive be partitioned using GUID. I would upgrade your MBP running Tiger to Leopard or Snow Leopard if possible. Otherwise you will need to use whatever third-party backup utility you choose.

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