Backup Solutions for our iMac

We just narrowly escaped losing our hard drive due to maxing it out - 319GB or 320 used. The reason? I procrastinated creating a backup solution. Now we need to move forward and am looking for suggestions as to the best route. As background, our system currently consists of:
(1) Macbook Air (2012)
(1) iMac (mid 2007, Intel)
(1) 2wiregateway wireless router (AT&T Broadband)
Online back-up via Backblaze (am considering switching to Crashplan or Carbonite)
We need a solution that will provide:
automatic wireless back-ups of both machines though I could hardwire our desktop if need be - TC?
external disk storage for our media (e.g., photos, music and video files) - WD, SG, IOM linked to TC, needs to be backed up using TM
media server - access from Macbook Air, iPad (future), iPhone (future), any wireless device playing iTunes; e.g., Denon receiver (future need)
I purchased and tried to set-up a Seagate GoFlex Home option but the wireless set-up via the 2wire has been difficult and I've had no luck with linking it as a drive for Time Machine. I plan to return based on feedback (regarding my set-up options). Like everyone, we want to 'future proof', however, we're NOT large media purchasers so excessive storage is not an issue - mostly photo files. We're mainly focused on ease, durability and costs.
This is what i was thinking:
automatic wireless back-ups of both machines - Time Machine/Time Capsule ($300+)
external disk storage for our media - external harddrive (WD, SG, IOM) connected via Ethernet to TC or as it's a store server, hardwire this one (firewire) to the desktop. This too will need to be backed up using Time Machine ($150+)
media server - ? Again, secondary future need
Thoughts?

Thanks for all of the feedback. I've sat down and drawn out an updated solution (see below). I think this will meet all of our needs but would love all and any feedback including on my drive selections/options. Our modified 'need' list.
external disk storage for our media (e.g., photos, music and video files) [External Hard Drive FW800 connection]
automatic wireless data back-ups of both machines [Time Capsule]
bootable local back-up of both machines [External Hard Drive with Super Duper linked to Time Capsule]
media server - access from Macbook Air, iPad (future), iPhone (future) [iCloud]
network printer connection [Time Capsule]
off-site data back-ups of both machines [Back Blaze/Carbonite]
Does this make sense? Overkill? Thoughts regarding Iomega drives?

Similar Messages

Help needed for choosing Cisco recommended VM Backup solution for UCCE & CUCM 8.5

Hi
We are planning to install a reliable backup solution for our UCCE platform ( ESX(i) 4.x & 5.x )
if someone can share the details of Cisco recommended VM ware backup solution for UCCE 8.5 , it would be really helpful .
Regards
Renni John

Hello,
-   Snapshot procedure of VMs is not supported by Cisco for UCCE servers. Please refer table "VMware Feature Support for Contact Center 8.0(2) through 10.x" on below link:
o   http://docwiki.cisco.com/wiki/Unified_Communications_VMware_Requirements#Supported_Editions_and_Features_of_VMware_vSphere_ESXi.2C_VMware_vCenter_and_VMware_vSphere_Client
-   Same above link refers to use "Copy" feature of VM to take backup of servers, but it is a very lengthy procedure which requires extensive command line knowledge of UCS. Moreover VM should be shut down for this procedure. This can be used as one time backup of server; but cant be used as scheduled back up method.

Backup solutions for Solaris 10 systems

I am trying to put together a backup solution for a number of SunFire V240 systems running Solaris 10. We do run our backups using NetWorker, along with a couple of high powered back up systems. But this solution I am trying to create is something that can be performed by our first responders, our help desk folks. The systems in question are already in production but we do have days where we can bring them down for maintenance or whatever we need to do. Therefore, I can implement this new solution during the day(s) of maintenance time.
I was looking at using Solaris Volume Manager and its metadata configurations. But I am unsure how to start with files sytems already created. I want to be able to have a backup of the boot disk in the event that the hard drive in which it resides goes down. I want our help desk folks be able to immediately bring the system right back up with little down time during the evening to late hours.
I guess what I am looking for are exact steps to help configure this backup solution with Solaris Volume Manager for our production systems. Can anyone help?

Hey there,
Have a look at this excellent guide. I think that you may find what you need here. If not drop an email back. To begin with you need an extra disk(s) since you will mirror your data. This is sort of a pre-requisite.
Good luck,
Pierre
http://www.adminschoice.com/docs/solstice_disksuite.htm

Need new backup solution for vMware vm's

Anthony,
There are a number of products out there that will meet your requirements. For example, depending on your VMware license you could use VDP. There are other vendors who leverage the VMware host API to get VM snapshots. StorageCraft offers a software solution that will back up your VMs and store them in your data center or on portable media. We create byte/sector level images of your systems that you can quickly restore to the same or to a new environment (like moving from Hyper-V to VMware) or mount as a shareable volume for easy file/folder recovery.
Whichever solution you choose, be sure to test it in your environment so you know it will meet your specific needs and budget. Let me know if you have any questions about StorageCraft products and applicable discounts.
Cheers!

Greetings:I recently became in charge of our server infrastructure and I'm trying to figure out the best backup software for our needs.We currently have BackupAssist to handle hyper-v vm's, but I will be migrating all of them off and will solely have vmware vm's.At my previous job they used vranger for backing up the vm's an backup exec for the shared data drivesCurrently we backup everything to usb drives (firesafe/water proof) with backup assist, but I don't think this will work well with vsphere.We have 3 hosts with 5 cpu's total and might add a 6th cpu sooner or later.I'm looking for a backup solution that won't break the bank as we don't have a huge budget. I do work for a University, so education discounts would be great.I've looked into veeam, but haven't tested it nor have I priced it out.The servers are in a data center, so...
This topic first appeared in the Spiceworks Community

What is the best free backup solution for Hyper-V R2/2012? CSV support is necessary

Hi,
I need so guidance, please.
I’m planning to deploy a free backup solution for my virtual environment and I need your advice. I have the following configuration:
Failover Cluster:
Two Dell Servers
OS: Windows 2012 STD
Each server has two AMD Opteron 4180 6C @ 2.6 GHZ
16 GB – RAM (supports 256GB)
QNAP NAS (CSV)
It’s hosting a DC, an Exchange 2010 and soon a SharePoint 2013 VM
Standalone Hyper-V:
Dell Server
OS: Windows 2008 R2 Datacenter
It has two Intel Xeon E5520 @ 2.2 GHZ
16 GB - RAM
It’s hosting 3 VMs
In my research I found these apps. All of them are limited in some way but they do the job:
Veeam Backup Free Edition v7
Altaro Hyper-V Backup
Unitrends Enterprise Backup
PHD Virtual Backup for Hyper-V
HV Backup from CodePlex
Windows Server Backup (WSB)
What is your experience with them? What would you recommend?
When it comes to money, which one is more affordable? (In case I want to buy the full version)
Thanks in advanced.

Hi,
I need so guidance, please.
I’m planning to deploy a free backup solution for my virtual environment and I need your advice. I have the following configuration:
Failover Cluster:
Two Dell Servers
OS: Windows 2012 STD
Each server has two AMD Opteron 4180 6C @ 2.6 GHZ
16 GB – RAM (supports 256GB)
QNAP NAS (CSV)
It’s hosting a DC, an Exchange 2010 and soon a SharePoint 2013 VM
Standalone Hyper-V:
Dell Server
OS: Windows 2008 R2 Datacenter
It has two Intel Xeon E5520 @ 2.2 GHZ
16 GB - RAM
It’s hosting 3 VMs
In my research I found these apps. All of them are limited in some way but they do the job:
Veeam Backup Free Edition v7
Altaro Hyper-V Backup
Unitrends Enterprise Backup
PHD Virtual Backup for Hyper-V
HV Backup from CodePlex
Windows Server Backup (WSB)
What is your experience with them? What would you recommend?
When it comes to money, which one is more affordable? (In case I want to buy the full version)
Thanks in advanced.
Any Altaro Hyper-V Backup User?

Backup solution for E- Business Suite

Hi all,
We have Oracle application and database deployed to a single server, whilst running a server on Oracle Entreprise Linx on 64 bit and running oracle R12.
Therefore basically I see 03 root folders in my server in my Oracle folder namely,
[oracle@test lab01]$ ll
total 12
drwxr-xr-x 4 oracle dba 4096 Jun 24 15:07 apps
drwxr-xr-x 4 oracle dba 4096 Jun 24 15:07 db
drwxr-xr-x 3 oracle dba 4096 Jun 24 15:06 instSo far as my backup solution I am planning to have:
- RMAN backup solution for the database which is represented by the DB folder
- OS tar command" to copy the Oracle application which is represented by the apps* folder --> correct me if I am wrong, I am not sure...
- I am not sure what is the function of the INST folder and what is the best way of backing it up.
Thanks and Regards,

Hi,
- RMAN backup solution for the database which is represented by the DB folder Correct.
- OS tar command" to copy the Oracle application which is represented by the apps* folder --> correct me if I am wrong, I am not sure...Correct.
- I am not sure what is the function of the INST folder and what is the best way of backing it up.Please refer to the "Oracle Applications Concepts" manual for details about the INST folder.
You need to use the OS command to backup this top, just the same way you back up the application tier node files.
Oracle Applications Concepts
http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B53825_03/current/acrobat/121oacg.pdf
Thanks,
Hussein

What is the best & cheap backup solution for a macpro laptop?

What is the best & cheap backup solution for a macpro laptop? easy & simple to use

Basic Backup
For some people Time Machine will be more than adequate. Time Machine is part of OS X. There are two components: 1. A Time Machine preferences panel as part of System Preferences; and, 2. A Time Machine application located in the Applications folder. It is used to manage backups and to restore backups. Time Machine requires a backup drive that is at least twice the capacity of the drive being backed up.
Alternatively, get an external drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):
Carbon Copy Cloner
Data Backup
Deja Vu
SuperDuper!
Synk Pro
Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.
Although you can buy a complete external drive system, you can also put one together if you are so inclined. It's relatively easy and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver (typically.) You can purchase hard drives separately. This gives you an opportunity to shop for the best prices on a hard drive of your choice. Reliable brands include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Fujitsu. You can find reviews and benchmarks on many drives at Storage Review.
Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available. You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports. I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets especially for Firewire drives (911, 921, 922, for example.) You can find enclosures at places such as;
Cool Drives
OWC
WiebeTech
Firewire Direct
California Drives
NewEgg
All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover. Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.

Backup Solutions for my MacBook Pro+

I have a Macbook Pro (2010) w/500gb hard drive. I have one 500gb external hard drive that holds movies and my Aperture library. My current backup solution is a 2nd external hard drive (2TB) that I attach to my laptop while my smaller external hard drive is attached (it is not excluded from the backup).
I manually attach the laptop and 500gb ehd every week or so to backup to Time Machine
The problem? My laptop is approaching it's limit and I'm thinking that I need to move my iPhoto library off to an ehd as well.
I'm wondering if backing up to my Time Machine drive with a laptop and two ehd (each 500 gb) is smart or if I need to backup those hard drives to other ehd separately.
Also, I plan to buy an iMac for my family in the next couple of months. Not sure how that should impact my backup configuration.
I've also heard that in addition to Time Machine I might consider getting an ehd specifically with the purpose of being a bootable drive (via Super Duper)
With all of these options my head is swimming a bit.
Would love recommendations for a backup workflow/solution based on my equipment.
Thoughts?

Pretty much any drive will work, but for a laptop, you might like to get a portable drive (doesn't require that you connect it to power) with USB3. Thunderbolt drives are also available, but they're more expensive and no faster than USB3 for a single hard drive.
I personally like the Lacie rugged series: http://store.apple.com/us/product/H9377ZM/A/lacie-1tb-rugged-hard-drive-triple-u sb-30-5400-rpm?fnode=5f
If you shop around you should be able to get it a little cheaper than Apple's prices.
Matt

Anyone come up with a docking solution for MacBook- iMac

I still miss the days with the DuoDock.
I use my laptop heavily for work but when I'm home I'd love to just slip it (with lid CLOSED!) and plug a single cable in and have the video be presented on my iMac 27" (perhaps as a Spaces as another desktop screen).
Is there a solution for this?
Thanks

Hi there,
Depending on the age of your iMac, this may be possible. I have included a couple of links that I would recommend taking a look at below.
Target Display Mode: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3924
Mac notebooks: How to use your computer in closed clamshell (display closed) mode with an external display
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3131
-Griff W.

Best Backup Solution for WAN

What is the best -according to you- failover WAN solution for hub-and-spoke design network, the central office and all the other sites (10 total) will be within 50 miles, has anyone been faced with same decision making issue? Primary circuits will be PPP T1's, what about the secondaries? Thanks much in advance!

If you can afford other dedicated T1s, of course use T1s. If you can't afford T1s, use dial on demand, for example ISDN(BRI/PRI). You really need to assess the amount of data that need to be sent over the backup link.
Regards,
Jing

Backup Solution For This Specific Setup

I've been thinking about how I'm going to backup my setup but I'm sort of stuck.
My setup: 2 Drives
80GB Intel SSD - boot disk, dual boots Windows 7 and ArchLinux
500GB HDD - only for files, not going to be of any concern
Here's the fdisk -l for the SSD (/dev/sdb)
Disk /dev/sdb: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes, 156301488 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x9b9dcc69
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 * 2048 206847 102400 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb2 206848 103811071 51802112 7 HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
/dev/sdb3 104015872 156301311 26142720 83 Linux
/dev/sdb4 103811072 104015871 102400 83 Linux
Here's what I'd like: If the SSD fails, I'd like to be able to have an exact clone bootable USB HDD ready to use (so it must be able to dual boot). Basically, I'd like to minimize down time as much as possible. Then I'd like to be able to transfer everything again to a new SSD.
I understand that I can use rsync for backups: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fu … with_rsync but I'm not sure how to adjust it for dual booting. Should I be cloning with dd instead? From what I've read dd will copy everything including the partition table of the old one so that might not be a good idea if I'm planning to move the whole thing to a new SSD?
Appreciate any input!
Last edited by devrepublic (2013-02-22 01:32:15)

Use rsync as it will then only write what has been changed instead of the whole damn thing like dd. There is a wiki page about how to back up your entire system with rsync... you should probably have a look at that.
This of course will work just fine for your Arch Linux, but I don't know enough about windows to be able to recommend a way to do it with that partition. I guess you could dd the partition everyday, but that doesn't seem very practical. I would have to imagine that there is probably some kind of a incremental windows backup solution that you could use, but I don't know.
You will of course then have to have a bootloader installed on the second drive, set up and ready to boot into either system. Then just make sure you are booting the right drive all the time and you're good to go.
Are you implying that you want to back up to the 500GB drive? Or are you saying that you want to use an external?

What's the best external backup solution for the 2011 MacBook Air?

I'm really considering moving to a new 2011 13" MacBook Air for my primary machine and I'm curious to know what ya'll might suggest for the ideal backup solution.
Currently I use a Firewire 800 drive with my MacBook Pro consisting of a Bootable OS backup, Media volume backup, Time Machine backup + blank volume for files.
The current external options available —Thunderbolt release date anyone?—are: USB 2.0 and Time Capsule. Lately—and a first up until now—I've started thinking about potentialy moving my backup solution online. I'm curious if anyone has experience with an affordable, simple, online solution?
Also, don't suppose any kind of storage solutions could utilize the SD card slot in any way?
I look forward to hearing about your backup solutions!
All the best,
—Jordan

Redundancy is more important than speed when it comes to backup.
I like a have a clone of my internal drive to an external drive of the same size. If your internal drive fails you can boot from your external clone. I use SuperDuper!
If your data is important to you, you should keep a backup off-site and have more than one backup set.
Cloud storage is an option if you have fast broadband and small data volumes.
I like the simplicity of Time Machine with Time Capsule for incremental and version backups.
Rather than invest in Thunderbolt (expensive and fast), invest in redundancy (cheap, slow).

Which harddrive/backup drive for my iMac

I have a 20" aluminum iMac, about 1 year old, running Leopard.
I the the internal HD has capacity for about 250GB if memory serves me right. I have about 200GB of stuff on it now, most of which is pictures in iphoto, music, and videos.
Was thinking I'm going to need an external hard drive for storage and/or backup. But I'm not sure if an external HD can accomplish both? Was looking at a Gtech or Lacie. Basically I'm going to run out of room on my internal drive, so how do I move my older photos lets say to the second HD? Simply copy them over? or is done by backup, then I can erase whats on my internal HD?
Also, I have a lot of videos, movies, etc. If I need to move them off the internal drive for space reasons, whats the best way, by backup thru time machine, or simply just cut and paste onto the new HD? Can the new HD act as a backup device along with a storage device at the same time? ie can I backup to it thru time machine, plus have say a bunch of movies sitting on it too, ready to access without having to restore them via time machine?
Sorry for all the ?'s. I'm sure there is an easy answer, just that I dont know the ins and outs of backing up, or simply using the external HD for storage, physically moving the files over
Thanks for any help

I'm of two minds about this. I have reservations about Time Machine's and Time Capsule's stability and reliability (based mostly on both being first generation products). One problem we've seen with the combination of the two is the problem of Time Machine 'preparing' a backup but that preparation stage stalling. In most (but not all cases) this is fixable but I've seen/heard of a few cases where the only solution was to wipe the backups and start over. Not a good solution. This happens less frequently when TM is connected directly to the computer. Although I've done some pretty serious testing of TM and it has yet to fail me, it isn't time tested the way other backup programs are and that makes me think twice.
Further, TM isn't a bootable restore system so if your system becomes unbootable at the very least you have to install the OS again. I'd rather have a bootable backup (as part of my backup plan) so if I need to I can plug in an external drive, boot up, use TM to restore the last backup of files I was working on, and get right back to work.
At the moment I see TM as part of a backup system but not as the sole plan.

What's the best RAID solution for my iMac / MacBook?

I think it's time I invested in a larger backup hard drive, and for data security I'm looking at 2-drive RAID devices. Is the Lacie 2Big Network good for this purpose? http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?pid=10953
What's the reliability and speed really like on such devices?
I have a 1Gbit switch that I could attach a network storage drive to, and the idea of having a public ftp area on it sounds quite cool and useful, anyone know just how secure it is?
What about replacing drives in these things - is it just a case of taking existing hard drive out of a caddy and putting a new one in? (same type, size and speed, presumably)
At work we have some dinosaur Dell servers that have big hardware RAID arrays in them, I've only just started using them myself but can see how versatile the concept is.. are there any drawbacks to having a small home hardware RAID setup?
Thanks!

If you are not limited to NAS, take a look at CalDigit for a great eSATA/FW800/FW400/USB RAID 1/0 external drive.
http://www.caldigit.com/CalDigit_VR/ , we will get one soon.
AFAIK, the CalDigitVR connects using either eSATA, FireWire 800, 400, and USB2.0. The RAID is configurable as performance (RAID 0), protected (RAID 1), or SPAN. The CalDigit's products are used by serious individuals, photographers, movie studios, etc. and are as bulletproof as you can get.
Everything is swappable (including the fan assembly) and can be daisy chained through FireWire port when out of capacity. If know you are using iMac, but if you have a MacPro, you can use their SATA kit to speed up to 200 MB/s !!!.
In the past, RAID protection doesn't come cheap but neither does true peace-of-mind. There are other solutions to be sure, but none offer the longevity and flexibility of the Caldigit products. And the best part is CalDigitVR 500GB starts at only $399.

Cloud Backup Solution for outsourced IT Management company

I really like Carbonite for this. We have used it on our subsidiary of 4 people. It is pretty much set it and forget it. You will get emails when backups are not working for a set amount of time.

In addition to working as an IT Manager, I also work as an outsourced IT Consultant for small / medium sized companies (and some individuals) that don't need or can't afford a full time IT person in house.Part of the services that I provide is ensuring that each customer's computer (or server) is backed up. Now that cloud backup has become more reasonably priced, I am looking for a solution that would allow me to centrally manage these backups for all of the different companies in one place. The current project that I'm working on is for a very small law office that doesn't even have a server, so it's only backing up desktop machines, but as time goes by I hope to implement a standard across all of my clients servers and/or desktops as needed. Some of the companies already have other solutions in place, so I guess my ideal would be to...
This topic first appeared in the Spiceworks Community

Backup Solutions for our iMac

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for