Is Time Machine Right for me?  Running MacPro 4TB

I'm really lost for ideas on doing backups. I like the idea of using time machine, but b/c TM can only use one disk to backup to, I'm not sure it will work for me. Does anyone have any ideas? I am running a MacPro with 4TB of internal storage, about 50% used. I'm a photographer.
Thanks,
Josh

jpfour23 wrote:
Yes, I believe it is called JBOD. "Just a bunch of disks". Is this a good backup method for me. Using time machine with a few disks. I guess I just wonder if there are solutions out there that are better. I just don't know a lot about this stuff.
Depends on what you've got, how you use your Mac, what's important to you, etc.
I'm assuming most of your data is photos. Are they mostly archival, or do you do a lot of editing? Do you mostly edit new photos, then leave them alone, or edit old ones, also?
You might consider a mixed strategy: TM and/or a bootable "clone" for everything except the photos, including keeping a copy off-site, and perhaps some small but rapidly-changing data, such as address book, settings, preferences, etc., automatically to an online service daily. That would be great protection for your OS, apps, email, documents, etc.: all the relatively-small stuff not directly involved in your main pursuit, that you really don't want to worry about, or spend hours tediously trying to reconstruct if something awful happens.
Then a more traditional "archive" type app for the photos. Perhaps frequent backups to an external disk of current in-process data, plus larger backups of older, archived photos, to alternating portable externals where one is used locally for a few days, then swapped with the other and taken off-site. Or perhaps one for each year, or groups of finished products, etc.
Whatever you do, don't depend on a single backup for the really important stuff, no matter where it is or how it was made. Disk drives do fail on occasion. Now and then, any application may not work exactly the way you expect it to, or crash. And as terrific as external drives are, they may not protect against fire, flood, theft, or direct lightning strike on your power lines. So get something off-site (safe deposit box, workplace, relative's house, etc.).

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    2. Subject, due to lack of security on your part, to being attacked and hacked/erased.
    Advantages:
    1. In case of house fire, etc. your data is safe.
    2. In travels, and propagating files to friends and likewise, a mere link by email is all that is needed and no large media needs to be sent across the net.
    3. Online archives are the perfect and best-idealized 3rd platform redundancy for data protection.
    4. Supremely useful in data isolation from backups and local archives in being online and offsite for long-distance security in isolation.
    5. *Level-1.5 security of your vital data.
    #5. DVD professional archival media
    Drawbacks:
    1. DVD single-layer disks are limited to 4.7Gigabytes of data.
    2. DVD media are, given rough handling, prone to scratches and light-degradation if not stored correctly.
    Advantages:
    1. Archival DVD professional blank media is rated for in excess of 100+ years.
    2. DVD is not subject to mechanical breakdown.
    3. DVD archival media is not subject to ferromagnetic degradation.
    4. DVD archival media correctly sleeved and stored is currently a supreme storage method of archiving vital data.
    5. DVD media is once written and therefore free of data corruption if the write is correct.
    6. DVD media is the perfect ideal for “freezing” and isolating old copies of data for reference in case newer generations of data become corrupted and an older copy is needed to revert to.
    7. Best-idealized 4th platform redundancy for data protection.
    8. *Level-3 (highest) security of your vital data. 
    [*Level-4 data security under development as once-written metallic plates and synthetic sapphire and likewise ultra-long-term data storage]
    #6. Cloud based storage
    Drawbacks:
    1. Cloud storage can only be quasi-possessed.
    2. No genuine true security and privacy of data.
    3. Should never be considered for vital data storage or especially long-term.
    4. *Level-0 security of your vital data. 
    Advantages:
    1. Quick, easy and cheap storage location for simplex files for transfer to keep on hand and yet off the computer.
    2. Easy source for small-file data sharing.

  • How to select correct time machine backup for migration assistant

    We have two MacBooks backing up to one Time Capsule using time machine: let's call them H and R.
    I have had to reinstall Leopard on Macbook H and am now trying to restore using Migration Assistant.
    Migration Assistant finds the Time Capsule and identifies that there are two Time Machine Backups, but doesn't give an option to select the one to use.
    Whenever I click 'Continue' it does the 'Checking time machine backup' (for hours), then brings up the data to restore, but every time it comes up with the data and settings from Macbook R.
    How can I tell Migration Assistant which Time Machine Backup I want to use?

    Brilliant. That was it.
    I used the other MacBook to run Disk Utility on my backup volume and repaired it: #A5 is bang on.
    Then, Setup Assistant saw both backups and let me select the one I wanted. It's now transferring my stuff.
    Very relieved and extremely grateful.
    Your apple tips should come with every mac and time capsule.

  • How many concurrent Time Machine backups can be run on one Time Capsule?

    I'm using a WD My Book Live (MBL) GbE NAS for the Time Machine backup for 2 MacBook (Pro and Air) over wireless-N.  It's very often the MBL gives "verification error" to one or even two Macbooks if both of them are doing Time Machine (TM) backup at the same time.  I want to see if the Time Capsule will be more reliable. 
    The Time Capsule 4th Generation is using a Western Digital WD20EARS 2TB Caviar Green SATA HDD ($79) which is slow in spindle speed (5400-rpm) and slow data transfer rate (Serial ATA-300), while the previous TC versions were using 7200-rpm HDD. 
    Apple said Number of Users can be supported by the TC 4th Gen is 50.  Does it meant that 50 concurrent Time Machine backup processes can be supported:
    1.     over the four GigaBit Ethernet ports?
    2.     over 802.11n simultaneous dual-band WiFi?
    How come I start getting "verification error" after I started adding 2 more backups to a TC used to backup just one MBP?

    The Time Capsule 4th Generation is using a Western Digital WD20EARS 2TB Caviar Green SATA HDD ($79) which is slow in spindle speed (5400-rpm) and slow data transfer rate (Serial ATA-300), while the previous TC versions were using 7200-rpm HDD. 
    That was the original release .. I am not sure now the ones you buy will be the same. Anyway the Gen1 Gen2 (identical boards) were 50% slower than the new TC Gen3 Gen4 (identical boards) They are processor bound.. you can put an SSD in the TC and the actual transfer speed will not improve.. so forget the disk.. it is faster than wireless by a long way.. a bit lacking for gigabit but file transfer for TM is not actually hugely fast as the TM process the files.
    Apple said Number of Users can be supported by the TC 4th Gen is 50.  Does it meant that 50 concurrent Time Machine backup processes can be supported:
    1.     over the four GigaBit Ethernet ports?
    2.     over 802.11n simultaneous dual-band WiFi?
    How come I start getting "verification error" after I started adding 2 more backups to a TC used to backup just one MBP?
    Concurrent users is internet.. and that is stretching things. There is no way 50 users can run TM at once.. the disk isn't big enough anyway.
    TC is designed for domestic setup.. 3 or 4 Macs.. would be fine.
    Your last point, I don't follow .. you stated it was a WD MBL not a TC.. and TM is really not known to work well on anything but a TC. WD disks connected to a non-apple router?? is hardly going to get apple support.. even an airport extreme with USB is not supported. TM is not reliable on airdisks.. so it doesn't surprise me if the MBL corrupts on a daily basis.
    Same can happen with any airdisk.
    http://pondini.org/TM/Airport.html
    But I have to say I don't think wireless has been great for TM reliability in later OS.. especially if you upgrade installed.. TM is pretty easy to corrupt itself. So you get lots of issues reported here with TM needing to wipe the old backups and start over.
    The older OS .. BTW I use 10.6.8 still is very reliable to a non-apple NAS. Everything went to pot with Lion and the new security level of AFP.

  • Can I use a single external drive to maintain time machine backups for two Mac computers?

    Hello
    We have an older mac mini and macbook air.  I have one Western Digital external USB drive.  Can I use the same drive to hold and maintain time machine backups for both machines?
    I already have the macbook air time-machined on the WD drive.  I now want to backup the mac mini onto the same drive.  Is it going to over write the time machine backup or is the software smart enough to maintain two separate files, partitions, whatever it does..?

    It will maintain separate backups. Note that it's generally advisable to use separate drives for best practice backup, but yes, it will work for both computers, provided you have enough space (need generally 2-3 times the total used file space for both Macs).
    Matt

  • Can't update. Message says I don't have all permissions, yet have admin rights for imac running 10.5.8 & checked preference, security settings.

    Trying to update. When I drag ff icon to apps folder message says replace or stop. Answer replace, then message says can't complete as I don't have permissions. I have full admin rights for imac running 10.5.8. I've reviewed preferences & security settings, FF is set to accept all incoming connections. Not sure what else to check.

    If there are problems with updating or with the permissions then easiest is to download the full version and trash the currently installed version to do a clean install of the new version.
    Download a new copy of the Firefox program and save the disk image (dmg) file to the desktop
    *Firefox 9.0.x: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all.html
    *Trash the current Firefox application to do a clean (re-)install
    *Install the new version that you have downloaded
    Your profile data is stored elsewhere in the Firefox Profile Folder, so you won't lose your bookmarks and other personal data if you uninstall and (re)install Firefox.
    *http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox

  • Time Machine backup for old computer has been named for new computer

    On my new Time Capsule, I backed up the entire disk from my older computer. While consulting with a live help technician for an unrelated problem, he had me reset the Time Capsule using the newer computer. To resume use of the Time Machine backup from my older computer, I had to gain permission . . . and subsequently discovered the reason why. Reseting with the new computer caused the backup volume to be renamed with the new computer's name.
    Sooo, 1) how do I correct the naming error, and 2) will further confusion occur when I then go to back up the new computer?

    It may or may not ask you to reformat the disk when you set it up as the backup for that new computer. If it does, I think you can cancel it.
    What I would do is open Migration Assistant, then import your applications/documents/etc. onto the new computer, and then use the Time Machine disk for backup (formatting it if it asks you to).
    You'll at least have recent files and stuff like that, which may not be as good as an incremental history but at least it's something.

  • Time Machine Background for my desktop or screen saver

    How can I use the vortex time machine background for my desktop or screen saver background?
    Thanks

    Hello,
    In short....you can't. You can use the static image as a wallpaper or slideshow ScreenSaver but you cannot use the "Vortex" engine for the animated Time Machine effects. It appears that the "Vortex" engine is part of the Resources for the Finder application itself as evidenced by the related files and images found in the Finder application Package. I don't know if anyone could create a "hack", utilizing the existing resources, to make a ScreenSaver file or not. I have zero experience with ScreenSavers. I just use them.
    I know that there are interesting integer parameters in some of the "Vortex" files but I do not have the "bullocks" to experiment with them.
    Sorry.....
    pw

  • I just installed Mountain Lion on my iMac that was previously running Snow Leopard. Bugt I found that some key applications no longer work, so I would like to go back to snow Leopard. I can't use time machine backups for this. what can I do?

    I just installed Mountain Lion on my iMac. But In was dismayed to find that my Canon scanner software (Canoscan LIDE500F)no longer works. Nor do any of my MS offce applications. I tried to use time machine to reinstall Snow Leopard (my previous operating system), but unfortunately my time machine backups did not include system software. Also, the original system install disk that came with my iMac would not allow me to install Snow Leopard in place of Mountain Lion. I would appreciate it if somebody could tell me how to solve this problem.

    The reason your Office doesn't work is because it is PowerPC code. If you will upgrade the 2004 Office to 2011 Office then that will work.
    I don't understand how you managed to get your Time Machine backup to not backup the system.
    Now if you still what to downgrade you will have to erase the disk and reinstall Snow Leopard. Most likely all of your application and then restore your data from Time Machine.
    To me it sounds like it would be easier to upgrade your software and stay with Mountain Lion instead.
    Allan

  • Have a New MBP with Lion preinstalled. Need Snow Leopard instead. Have time machine from old computer running Snow Leopard as well. PLEASE HELP!!

    I have a brand new Macbook Pro with Lion preinstalled. I haven't even turned it on yet. I desperately need Snow Leopard because my music software is not Lion compatible yet. I also have a Time Machine backup from my old Macbook that is currently running Snow Leopard 10.6.8. How can I get Snow Leopard on my new Macbook Pro? Also, will Time Machine replace the applications on the new Macbook Pro with the older versions I have in the backup or how exactly does that work? I've been staring at the box for 2 days now worried I won't be able to use any of my software. PLEASE HELP ME!

    It depends on the build of your machine; normally, no Mac can ever boot from a system older than what it came with. However, there are exceptions: right around the time the new OS is released, there may be some machines which will be able to run both OS's.  Here is some information on software builds:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1159
    You may have to call Apple to figure out if you can use SL on yours or not.

  • Problems with Time Machine backup for two machines to one external drive

    I have a brand new WD 500GB USB My Book external drive plugged into my Intel Mac Mini running 10.5.1 to use as a TM backup drive (TM reformatted it to HFS+ journaled). The Mini's connected by ethernet to the Airport Extreme. It works great. I setup my wife's MacBook Pro 17" Dual Core 2 w. 10.5.1 for TM using the Mac Mini's TM backup drive and it works fine (a little slower at 811.n wi-fi speeds, but OK). I have the Mac Mini setup in Energy Saver to shut down at night and restart in the morning. The morning after I setup my wife's MacBook Pro for TM I found a big black & white message (in half a dozen languages) on the Mac Mini saying start up failed and I need to reboot using the power button. I did and everything was cool. Now comes the problem, it's done it three days in a row so it looks like there is a problem with the TM setup. It didn't do this before I setup my wife's computer for TM.
    Any thoughts on what is causing this? We've had minimal problems with Leopard setup (short of a brief hunt for an Airport Extreme Drive and a couple of network printers during initial setup).

    1 mistake @ a time wrote:
    I works fine over a network if the TM drive is attached to another Mac running Leopard. It won't work with an Airport drive (Apple deep sixed that feature in the final release).
    We have an Airport Extreme base station, and we plan to add an Airport Express to boost the power to reach the second floor. We are ordering 4 iMacs, 20", plus I have the Macbook 13" that I have had for a few months.
    We thought we could connect one large external drive via firewire cable to one of the iMacs and use it to back up all five computers via Time Machine.
    Is that possible, or does everybody need their own external drive?
    Thanks!
    susan

  • Is there a software that works like Time Machine but for a PC

    Hi I am a IT admin for a company in Atlanta, Ga. I use apple at the home and love it. I have several users at my company that can't seem to understand simple file structures. So they are constently deleting, moving and overwriting files on there system. A software like Time Machine would really help me out to recover thier mistakes. The only problem is that they work on windows XP systems. Is there a PC software out there that works like Time Machine?

    After evaluating a number of backup software options for my corporate Dell d620 laptop (yes, unbelievably, my company doesn't offer an automatic backup of their users' machines!), I chose Second Copy for the following reasons:
    1. Different backup profile options (e.g., I have one that automatically backs up to the local LAN on a schedule and at shut-down when I'm in my office, a profile for manual backup to an external HD, and another profile for manual backup to my 4 GB USB flash drive). You can even backup remotely and trigger an email to a specified recipient when a backup is complete.
    2. The backup file structure is not proprietary or in a format differing from the original, thereby not requiring the original software to open the files and restore.
    3. Only backs up changed data, making it very quick each time.
    4. Simple to set up and use.
    5. $29
    When working from my home office, I will often run a backup on my flash drive or external HD, transfer it to my Mac, and work from the 24" glossy-screened glory in favor of my tiny washed out Windows laptop display.
    I realize this doesn't quite approach the no-brainer flexibility of Time Machine, but with a bit of thought, you could get your users automatically backing up to various locations on varying schedules and accomplish the same thing (i.e., automatically back up every day to their primary local LAN, back up every week to a secondary off-site location, etc.). Effectively, you could have daily and weekly backups to restore from, somewhat similar to Time Machine.
    Good luck!
    B.

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