Good Backup Strategy or am I thinking like a XP User?

I was thinking of my dilemma of not having on-site service and thought of this. Would it be a smart idea to have a mini-mac in my server room (yes I have a server room) attached to the network. Having my MacBook Pro Backup every night to the minimac.

That way if I run into any issues where the MBP needs to be sent into center I can just bring my minimac into work and plop it onto the desk, restore it, and use that in the office until I get the MBP back.

In my XP thinking that is not a expensive way of having a backup that is fully functional.

Thoughts?

Why is that "XP thinking"? There is no reason to tie an OS name to it. :black:
That just sounds like a good way of backing up data (albeit a bit extreme, maybe even overkill). The degree of backup you need obviously differs from the average user, so this is probably a very good idea for you.

I call it that...because it seems like overkill

I am not so much looking for the perfect backup...but more the best possible redundancy.

Is there a easier solution to my thoughts?

If you want a server, then a Mini is certainly an option. If all you're going to do is use it for nightly backups, then get a NAS drive or use one of your existing servers. You could set up an Automator script to mount the drive and initiate a backup. If you figure a Mini will set you back over $600 and only give you 60gb of storage, think how much NAS storage that $600 will net you... I quick check of newegg shows 1TB of storage for under $600.

you could probably get two or three networked hard drives for the price of a mini. then you'd have LOTS of redundancy. as long as you don;t get hit by lightening or an EM pulse.

djames42 said:

If you want a server, then a Mini is certainly an option. If all you're going to do is use it for nightly backups, then get a NAS drive or use one of your existing servers. You could set up an Automator script to mount the drive and initiate a backup. If you figure a Mini will set you back over $600 and only give you 60gb of storage, think how much NAS storage that $600 will net you... I quick check of newegg shows 1TB of storage for under $600.

Click to expand...

Well it is not as a server that I am thinking of, it is temporary replacement. In another words, I have plenty of computers at home if a windows machine breaks so that I don't really miss a beat if my primary breaks.

I was thinking because of the size of the min-mac, it would make a perfect backup computer for a laptop user that has to send their MB into apple for fixing.

Just unplug the minmac from the closet, bring it to the desk, plug in the monitor,mouse, keyboard, etc. and it is just like having the MBP there.....great temporary solution.

Those were my thoughts.

actually... you might be able to work something out with a mini and networked hard drive since you can always set a mini to boot from an external drive. and then you don't have to worry about the space restrictions on a mini.

or how about a macbook. then you really don't have to miss a beat.

eric said:

actually... you might be able to work something out with a mini and networked hard drive since you can always set a mini to boot from an external drive. and then you don't have to worry about the space restrictions on a mini.

or how about a macbook. then you really don't have to miss a beat.

Click to expand...

Well how do all you other people do it who have a notebook that has all the work stuff on it. When it breaks and you need to send it in...what do you do?

It is not so much what I am allowed or not allowed to do, it is a matter of what I need to do.

How do you all do it?

I just have an external HD. I make sure to copy important data to regularly. I also don't use the same computer for work purposes. Work is work and play is play, I keep the two separate. That way, should something happen on a computer when I am fooling around online or playing some game, my work info is sure to be fine because it isn't on that computer to begin with. If something were to go wrong with the work machine, I have the important information backed up on the external HD, so in a pinch I can use the play machine for work until I resolve the issue with the work machine (keeping extra backups the entire time).
I also don't see the need for backing up the entire system like some do.
I only backup the important files and info. Full system backups are (in my mind) pointless and time consuming (not to mention space consuming). I don't need a mirror-system, I only need the important data. The system is already 'backed up' on the install/restore discs. If I need to restore my system then that is what those discs are for. I have never had to resotre a system on a Mac, and I have never lost any data important to me.
But, this is how it works for me. Everyone has different needs and backup procedures.
:black:

all my critical work stuff is backed up to a file and print server somewhere (and tape). i can go to pretty much any workstation in the company and reach my stuff. but that's for companies that offer that kind of thing.

i also keep some things on a thumb drive and/or behind the scenes of my department's web space on our intranet.

i've had to swap laptops a few times (though thse are work owned HP units) and haven;t had an issue.

Wouldn't leopard and time machine with a big external hdd do it for you?

As I understand it, you're looking for a "hot spare" as well as a backup for your data. Although I think that's a bit overkill since Macs tend to be very reliable from a hardware standpoint, if you have another computer you can use, it might not be if your data is specific to Mac-only applications. To be honest, most Mac applications (with a few exceptions) save in formats that are readable on a PC (MS Office documents, OpenOffice/NeoOffice documents, etc). If you simply must have a Mac as a hot spare, then I agree that the Mini would be a good machine to look into.

But for the most part, I think you'd be able to get by on just keeping regular backups on an external HDD, a NAS box or a file server on your home network. Unless you're using a lot of Mac-only applications, your data should be readily available from a PC.

Ahh I will make this easy and just keep a spare xp laptop around with basic office etc on it. That way I can still use it if I have to.

Problem solved.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!