What exactly doesn't time machine save?

[vansmith]

But my option is greyed out as per above.

Haha, whoops, missed that.

After some investigation, the option is only available for networked TM backups. I really wish that was more clear.

 

[Apple Extreme]

Haha, whoops, missed that.

After some investigation, the option is only available for networked TM backups. I really wish that was more clear.

That's OK. The external HD I use for Time Machine backups is directly attached to my iMac via USB.

 

[McBie]

This is what I get when it is doing verification.
Don't know why it does that or can not predict when it does that .....

Apr 1 15:55:44 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Attempting to mount network destination URL: afp://Marc%20De%[email protected]/TC01-DSK
Apr 1 15:55:46 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Mounted network destination at mountpoint: /Volumes/TC01-DSK using URL: afp://Marc%20De%[email protected]/TC01-DSK
Apr 1 15:55:49 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Running backup verification
Apr 1 15:55:51 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: QUICKCHECK ONLY; FILESYSTEM CLEAN
Apr 1 16:48:12 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Backup verification passed!
Apr 1 16:48:16 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: QUICKCHECK ONLY; FILESYSTEM CLEAN
Apr 1 16:48:19 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Disk image /Volumes/TC01-DSK/MDNMBP.sparsebundle mounted at: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups
Apr 1 16:48:19 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Backing up to: /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb
Apr 1 16:49:36 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: 1.49 GB required (including padding), 33.86 GB available
Apr 1 16:54:36 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Copied 16409 files (692.0 MB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Apr 1 16:54:36 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: 552.7 MB required (including padding), 33.21 GB available
Apr 1 16:55:07 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Copied 661 files (26.6 MB) from volume Macintosh HD.
Apr 1 16:55:10 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Starting post-backup thinning
Apr 1 16:56:03 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Deleted /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/Backups.backupdb/MDNMBP/2012-02-17-194645 (64.9 MB)
Apr 1 16:56:03 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Post-back up thinning complete: 1 expired backups removed
Apr 1 16:56:04 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Backup completed successfully.
Apr 1 16:56:08 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Ejected Time Machine disk image.
Apr 1 16:56:08 MDNMBP com.apple.backupd[37845]: Ejected Time Machine network volume.


Cheers McBie

 

[pendlewitch]

Haha, whoops, missed that.

After some investigation, the option is only available for networked TM backups. I really wish that was more clear.

No probs van. Just getting my head around it. I'd read that it was Time Capsule specific somewhere earlier.

So the way I'm looking at it, I need to build a disk verify/repair for the TM backup HD into my maintenance regime , check the backed up folders and files on the HD randomly to see if they are what they say they are and do an occasional restore using a few of those files.

 

[pendlewitch]

This is what I get when it is doing verification.
Don't know why it does that or can not predict when it does that .....

Not sure either..but it looks like a network drive specific regime. Mine's wired.
It would help if we could find a definitive explanation for what's going on.

 

[McBie]

Maybe TM is doing this verification only over wireless.
I will search around a little bit and when I find something, I will post back.

 

[theOneKrishna]

For things I want to backup permanently, I create a separate folder on my Time Machine drive and keep them on there. At any given point I have two of everything I need. I've never had a hard drive crash on my, but if I did, I'd go out and replace it immediately so I'd still have two of everything.

yeah i think that is the best way to go until we all transition into SSD disk drives.

 

[Demapples]

So to summarize, this is the strategy others have adopted and I am assembling (credit to chas):

1. One external hard drive for hourly Time Machine backups, excluding some big files that would bog my iMac every hour.
2. Another external hard drive for manual periodic backups (archiving) of big files and other critical files when I want more redundancy. And Aperture vault backups.
3. Another external hard drive for a periodic full clone of the hard drive using Super Duper or Carbon Copy (need to pick one).
4. A subscription to an offsite backup cloud service.

This method:

• Allows for recovering recent versions (Time Machine).
• Archives critical files redundantly.
• Creates a backup option in case the local backup/archive external hard drives are lost in a disaster.
• Creates a bootable clone that would get me up and running in minutes if the iMac's main hard drive failed, then I could use the Time Machine backup to fill gaps since the last time I made a clone.

 

[ycl1688]

So to summarize, this is the strategy others have adopted and I am assembling (credit to chas):

1. One external hard drive for hourly Time Machine backups, excluding some big files that would bog my iMac every hour.
2. Another external hard drive for manual periodic backups (archiving) of big files and other critical files when I want more redundancy. And Aperture vault backups.
3. Another external hard drive for a periodic full clone of the hard drive using Super Duper or Carbon Copy (need to pick one).
4. A subscription to an offsite backup cloud service.

This method:

• Allows for recovering recent versions (Time Machine).
• Archives critical files redundantly.
• Creates a backup option in case the local backup/archive external hard drives are lost in a disaster.
• Creates a bootable clone that would get me up and running in minutes if the iMac's main hard drive failed, then I could use the Time Machine backup to fill gaps since the last time I made a clone.

This is what a hunter will do to kill a deer with automatic gun with 16 shots a minute, foul proof.