Bootable Back-up Help Needed

[douglas]

I just purchased a LaCie d2 Extreme external HD for backup purposes and have a couple of questions:
1. My LaCie came with Silverkeeper software, but is it worth buying a copy of Superduper instead to create bootable back-ups?
2. I want to clone both of my computers automatically on a regular basis. Can I permanently connect my Powermac via Firewire 800 and my Mini via Firewire 400 to the LaCie (it is a triple interface model), then set the backup hardware to clone each machine regularly?
3. If both of my computers are cloned on the same external HD (in 2 separate partitions), what happens if I need to boot one machine from the external HD - will it know automatically what partition to boot from?
Thanks!

[CanadaRAM]

1) Try Carbon Copy Cloner first. One advantage of SuperDuper is scheduling, but you get that with Silverkeeper

2) Don't do this... Firewire drives are monogamous.

3) I don't know if it will automatically choose the right OS, but partition the drive in 2, and put the bootable OS for each machine in separate partitions. Then when you have to boot from the external, hold the Option key down at boot time, and it will give you a manual choice between the OSs you want to boot from.

[douglas]

1) Try Carbon Copy Cloner first. One advantage of SuperDuper is scheduling, but you get that with Silverkeeper

2) Don't do this... Firewire drives are monogamous.

3) I don't know if it will automatically choose the right OS, but partition the drive in 2, and put the bootable OS for each machine in separate partitions. Then when you have to boot from the external, hold the Option key down at boot time, and it will give you a manual choice between the OSs you want to boot from.

Thanks for your advice as always. I will try Carbon Copy Cloner and partition my HD.
Too bad about the Firewire, it would be convenient to leave both of my Macs plugged in and locate the LaCie in a concealed (theft-resistant) location.