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rpg51

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2012
268
2
I was just poking around the net about Crashplan and I put in a google search "will not connect to crash plan central" and came up with a link to a site called "site down" with a number of posts along these lines:

"Server in Atlanta down
Sat, 03/09/2013 - 4:10pm -- Anonymous
Site:
CrashPlan

Server in Atlanta down for over 24 hours, confirmed with tech support by phone. Unable to connect to server. Why they couldn't post a message about this on their website is ridiculous, would have saved me time looking for solutions."

If this is what is causing my troubles - why didn't they simply come out and tell me that instead of putting me on a wild goose chase trouble shooting my own system. They did tell me after 4 days that there "might" be something on their end. But goodness -
 
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ricosuave

macrumors 6502
Mar 27, 2007
387
14
In front of my mac
I've been pretty happy with CrashPlan for the last couple of years. I was disappointed that I had to install Java when I got a newer MPB with ML, but CP technical support did confirm that they are coming out with a native Mac client sometime later this year.

Is there a link or more info about the Mac client?
 

rpg51

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2012
268
2
I just received word from Crashplan that my problem connecting is the result of a technical problem at the server that I am connecting to. They are not able to tell me if, or when, it will be fixed. They expect it will be fixed, somehow.

I like the idea of the Crashplan system but I have waited a very long time with no results and so I have decided to switch to Backblaze.
 

jamespl

macrumors newbie
Nov 22, 2012
3
0
In terms of backups for macs, the one I've used in the last few months is ZipCloud, since it was apparently designed for macs, rather than "coming out with a client for mac". They also store data on Amazon data centers, which I thought about and is actually pretty sweet since it must be more secure than just a random data center (I think).
There's a review on the same site I linked to before:
http://www.bestbackups.com/blog/75/zipcloud/
 

rpg51

macrumors 6502
Jul 4, 2012
268
2
Happy with Backblaze

So far so good with Backblaze. It was east to get started and once I had all my data uploaded on all three computers (took a few days) it has been running without a hitch. No noticeable impact on performance. Continuous back ups are made. I tested a restore and it worked perfectly. For me, with three computers in the house, the price was competitive.
 

HungryWolf

macrumors newbie
Apr 15, 2011
28
1
http://www.haystacksoftware.com/arq/

I am going to use Arq when I get my newest Mini project up and going. It is basically a super friendly UI for Amazon's cloud service. It was created specifically for OS X and it is designed to blend right in.

Yes, you pay for the Amazon storage you use so it may not be great for everyone but I like knowing that my data is in good hands. Plus, it is cheaper for most folks if they can use the slower Glacier($.01/GB) instead of the S3($.095/GB).

It seems similar to ZipCloud but you pay Amazon the monthly fees, not the storage software provider. A little different but to each their own.

My backup needs are about 200 GB of music and family pictures and video. It will amount to around $2/month, $24/year to start.
 

loviniowa

macrumors newbie
May 13, 2013
1
0
Alternate Backup Sources

I had 2 laptops stolen and lost a bunch of photos. :( Now I back up everything at mypcbackup.com. It works for mac also. They offer a free trial and then 5.95 a month after that. Check it out.

http://mytinyurl.com/lucypcbackup
 
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stevep33

macrumors newbie
Aug 16, 2014
2
0
Unhappy with Crashplan

I'm very unhappy with Crashplan. The interface is not very intuitive, especially when it comes to multiple drives. What is particularly bad though is the inefficient workflow when you need them to send a hard drive.

I had about 5 TB stored on Crashplan, spread over two main computers and 3 external hard drives. It took over two years to get all this information uploaded (yup, I'm in Australia and have a very slow internet connection). The other month my main work hard drive crashed and was irreparable. I began downloading from the site. This was not too complicated, but it was going to take a few months to get 3 TB down of a particular hard drive specific to one project I am working on.

So I paid the extra charge to have them post me a copy of my drive via the mail. Something some of you may not be aware of is that they need to send you absolutely everything you have backed up. It does not discern between this hard drive and that. This means it take more time for them to do. But the biggest problem was that when I did get the hard drive I was unable to access it. YOu can't access it like a normal external hard drive. You have to connect it to you computer and then access it via the internet. The process itself is overly complicated, and the interface a mess. I followed all their vague instructions verbatim and spent time online getting more support. At the end of the day I was unable to retrieve my information because the system kept asking me for a password that did not exist! I have no password for my administration system on my computer. BUt I tried all my other passwords for Crashplan just in case, and also checked with them what "password" they were referring to. Days passed. In the end; I couldn't get my data.

Luckily for me I had gone the old school route and backed up my material on a hard drive that I kept in my cupboard (often at a friends place for an extra measure). It was two months old though , so I needed to carefully combine data from this with some of the data I downloaded from the Crashplan site (which was surprisingly easy compared to the posted hard drive system).

I had an important project on this hard drive that I had been working for the last 6 years, and spent tens of thousands of dollars on. It all would have been lost if I'd relied totally on Crashplan. I'm bitterly disappointed. I now have to go through the whole process of finding a trusted online backup service and then spend months again uploading all my data. It now also looks like none of my data from this original hard drive exists on their server anymore, and even if I stayed with Crashplan I would have to start from scratch to back this main hard drive up. There's a chance that this particular is user error on my part. But the frustrating thing is that I was so mindful in following their instructions and because I spend a lot of time editing video, I am therefore always careful with file management. That didn't help me though.

I'd really like to hear from people who have needed to:
1 - retrieve large amounts of data
2 - do this from a posted hard drive to save time due to slow internet download speeds
3 - Had needed to prioritise which of their hard drives gets backed up first


I'm happy to spend a bit of extra money on a good online service. I just need something that actually works. I've heard some good things about Back Blaze and Zip Cloud, and would like to hear more from Mac users.

I think these companies are going to learn that trust is a large part of their brand, and when they screw with that they won't get second chances. Backup is important when you need the data back, not when you want a pretty interface on your computer that creates the semblance of security. I wish they'd spend more time on workflow, and intuitive interfaces rather than marketing and color-scheming.
 
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Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,073
15,496
California
Is there a link or more info about the Mac client?

Crashplan has mentioned it on Twitter, but that is all I have seen, and no date attached to it.

Well, here we are eighteen months after Crashplan saying they are working on a native OS X client... and nothing.

I'm very unhappy with Crashplan...

I had an issue with Crashplan locking up the hidden Time Machine folder /.Mobilebackups.trash. Others have had the same issue. You can see a report of what is going on in this thread.

Based on a recommendation in another thread I just switched to using the backup application Arq with the backups going to Amazon S3. So far I am very happy with this setup.

S3 storage is three cents per GB per month, so in my case with about 25GB of data it is costing me 75 cents a month vs. about four dollars a month to Crashplan. I am able to fully saturate my 30/5 connection in both directions during my testing.

======

Steve>> For your videos you can use the same Arq application to backup those files to Amazon Glacier. It is designed for archival storage of large files like your videos and is one penny per GB per month. You can read more about it here.

As much data as you have, even Glacier pricing won't be cheap. Buy maybe the extra cost is worth it to you if this is your business.

When you configure your S3/Glacier account you pick which Amazon server region you want to use, then use that setting in Arq. This may be beneficial for you in Australia

6xSIptj.png


======

For others reading that want to try this, there is a walk through here I followed to get things setup. You can use the free trial of Arq and a free 5GB S3 account to test.

You can also use Arq with a free Google Drive 15GB account if your backup needs are not great.

In fairness to Crahsplan, they credited my charge card within one day of my cancellation, no questions asked.
 

OldMacDonald1

macrumors member
Sep 22, 2014
62
0
Los Angeles
I have a new late 2012 iMac, and I was using CrashPlan for about a month. Unfortunately, the software starting causing Spinning Pinwheel of Death and completely freezing the computer.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good online backup? I liked CrashPlan because it was very inexpensive and worked in the background.

I'd recommend IDrive. Been with them for years and never had my mac freeze up like that. They are pretty affordable, too. 1TB for $59.50/year, and that's for an unlimited number of devices/computers.

Another perk they offer is IDrive Express, for backing up tons of data without clogging up your bandwidth. They ship you a temp hard drive. You get your data on it (up to 3 TB) and ship it back to them at no cost, free once a year. It helped me get a ton of data backed up quickly, instead of wasting my time and bandwidth at home. Very handy service.
 

Windowsrefugee

macrumors regular
Mar 14, 2011
161
7
Microsoft Land
That is good news. The Java requirement is the only reason I haven't tried Crashplan.

Excuse my ignorance, but why is Java a "no-go"?

I have had excellent experience with CP on several computers (all Macs) for almost 4 years. I like the free off site 'back up to a friend's computer'. I have an off site back up at a relative's house in town. I found the other method of shuttling hard drives back and forth too unreliable.
 

flynz4

macrumors 68040
Aug 9, 2009
3,242
126
Portland, OR
Well, here we are eighteen months after Crashplan saying they are working on a native OS X client... and nothing.

I had an issue with Crashplan locking up the hidden Time Machine folder /.Mobilebackups.trash. Others have had the same issue. You can see a report of what is going on in this thread.

Question: Is that hidden Time Machine folder in the users directory area? I have never had any issue with Crashplan performance... but I only back up everything in /Users. My understanding is that is Crashplans's recommendation.

I do agree that the native version is overdue. Maybe with Yosemite.

/Jim
 

Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,073
15,496
California
Question: Is that hidden Time Machine folder in the users directory area? I have never had any issue with Crashplan performance... but I only back up everything in /Users. My understanding is that is Crashplans's recommendation.

I do agree that the native version is overdue. Maybe with Yosemite.

/Jim

No it is at the root at /.MobileBackups, not in the Users space.

Other than this odd /.MobileBackups lockup issue, I never had any issue with CrashPlan either. I just had it setup at the default to backup /Users also.
 

mrwizardno2

macrumors 6502a
Jun 19, 2007
818
62
Columbus, OH
Excuse my ignorance, but why is Java a "no-go"?

I have had excellent experience with CP on several computers (all Macs) for almost 4 years. I like the free off site 'back up to a friend's computer'. I have an off site back up at a relative's house in town. I found the other method of shuttling hard drives back and forth too unreliable.

I use crashplan with an 8 TB backup set. The only reason I stick with them is their price. Once you go above a certain size, AWS S3 or even Glacier can't compare. But to answer your question - CrashPlan's index / upload process, which runs in Java, sucks MEMORY like a hog. I had to manually set flags for the java process to be able to consume more memory - now more than 3 gigs of RAM - to index the files without crashing. There are more efficient approaches. And Java sucks in general. I hated it when I was in college (CS101) and still hate it today! :p

(Side note: I hate any app that tries to install toolbars or partner apps, especially utilities and runtimes!)
 

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FoxFifth

macrumors 6502
Oct 18, 2012
262
2
Excuse my ignorance, but why is Java a "no-go"?

I have had excellent experience with CP on several computers (all Macs) for almost 4 years. I like the free off site 'back up to a friend's computer'. I have an off site back up at a relative's house in town. I found the other method of shuttling hard drives back and forth too unreliable.

It may be my ignorance but I've seen numerous reports of CrashPlan memory issues reportedly due to Java. If CrashPlan was the only choice I would try it as I'm not interested in shuttling hard drives back and forth either.
 

OldMacDonald1

macrumors member
Sep 22, 2014
62
0
Los Angeles
If anyone on this thread is still interested in a great online backup service, IDrive just put out a 24-hour sale on 1TB of backup + 1TB of sync space for $14.88 for the first year.

http://www.idrive.com/flashsale

That's unbelievably cheap for such a solid service. Like I said earlier in the thread, I've been with IDrive for years and have been very pleased. They have backup for an unlimited number of devices, and military-grade encryption with a private key option. Nice deal.
 

MacABS

macrumors newbie
Sep 7, 2014
10
0
Jersey, UK
http://www.haystacksoftware.com/arq/

I am going to use Arq when I get my newest Mini project up and going. It is basically a super friendly UI for Amazon's cloud service. It was created specifically for OS X and it is designed to blend right in.

Yes, you pay for the Amazon storage you use so it may not be great for everyone but I like knowing that my data is in good hands. Plus, it is cheaper for most folks if they can use the slower Glacier($.01/GB) instead of the S3($.095/GB).

It seems similar to ZipCloud but you pay Amazon the monthly fees, not the storage software provider. A little different but to each their own.

My backup needs are about 200 GB of music and family pictures and video. It will amount to around $2/month, $24/year to start.

My first post here, so go easy on me ;)

I just wanted to second this post, Arq seems to be very good, you pay for the software once, and then point it in the direction of your online provider, in my case GoogleDrive. Works just like Time Machine, with one big added bonus, you can also back up your network drives, so again in my case, a NAS with all my important media on it. GoogleDrive is not going anywhere, so I feel pretty safe.

Be nice if they could incorporate iCloud Drive in time, then I would only have one drive-in-the-cloud subscription to pay!
 

Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,073
15,496
California
My first post here, so go easy on me ;)

I just wanted to second this post, Arq seems to be very good, you pay for the software once, and then point it in the direction of your online provider, in my case GoogleDrive. Works just like Time Machine, with one big added bonus, you can also back up your network drives, so again in my case, a NAS with all my important media on it. GoogleDrive is not going anywhere, so I feel pretty safe.

Be nice if they could incorporate iCloud Drive in time, then I would only have one drive-in-the-cloud subscription to pay!

I posted above in August when I switched to Arq backed up to Amazon S3, but wanted to share a positive experience I had this weekend with the Arq developer.

I updated to Yosemite on October 17 and installed an Arq update I believe that same day and it worked fine the next couple days. Then on Sunday, October 19 I did a backup validation in Arq and it started throwing error codes for some aliased folders in the user library folder. I emailed the dev. with the error code and my Arq logs. Two hours later the dev. replied to my email and said he would look into the bug. Keep in mind this is on Sunday.

Then next morning I got another email from the dev. with a link to a test version of Arq that fixed the error. Then I noticed the following day (October 21) he released the patched version to the public.

So we went from bug report on a Sunday to public release of the fix in 48 hours.

Color me impressed.
 
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