Backup different folders to different external hdds?

[danielwerner]

Hi,

I'm searching for a pretty unusual solution I guess, but I'm hoping it's doable.

I have a Mac Mini with several external HDDs connected, one which I'm using as a time capsule with wireless backups from my Macbook Pro.

What I want to do is attach a new external HDD and ONLY backup to that one when I have a specific external HDD attached to my macbook. So I want to backup the macbook pro to Mac Mini-HDD 1 and the Macbook Pro-HDD backup to Mac Mini-HDD 2.

Can this be done? How? I'm fine with there being some kind of queue, I understand it can't backup two things at the same time.

(I'm using Mavericks, both macs are 2012s)

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Editing my response, I think I misunderstood the question. Do you have OS X Mavericks Server installed?

 

[danielwerner]

you have OS X Mavericks Server installed?

Yep!

 

[FreakinEurekan]

OK, so if I understand what you're asking - you have a MacBook Pro that backs up to your Mac Mini (using OS X Server). You also want your MacBook Pro to back up to a locally-attached hard disk, when that disk is present.

You can set Mavericks to back up to two locations - it'll alternate automatically if both are available, and if one is not attached or accessible it'll skip it. Just add both backup destinations in Time Machine, it handles it automatically

http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14382

So if the MacBook Pro is on your network (can access the Mini), and the external drive is attached, it'll maintain backups to both.

If the MacBook Pro is on your network and the external is not attached, it'll maintain the backup on the Mini

If the MacBook Pro is off your network and you attach the external, it'll maintain the external backup.

You mention "Only" backing up to the external if it's attached, which it won't really do - but that's actually by design. Remember the backups are incremental, so if you prevented it from backing up to the Mini while the external was attached, it'd just back up all that data anyway the next time. It's backing up all the data to both destinations..

 

[danielwerner]

No, I think you got it a bit wrong.

I have a macbook pro and a mac mini. I want my macbook pro to be backed up to an external hdd attached to the mac mini (let's call it HDD 1).

I ALSO want an external hdd I connect to my macbook pro (let's call it Media 1) to be backed up to a DIFFERENT hdd connected to the mac mini (let's call it HDD 2).

Dunno if that's possible since I can't set backup settings for specific drives, only for all of them.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

No, I think you got it a bit wrong.

I have a macbook pro and a mac mini. I want my macbook pro to be backed up to an external hdd attached to the mac mini (let's call it HDD 1).

I ALSO want an external hdd I connect to my macbook pro (let's call it Media 1) to be backed up to a DIFFERENT hdd connected to the mac mini (let's call it HDD 2).

Dunno if that's possible since I can't set backup settings for specific drives, only for all of them.

OK, got it - That's not possible with Time Machine. You'd need to use a 3rd party backup utility.