How to backup my Time Machine backup harddrive?

[flinx777]

Greetings,

So I've run into a Mac issue I'm not sure how to handle. I've got a Mac Pro running Leopard. I've got 3 internal Harddrives: 1.) 250 GB (runs my OS and applications), 2.) 500 GB (where I store all my source files for my business), 3.) 750 GB (serves as the backup for Time Machine for all the files on Harddrives 1 and 2.).

So I began thinking the other day. What would happen if somehow all 3 harddrives were destroyed (theft, fire, power surge, flood damage, etc.)? I would lose years worth of source files from my business (graphic and web design files mostly). So I went and bought a 1 TB external drive today. Ideally I would like to put the external drive in another location and bring it out maybe once a week to backup the 3rd harddrive from above (the one being used for Time Machine). Does anyone have any suggestions on how to backup this harddrive...some type of program that essentially acts like Time Machine? I just basically need it to mirror my Time Machine Harddrive. I found a program named Super Duper (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/13803/superduper) ... not sure if anyone has had experience with it or not.

I'm open to any suggestions on how to use the external harddrive to back up my Time Machine harddrive.

Thanks!

 

[alexbates]

What you could do it make a partition in your external hard drive. One part could be time machine backing up the OS and applications and the other part could just be a place to copy all of your other files and not be running time machine.

 

[BobZune]

SuperDuper will work for your purposes. You have a couple of options using SuperDuper: (1) clone the latest Time Machine backup to the external drive -- use a 750GB or bigger partition OR (2) clone the two internal drives on to the external drive with 500GB and 250 GB partition sizes (I'd suggest slightly bigger partition sizes) -- this option has no TM involvement.

Option 2 permits immediate bootability in case of the machine's internal boot drive failure, without waiting to install a new drive (since you have an Intel machine, use GUID Partitioning scheme for the 1TB drive to have this feature if you choose option 2).

You should consider the business information to be Archived (snapshot in time, to be update at your convenience or automatically, preferably stored off site). 'Backup' is what TM is intended for -- a copy of your boot and other drives, available for immediate reclaiming of files (additionally, it provides a recovery in case of disk/machine failure if you boot from the OS DVD).

 

[flinx777]

Thanks for your responses...this has helped a lot. SuperDuper! cost $29.95 whereas Carbon Copy Cloner is free. While $29.95 is not much of a cost to protect your files, obviously free is great. Has anyone had much experience using Carbon Copy Cloner and would you recommend it as a program?

 

[BobZune]

CCC will work as well.

If you use option 2, make sure you test out the clone for booting purposes.

 

[flinx777]

If you use option 2, make sure you test out the clone for booting purposes.

Thanks for that feedback. How do I test the clone for booting purposes? I've never done this before and not sure where to begin. Any insight would be appreciated...thnx!

 

[BobZune]

With the cloned drive connected, power down the machine. Then turn power on holding down the Option key (hold it down for several seconds). The screen will then show your internal hard drive, and all other bootable drives and you can choose the boot drive by using the arrow keys (slowly). Boot from the clone and make sure the files are there.

Then you can reboot like normal from the internal hard drive without holding any keys down.

You can also use SystemPreferences--StartupDisk to set up the start up disk to boot from, if you prefer.

It is important not to mix up the internal drive and the clone. Always be aware of where you booted from (the drive names should be different).