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Mac online Backup?
- Thread starter argo063
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I am another Crashplan+ user and I am delighted.
To answer the question above... your data is encrypted/decrypted on your own machine, using 448b Blowfish encryption. Nothing ever leaves your machine unencrypted. It is essentially uncrackable in any realistic amount of time. More than likely, my unborn future grandkids will not be able to crack it in their lifetime... and if they can, I don't care.
Crashplan lets you create your own encryption key if you so desire.We are backing up 6 computers, across three locations using the family plan. Students living away from home are covered. We have over 1TB of data backed up for less than $6/mo. It is a bargain!
/Jim
That would be a poor choice IMHO. I know a lot about RAID, and I have owned several. RAID is not generally a good choice for consumers. Most units are very finicky about which drives are installed... and generally require the same size, and often the same manufacturer, model #, and often even the same firmware revision rev. Unless you are an enterprise which stockpiles replacement spares, it often does not work well.
I strongly recommend using Time Machine for local backup, and Crashplan+ for offsite backup. When I first started, I had one machine and about 300GB. I think it took about a month to upload... maybe less. Over time, my main machine grew to over 1TB. We now have 5 additional machines running on a family plan. All of them are much smaller in size than our big iMac, so they are typically ~100 GB each.
I used CP+ on my MBA earlier this year for a 10 week trip over the world. Each night I would download many 100's of pictures onto my MBA and they uploaded to the CP servers overnight. It worked flawlessly.
Just go with CP+ and start the upload process. In the amount of time you fret over your decision... your data will be backed up. You will never notice it happening in the background. If you are worried about off-site backup during the upload process... run a quick CP+ backup to a cheap USB drive and keep it at work or someplace other than your residence.
/Jim
OP, check out this link at Overclockers.com.au . The thread's from 7/2011 so it's a pretty recent thread.
I too am a CrashPlan+ user and have been very happy with it so far. It took a long time for me to back everything up from my computer to CrashPlan+ (few hundred GB) - I think it took me a couple weeks perhaps to upload few hundred GB? Well everything's up on their servers now and all I'm doing now is incremental backups which is nice
Anyway, from what the guys on the forum that I linked are saying, it looks like CrashPlan, Backblaze and Carbonite are mentioned. However what I find interesting is that Carbonite has an Australian site which I'm wondering if they have a server in Australia. I don't have any first hand experience with Carbonite but I've read some decent reviews on it. Also if Carbonite's the only one with servers in Australia, I wonder if the speed benefit would outweigh any negatives it may have versus other Cloud Backups. Check it out and let us know
I too am a CrashPlan+ user and have been very happy with it so far. It took a long time for me to back everything up from my computer to CrashPlan+ (few hundred GB) - I think it took me a couple weeks perhaps to upload few hundred GB? Well everything's up on their servers now and all I'm doing now is incremental backups which is nice
Anyway, from what the guys on the forum that I linked are saying, it looks like CrashPlan, Backblaze and Carbonite are mentioned. However what I find interesting is that Carbonite has an Australian site which I'm wondering if they have a server in Australia. I don't have any first hand experience with Carbonite but I've read some decent reviews on it. Also if Carbonite's the only one with servers in Australia, I wonder if the speed benefit would outweigh any negatives it may have versus other Cloud Backups. Check it out and let us know
Currently the IOS app only works if you choose to let Crashplan store your encryption key using your account password. If you use either a private password, or a private data key (both are more secure)... then the IOS app does not support downloading your data to an IOS device. According to CP Support, an update to the IOS app is scheduled to support the upgraded security choices. Currently, I use a private password to secure my encryption key.
/Jim
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Hello
sorry to re-open an old thread, but I'm looking for the best online backup service for my MacPro and Crashplan seems to be ok. I have just two questions for you users.
I see on their site (http://support.crashplan.com/doku.php/how_to/restore_files) that there is a limit for web restore "Note: Web Restore has a 250 MB limit per restore."
So how to restore files larger than 250 Mb?
Does CrashPlan backup every kind of files (system, software, preferences... too)?
sorry to re-open an old thread, but I'm looking for the best online backup service for my MacPro and Crashplan seems to be ok. I have just two questions for you users.
I see on their site (http://support.crashplan.com/doku.php/how_to/restore_files) that there is a limit for web restore "Note: Web Restore has a 250 MB limit per restore."
So how to restore files larger than 250 Mb?
Does CrashPlan backup every kind of files (system, software, preferences... too)?
When they refer to "web restore" they are talking about if you go their web interface to restore files. Normally this would only be used if you wanted to retrieve a few files. If wanted to do a complete (larger than 250MB) restore, you would want to DL and install the Crashplan software on your computer and use that to do the complete resort, which is not subject to the 250MB limit.
Crashplan does not backup OS X system files or apps. It does backup pref files in your user area though.
I have been using Crashplan for about a year and it works quite well for me.
I tried the CrashPlan trial and liked it, so I purchased the 4 year Family plus plan.
I then set it to backup 3 of my systems... I then found I was 5 days into my month and I was at 57% of my data cap for Comcast. Comcast limits me (and everyone on a home plan) to 250g a month. I was told if I go over they have the option to shut down my internet for a full year. This was not an option for me at all. I have heard horror stories of them doing this to others, and I have no other option for internet.
I tried everything with CrashPlan to limit my data upload, but they were of no help at all, in fact they were quite flippant. So I dumped them and will be looking for other options.
I do have standard Seagate drives offsite already. I have ~3tb of data, with about only 200g changing during any given month.
I am looking at BackBlaze now as I can limit my data upload, however it will not allow me to backup USB drives on my server.
...Scott
I then set it to backup 3 of my systems... I then found I was 5 days into my month and I was at 57% of my data cap for Comcast. Comcast limits me (and everyone on a home plan) to 250g a month. I was told if I go over they have the option to shut down my internet for a full year. This was not an option for me at all. I have heard horror stories of them doing this to others, and I have no other option for internet.
I tried everything with CrashPlan to limit my data upload, but they were of no help at all, in fact they were quite flippant. So I dumped them and will be looking for other options.
I do have standard Seagate drives offsite already. I have ~3tb of data, with about only 200g changing during any given month.
I am looking at BackBlaze now as I can limit my data upload, however it will not allow me to backup USB drives on my server.
...Scott
If you already rotate external disks for offsite backup, why do you need an online solution that threatens to shut down your internet access due to the data cap?
I don't understand - you can set upload limits right in the preferences section of Crashplan. You can set any maximum upload value you like.
No online backup service is going to work for you if you have a 250 gig limit, and want to back up 3TB/200 gigs/month of changes. With crashplan you could pay to seed the initial backup by drive, but you'd still be prone to exceeding the limit monthly.
No online backup service is going to work for you if you have a 250 gig limit, and want to back up 3TB/200 gigs/month of changes. With crashplan you could pay to seed the initial backup by drive, but you'd still be prone to exceeding the limit monthly.
First I liked the features of the online backup. For some reason I was out and needed a file most would allow me to get to that file with a web browser or IOS app. Then it gave me a 3rd and bit more current location for my files.
I never thought about the data cap, and was just by chance I saw the gauge on my Comcast page. Had I not seen it I would have gone WAY over for this month and faced possible lockout. Figured others may want to be aware.
The largest surprise to me was the flippant attitude of CrashPlan.
...Scott
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The preferences of CrashpPan cannot limit the amount of data sent. It can only throttle the bandwidth used, and trying to calculate the bandwidth across multiple machines and backup sets was more than I was willing to do. The only way to limit the actual uploaded data was to try and break everything up into backup sets and then break those out... But this was also guess work. And for the first backups it would take months to get everything online and stay under the limit.
Either way in my opinion this could not have been the first time ChrashPlan had heard of this, and for them not only to not have an answer, but to basically tell me to go pound sand was more than I wanted to pay for. I also asked about seeding CrashPlan but they had so many ridiculous requirements, as well expense it was not possible. They cost $150 per 1tb drive, that will only work for one computer, and it has to be done BEFORE you ever do an online back-up as it overwrites all the online data.
Again, EVERYONE with Comcast home internet, as well as MANY other providers have a data cap.
I just figured others should be aware BEFORE they get locked out by their provider.
Why would a backup system want to limit the amount of data you sent? You, as the user, decide how much data to send by choosing how much you want to back up. If CrashPlan were to implement a system that allowed you to say 'do not exceed 200GB of data per 30 days' or something, and you selected 400GB of data to back up, how would their software choose what to send and what to not send? It could break it down over time, but then what if file changes exceed 200GB? Then if a user went to restore something they though was being backed up, but it had been excluded, they'd be pissed. Limiting your upload speed such that you will be able to back up continuously but not exceed your monthly limit is the way to handle this.
The flippant attitude you got from them probably stems from you not understanding this - you want them to do something that would cripple the functionality of their service. You should be upset with Comcast, not CrashPlan; they are the ones providing a service that limits its usefulness to you.
Just make sure the service has sufficient bandwidth to retrieve the data.
Some lower cost services it is quite slow to retrieve your data.
Scott,
I think you have unrealistic expectations. if you are truly changing 200GB/month, you need a different solution than online backup unless you switch away from Comcast. Your problem is with Comcast, not Crashplan.
I have somewhere around 1.5TB on crashplan... but most of it is static. When I get a new iMac later this year, I will use the seed service. Very few online backup providers offer such a service.
My experience with Crashplan customer service is exceptionally good.
I used to have Verizon FIOS until Verizion sold my market (Portland, OR) to Frontier. Frontier still supports good internet (from what I understand), but they are sub-par for other services (like TV). I switched to Comcast, but I am disappointed in the service. I chose them because they have a bundled plan... but I think I will unbundle and use Comcast for TV/Phone... and go back to Frontier Fios for internet. Comcast is really second rate in my experience. I only use about 50GB/month... but occasionally I have a big data import and I have to watch my data usage. Life is too short to put up with that crap.
Anyway... I think any frustration you have with Crashplan is unfounded. You should be upset with Comcast.
/Jim
To put it another way, think of it like this.
You have pre-orders for 3,000 widgets, but production can only produce 250 per month. Production can either provide all 250 as fast as they can get them out, but still not exceed 250 per month, or you can limit the rate of production keeping the line going all the time, but at a slower rate. Still, it will take 12 months to fill your pre-orders. At the same time, you have new orders coming in at a rate of 200 per month. Whether you produce them slowly or quickly, the result is still the same, you must either reduce your orders or increase your production if you ever want to catch up.
You have pre-orders for 3,000 widgets, but production can only produce 250 per month. Production can either provide all 250 as fast as they can get them out, but still not exceed 250 per month, or you can limit the rate of production keeping the line going all the time, but at a slower rate. Still, it will take 12 months to fill your pre-orders. At the same time, you have new orders coming in at a rate of 200 per month. Whether you produce them slowly or quickly, the result is still the same, you must either reduce your orders or increase your production if you ever want to catch up.
Be really careful surrounding encryption and security of your data. From your investigations crash plan is one of the best.
Just having your data 448bit blowfish encrypted is pointless if your key can be obtain via another vector.
If you therefore use your account password to unlock your private key, your data is relatively insecure. At a minimum you should set a password separately for your data and your account and ensure it is hardened.
The best way to do this is to provide your own hashed 448 bit private key but this can be more difficult to manage. However there is no reasonable way to recover the key, where as with a pass code there are more attack vectors.
In addition, using the iPhone app defaults you to saving your pass code meaning your account is left open on your phone.
All this having been said, their security far outstrips the alternatives from my research, and thy where very responsive to questions on twitter too. So I'd recommend!!
Just having your data 448bit blowfish encrypted is pointless if your key can be obtain via another vector.
If you therefore use your account password to unlock your private key, your data is relatively insecure. At a minimum you should set a password separately for your data and your account and ensure it is hardened.
The best way to do this is to provide your own hashed 448 bit private key but this can be more difficult to manage. However there is no reasonable way to recover the key, where as with a pass code there are more attack vectors.
In addition, using the iPhone app defaults you to saving your pass code meaning your account is left open on your phone.
All this having been said, their security far outstrips the alternatives from my research, and thy where very responsive to questions on twitter too. So I'd recommend!!
While I am completely and totally unhappy with the Comcast data cap there is nothing I can do about it. I have no other options in my area, and besides that my 50mb down and 10mb up speeds work well for me.
I have used other online providers and some offer the data upload limitation feature I requested.
My expectations with CrashPlan were dead on, and since none of you have seen the interactions with customer support you have no idea, I and just saying they have a flippant "don't give a crap" attitude. All I asked from them was help in finding a way to make this work, it IS there software, they 'should' know best, and being in this business they 'should' also be aware of limitations like this, I am far from the minority.
My estimate of 200g a month is just a swag, and I am sure it is not that much. One thing I do know is that my monthly internet usage runs in the 150-190g range, so I cannot afford a backup program to take a huge chunk.
I was not bashing CrashPlan, just trying to let people know to be aware. I had a poor experience with their support, something I would not expect right after I paid for a 4year unlimited family plan. I really wanted to make it work with them. The fact is I don't take kindly when a vendor treats me with disrespect, especially when I was nothing more than a willing customer looking for assistance.
So back off... I am done, do with my information as you see fit.
...Scott
So again, how are data limits on the CrashPlan end supposed to solve this? If you already use approximately 150 gigs per month for regular Internet usage, and want to back up 200 gigs per month of changed files, while having a 250gig limit, how is their software supposed to choose what to backup and what to skip? You want more than you can produce.
New iMac owner here, so be gentle with me!
I'm a big fan of imaging software, as opposed to folder/file backups.
Could I...
Use some imaging software to create a local image of my iMac and then simply upload that to Crashplan's servers (and then the subsequent incremental or differential images)?
That way, in the event of a failed hard drive, it's just a case of downloading last nights image file(s), restoring and picking up from where I left off.
Cheers.
I'm a big fan of imaging software, as opposed to folder/file backups.
Could I...
Use some imaging software to create a local image of my iMac and then simply upload that to Crashplan's servers (and then the subsequent incremental or differential images)?
That way, in the event of a failed hard drive, it's just a case of downloading last nights image file(s), restoring and picking up from where I left off.
Cheers.
New iMac owner here, so be gentle with me!
I'm a big fan of imaging software, as opposed to folder/file backups.
Could I...
Use some imaging software to create a local image of my iMac and then simply upload that to Crashplan's servers (and then the subsequent incremental or differential images)?
That way, in the event of a failed hard drive, it's just a case of downloading last nights image file(s), restoring and picking up from where I left off.
Cheers.
I do not think you could do that. I also do not think that you could get enough bandwidth to do nightly images... because as an image changes, it is not really amenable to incremental backups. As far as I know, all images are "full replacement backups only".
Personally, I am not a huge fan of image backups as the primary backup mechanism. They work great when you need to replace a drive... just image the old drive onto the new (presumably bigger) drive and you continue on with little or no changes.
However... you lose a lot by using images. You do not have file history... so if you need to restore an old version of a file, you do not really have the data. Also... if you inadvertently delete a folder and do not notice it for months (or years)... then it is gone. With file based backups, you can turn the clock back indefinitely.
It is so trivial to rebuild a Mac using a new OS install and TM restore... that any time saved by having an image just isn't worth all the downsides to me. Like I said, I will gladly image a disk (I use CCC) if it is a planned replacement, but I just do not need it for normal backups.
/Jim
I pretty much agree with Jim.
I will note that good imaging software can do incremental backups, and those incremental files are not always all that big, however, this is not generally the strong point of image based backups. What I like to have is a single, full disk image made every three to six months, or at least once per year, and then let an automated backup program take care of all the rest. That way you can, at worst, restore to a fairly recent image, and get almost everything else back from the daily backups. This is more a Windows thing though, and I agree, that the restore procedure from TM is pretty good.
I will note that good imaging software can do incremental backups, and those incremental files are not always all that big, however, this is not generally the strong point of image based backups. What I like to have is a single, full disk image made every three to six months, or at least once per year, and then let an automated backup program take care of all the rest. That way you can, at worst, restore to a fairly recent image, and get almost everything else back from the daily backups. This is more a Windows thing though, and I agree, that the restore procedure from TM is pretty good.