Should I partition to use Time Machine?

[Charla]

Hi all -

A quick one - I have a 1TB external HD which I would like to use to both store my docs/music/film etc, and to do a full Time Machine backup.

Should I partition the drive to allow 500GB for Time Machine? Or just throw it all in together?

And I guess if I do partition it, what are the best file formats to use for each? (I never use a PC but do have a netbook running Linux Jolicloud).

Any advice welcome - thanks everyone!

 

[Charla]

Partitioning for Time Machine

I am wondering whether I have answered my own question about partitioning...

"Time Machine works best if you use your backup drive only for Time Machine backups. If you keep files on your backup drive, Time Machine won’t backup those files and the space available for Time Machine backups will be reduced".

Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for the Time Machine partition - not too sure about the Mac/Linux compatibility (although it's not so important). HFS+?

 

[throAU]

No, get an external drive.

If your drive fails and you have only backed up to a second partition using time machine, guess what? You've still lost everything.

Your laptop gets stolen? You've lost everything...

Lion's "versions" will help you out with keeping old "backup" versions of files automatically without needing to run time machine on a second partition; time machine on a second partition of the same drive won't really buy you anything.

 

[logana]

No, get an external drive.

If your drive fails and you have only backed up to a second partition using time machine, guess what? You've still lost everything.

Your laptop gets stolen? You've lost everything...

Lion's "versions" will help you out with keeping old "backup" versions of files automatically without needing to run time machine on a second partition; time machine on a second partition of the same drive won't really buy you anything.

Just ignore all of this "advice" - o=nobody mentioned partitioning the internal hard drive and Charla stated in the first line that they were using a 1 TB external for Time Machine.....

As long as your Linux netbook can read and write to HFS+ drives then just have 1 partition on the drive and off you go. If you think you will ever need to backup anything that is stored on the external then partition into 2 partitions.

 

[Charla]

Thanks - just what I needed to know.