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SSD to SSD backups = using CCC or Super Duper to backup main SSD to optical bay SSD

I

imorton

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 21, 2010
275
22
Hello, I have an early 2011 13" Macbook Pro and have a Sata2 180gig Vertex2 SSD in the main HDD bay. I ultimately would like to use Super Duper or CCC to clone my main bay SSD to an optical bay SSD.

Since I don't use my SuperDrive, I am going to purchase a Samsung 840 or Crucial M4 SSD and install the new Sata3 SSD in my main bay, and use a hdd caddy and install my current Sata2 Vertex2 SSD into the optical bay caddy. I'll get an external enclosure for the superdrive.

I want/need a reliable and redundant backup system for my computer and am doing "during the night backups" with external hard drives by using Super Duper and CCC clones during the night hours in order to have a bullet proof backup plan. This current method is just not very portable nor fast. It's important to me since HD's or SSD's can crash without notice.

Since I'm considering putting a new 256gig Sata3 SSD in the main bay, and putting my current 180gig sata2 Vertex2 SSD in the optical bay, would I gain any benefits in regards to backup speed and reliability versus doing it through usb2 external hdd's

What kind of copy/transfer speeds can I realize by using this compared to using my current external USB2 hard drives.

I presume I could boot up from either drive (main bay or optical bay)?

Since my machine is an early 2011 MB Pro, I think my optical bay will only work at Sata2 speeds. Would this setup be fast and reliable? Any ideas as to what speeds I can attain?

I appreciate any comments from the SSD Guru's here :)

IAN...
 
Is anyone using this dual internal SSD setup and doing daily CCC or Super Duper backups?
 
imorton said:
Is anyone using this dual internal SSD setup and doing daily CCC or Super Duper backups?
Click to expand...

I guess no one copies from their primary SSD to another internally installed SSD (optical bay) in their MacBooks?
 
I received my Samsung 840 250g SSD and have installed it in the main HD bay. It works very well and a definite increase compared to my older sata2 Vertex2 180g SSD.

Does anyone here use their 2nd SSD (in optical bay) for backups, clones, Time Machine?
 
imorton said:
I received my Samsung 840 250g SSD and have installed it in the main HD bay. It works very well and a definite increase compared to my older sata2 Vertex2 180g SSD.

Does anyone here use their 2nd SSD (in optical bay) for backups, clones, Time Machine?
Click to expand...

I installed a Samsung 840 in my MBP and moved the 750 GB HDD to the optical bay and use it for time machine backups. I use an external HDD also. Seeing how your original and now proposed backup SSD is smaller than the new SSD, it may not be large enough eventually to clone your main SSD or keep time machine backups.
 
niteflyr said:
I installed a Samsung 840 in my MBP and moved the 750 GB HDD to the optical bay and use it for time machine backups. I use an external HDD also. Seeing how your original and now proposed backup SSD is smaller than the new SSD, it may not be large enough eventually to clone your main SSD or keep time machine backups.
Click to expand...

Good point...

My MB Pro currently uses @ 75gig, and my main SSD is 250gig. My second SSD in the optical bay is 180gig, so my thoughts are to partition it in two. One partition of 100gig for Super Duper or CCC bootable clone, and the other 80gig for Time Machine. Any tips or issues?

I too have external USB hard drives to occasionally backup too, but this is likely more on a monthly basis.

I figure in a year or two, I'll end up using my current 250g 840 SSD as a backup drive...

There must be plenty of people that are using their 2nd internal SSD or HD to do complete internal backups? Hard drives or SSD's will crash, and I like to be able to restore and get up and running quickly (without loss of data)
 
niteflyr said:
Obviously if your drive dies you lose both your clone and your time machine backups in this arrangement.
Click to expand...

I hear ya, if the 2nd SSD in the optical bay dies i lose my two partitions, but my main drive is still running so I could recreate them.

I wonder how many people are using this dual internal SSD setup?
 
I backup my Air's SSD to a 500GB USB external drive--one partition for Time Machine, one partition for SuperDuper! (and then depend on Dropbox for a third, offsite copy of my data)--but I can offer you my thoughts.

Backing up to an internal drive, instead of a drive external to the computer, gives rise to an obvious disadvantage: if your computer is lost, stolen, or physically damaged (either by carelessness or by a power surge or other uncontrollable event), you may lose both your primary data and your backups. Your existing backup procedure gives you some protection against physical loss or damage (although if your computer is in the same location as your backup drive, you are still exposed to such risks as theft or fire).

Backup strategy generally incorporates the "3-2-1" rule: three copies of the file (which you would satisfy with the primary storage, clone, and Time Machine), on two formats (loosely followed; I like to think at least getting onto two different physical storage mediums and backup processes [e.g. Time Machine vs. cloning] addresses this concern, so you'd be alright), with one offsite backup. Obviously, the offsite backup is where you'll have a weakness.

The other weakness I see is that if you suffer a complete failure of your laptop (logic board problem, physical damage) and need to restore your data or clone image to a different computer, you'll either need to swap one of your SSDs from the old laptop to the new one, or use some other intermediary interface to restore your data to the new computer. While not insurmountable, such a procedure would take time, and if you have the need to be able to quickly recover from data loss, that procedure would take longer than simply plugging your USB external hard drive containing your backup into a new computer and restoring from it or selectively browsing and accessing your files.

I'm surprised you find cloning to an external hard drive to be not very fast. My nightly SuperDuper! backup of my Air's drive to a USB 2.0 external only takes about seven minutes, and since I kick it off before going to bed, the backup duration isn't too important.
 
Last edited:
marvin4653 said:
I backup my Air's SSD to a 500GB USB external drive--one partition for Time Machine, one partition for SuperDuper! (and then depend on Dropbox for a third, offsite copy of my data)--but I can offer you my thoughts.

Backing up to an internal drive, instead of a drive external to the computer, gives rise to an obvious disadvantage: if your computer is lost, stolen, or physically damaged (either by carelessness or by a power surge or other uncontrollable event), you may lose both your primary data and your backups. Your existing backup procedure gives you some protection against physical loss or damage (although if your computer is in the same location as your backup drive, you are still exposed to such risks as theft or fire).

Backup strategy generally incorporates the "3-2-1" rule: three copies of the file (which you would satisfy with the primary storage, clone, and Time Machine), on two formats (loosely followed; I like to think at least getting onto two different physical storage mediums and backup processes [e.g. Time Machine vs. cloning] addresses this concern, so you'd be alright), with one offsite backup. Obviously, the offsite backup is where you'll have a weakness.

The other weakness I see is that if you suffer a complete failure of your laptop (logic board problem, physical damage) and need to restore your data or clone image to a different computer, you'll either need to swap one of your SSDs from the old laptop to the new one, or use some other intermediary interface to restore your data to the new computer. While not insurmountable, such a procedure would take time, and if you have the need to be able to quickly recover from data loss, that procedure would take longer than simply plugging your USB external hard drive containing your backup into a new computer and restoring from it or selectively browsing and accessing your files.

I'm surprised you find cloning to an external hard drive to be not very fast. My nightly SuperDuper! backup of my Air's drive to a USB 2.0 external only takes about seven minutes, and since I kick it off before going to bed, the backup duration isn't too important.
Click to expand...


Hmmm, interesting food for thought.... :)

I think I will have to incorporate more of the external backups, and also use more of DropBox for an offsite backup.

Thanks for reminding me of the 3-2-1 rule.. Appreciated :)
 
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