Time Machine: Multiple Drives to Multiple Sources

[justdewitt]

Ok, here is what I want to achieve:

I have my MBP with a 500GB hard drive that I want backed up to an external 750GB drive (A). Then I have an external 1TB drive (B) that I also wanted backed up to an external 1TB drive (C).

Or:

internal -> drive A
drive B -> drive C

Can Time Machine do this all for me or am I going to need a 3rd-party app to help. I know I can easily use TM for doing one of the backups, but will it handle both?

If not, what's a good 3rd-party app that will help me accomplish this?

Thanks!

 

[BlueRevolution]

Nope, Time Machine won't do what you're after, although it can back up multiple drives/partitions to one destination.

Are you looking for versioning like Time Machine or just a straight backup? And how much data are we talking about here?

 

[justdewitt]

I'll use Time Machine to backup the main drive to the 750GB

The other two externals don't really need to be versioned, just a straight backup. Right now it'll be around 550GB of data, but it will continue to grow. It will hold old pictures that I'm not actively working on, but I need them backed up, along with videos, movies, tv shows, etc. Mostly it just needs to be automated so I don't have to think about it. Just set it and forget it.

 

[dex blaze]

i'm ordering a mac pro soon and i'm planning the back-up solution. i'm a professional retoucher so back-up is relevant thing for me. i worked earlier in photographic studio and the back-upping was handled without my any concern. i'm starting to work by myself soon so that's why this is current to me. how this kind of setup sounds to you:

1 650gb (internal) drive for os x, softwares, itunes library, movies etc.
1 650gb (internal) drive for backing up previous drive
1 1tb (internal) drive for photoshop files
1 1tb (internal) drive for backing up previous drive

+

external 1tb drive for off-site back-up of those photoshop files OR online back-up (carbonite)

---------------------------------------------------

is there any sense in this kind of system?

i obviously need some other software than time machine to manage this kind of separate back-upping.

oh, and what kind of drives (brand/type) are those you can order with your mac pro? i guess there might be some cheaper 3rd party solution to fill your mp with 4 drives.

thanks.

 

[BlueRevolution]

Since Time Machine uses a versioning system, you should use a backup drive that's larger than the source. I'd use a 1 TB drive to back up a 650 GB drive.

There is no consistency in what brand of hard drive will ship with your Macs. It's just based on what's cheapest at the time. You even see variation between computers of the same model. Apple has been using Seagate a lot lately, though.

Get all of your extra hard drives aftermarket. You can get better quality drives more cheaply, and they're dead simple to install.

 

[dex blaze]

Since Time Machine uses a versioning system, you should use a backup drive that's larger than the source. I'd use a 1 TB drive to back up a 650 GB drive.

There is no consistency in what brand of hard drive will ship with your Macs. It's just based on what's cheapest at the time. You even see variation between computers of the same model. Apple has been using Seagate a lot lately, though.

Get all of your extra hard drives aftermarket. You can get better quality drives more cheaply, and they're dead simple to install.

thanks for your reply ..so this kind of solution seems reasonable to you? should i anyway use some other app than time machine? i read from this board that tm can back up from multiple sources but only into one destination.

 

[BlueRevolution]

so this kind of solution seems reasonable to you?

Looks fine to me, although I'd suggest using external hard drives for backing up your most important data.

should i anyway use some other app than time machine?

I'd use Time Machine for the stuff that you change more often. I haven't used other backup solutions too much since upgrading to Leopard, but Carbon Copy Cloner is a decent backup app with a scheduling function. It's only designed to back up entire drives, though.