Working backup on another machine

[corbywan]

Is there a way for me to copy/clone/backup my user on my MBP onto another machine like a Mini? For example, I flip a "switch", my MBP user is copied/synced/whatever to the other machine so that if my MBP goes down or is damaged, I can bring up that user as us the most recent backup.

Can I do this on another machine, or on an external drive that can be connected to another machine and recognized as a user of that system? I'm looking to backup and use a user, not an entire system.

Thanks in advance.

 

[gr8tfly]

Time Machine can be configured to exclude the system and any other folders or files you like. Take a look at Time Machine help on your Mac and at Apple (I don't have the details in front of me at the moment).

You can use any external partition for the Time Machine backup.

Edit: Although you can't "flip a switch", you can restore all or part of your user folder at just about any point in the past.

 

[corbywan]

I understand that TM will backup my files on another disk. But what I'm looking for is a working user directory that can be plugged into another machine (or actively stored on another machine). But I will look at the help and see if it addresses this specific scenario.

 

[ayeying]

Clone the drive onto an external. Plug in USB to the mini, boot off external.

I'm doing this with a complete clone of my Air's internal drive and running it off an USB external on my dad's iMac while the air's being repaired.

 

[gr8tfly]

Time Machine won't get you that sort of "live" user directory. It does give you easy access to past "revs", though.

I'm thinking you'll need something different - I'm not sure what. To do what you want, I think you'd need to muck about in config files to change the path to the user directory.

 

[gr8tfly]

Clone the drive onto an external. Plug in USB to the mini, boot off external.

I'm doing this with a complete clone of my Air's internal drive and running it off an USB external on my dad's iMac while the air's being repaired.

It sounded like the OP wanted to only backup the user folder, and to switch from one user directory to another residing on the other drive. That's a different situation than cloning and booting off the clone.