Using a time machine to back up iMac

Using a time machine to back up iMac

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steveatesh

Original Poster:

4,893 posts

163 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
Awaiting delivery if a new imac with 1 Tb fusion drive, and I'm trying to get everything in I need to so ready to go.
It's my first Mac so feeling my way a little.
The latest thing to raise it's head is back up for the imac.

My PC currently has an additional internal 500gig SATA drive and an external 500gig SATA drive , plus a Buffalo Duo NAS, 500gig made of two discs set up as RAID 1.

I understand the iMac has USB 3 ports so I will have to change how I connect an external drive, assuming it's still relevant for backup.

I have read that Time machine will only work on an external USB drive that is larger than the internal drive, none of mine are that large so I'd have to buy another hard drive if that is correct.

So questions please.:
1 is it correct that Time machine can only be used with an external drive that is larger than the fitted internal drive on the iMac?
2 will I still be able to use the NAS in its current setup - ie 500gig. RAID ?
3 if I get another external drive (1Tb?) is it best to get one with a,power adaptor so I am not drawing power through the iMac USB connector?
4 if I use Time machine will it give me full control over what and when back ups are made, down to a folder level?

Sorry if these are basic questions, I don't want to do anything that risks the Imac being damaged and can't afford a Time Capsule in the immediate future!

Thanks in anticipation.

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
I just put a Mac Mini in my office, have been using Macs at home for years.

I had a spare 1tb NAS and I have used that as my Time Machine, didn't know you were only meant to use USB drives for TIme Machine.

Does the NAS need to be raid if using it for Time Machine?
Just release the full 1tb to become your Time Machine.

supersport

4,040 posts

226 months

Thursday 23rd October 2014
quotequote all
Don't know about the backup needing to be bigger than the eternal. I would imagine it would be fine until it gets full.

The backup doesn't need to be USB or RAID.

mojitomax

1,874 posts

191 months

Friday 24th October 2014
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It's best to use a USB drive for timemachine. Some nas usints are a bit iffy.

I'd get a usb drive and if you wanted to, use the nas also. Yosemite allows multiple timemachine drives that it uses alternately

steveatesh

Original Poster:

4,893 posts

163 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Right thanks everybody I'll get a powered USB case and slot the current 500gig SATA drive in it (it's still bare).

I'll use that with TM and see how i can best use the NAS when it's all here and running.

clockworks

5,293 posts

144 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
I use Time Machine for a network backup, and Carbon Copy Cloner for a USB backup.

Until recently, I was using a Time Capsule fitted with a 500gb drive to back up my 1tb iMac, so I assume that your "small" NAS will be fine.

The advantage of a CCC backup is that it is bootable. Any problems with the iMac's internal drive, I can boot from the USB drive and carry on working.

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
I do the same.

i would use the NAS for Time Machine, and having the extra space is great as you will get more on there.

Remember Time Machine allows you to go back in time, so if you need a file you have deleted 12 month ago you go back to that date and browse your Mac for it.

I have a 120gb SSD in my iMac and a 1TB drive for media, so all music. photos, films etc. sit on that, my Time Machine is 2TB and after 12 months or so is sitting at close to full, but it deletes the older stuff to make way for new, so I always go back around a year.


Unless you use for NAS for streaming etc. I would use that for Time Machine personally.
Or, maybe sell all the external drives and buy a 3TB USB drive, partition it so you have a 1TB Carbon Clone image and 2TB for Time Machine.

Du1point8

21,604 posts

191 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Serious query here... I have 8TB NAS system (4TB are RAID for important docs/photos/etc) and the other 4 left for media.

I need to get time capsule at some stage and don't want to lose 1TB or more (Macbook has 1TB upgrade) on the NAS and so was thinking this might be an option:

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/FE177B/A/refurbi...

Plug it into the router and just leave it there for my macbook, its small and designed to do exactly what it says no frills.

Has anyone got one or tried one?

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
How is your NAS set up?

2 x 4TB drives?


4 x 2TB drives?

I would just forget the raid to be honest.
Can you just put all your media on one 4tb drive and use the other as a time machine?
Once you have that you don't need them raided as they are backed up every hour anyway.

I suppose it depends how you store media and what you use to play it?
I use iTunes so went from your set up to just Time Machine a while ago, the fact you get a new machine, hard drive, new Macbook etc. and can just use the Time Machine image and everything works when you set up again was worth it for me.
No longer setting all my media apps up to point at my NAS again etc.
Just one snapshot of a working system to use as a restore if things change.


Oh, and I do you Airport Time Capsule on my Mac and for my Macbook at home, a 2tb drive hanging off the back of an Airport Extreme, but same thing.
Works well, initial back up over wifi is overnight, but then never notice the sequential back ups after that.


Du1point8

21,604 posts

191 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
gizlaroc said:
How is your NAS set up?

2 x 4TB drives?


4 x 2TB drives?

I would just forget the raid to be honest.
Can you just put all your media on one 4tb drive and use the other as a time machine?
Once you have that you don't need them raided as they are backed up every hour anyway.

I suppose it depends how you store media and what you use to play it?
I use iTunes so went from your set up to just Time Machine a while ago, the fact you get a new machine, hard drive, new Macbook etc. and can just use the Time Machine image and everything works when you set up again was worth it for me.
No longer setting all my media apps up to point at my NAS again etc.
Just one snapshot of a working system to use as a restore if things change.
4 x 2TB... 2 of them are set up so that all business docs are stored duplicately in case one goes down, plus again on the cloud as another backup.

The issue Im not certain with Time machine is, that due to me having 1TB drive, will it store a 1TB image on the HD? Plus I already split out the media so that its already 1TB on each of the reminding drives at the moment... Old Blue rays take a hell of a space up.

andy-xr

13,204 posts

203 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
I do it slightly different, nothing is stored locally other than crap I dont care about, everything is saved to the NAS, which is 3 x 3TB drives. I've used Time Machine before just to have a restore point for the OS and apps which was done once every 6 months or so, and used a 500Gb USB flash drive, which was fine

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Du1point8 said:
4 x 2TB... 2 of them are set up so that all business docs are stored duplicately in case one goes down, plus again on the cloud as another backup.

The issue Im not certain with Time machine is, that due to me having 1TB drive, will it store a 1TB image on the HD? Plus I already split out the media so that its already 1TB on each of the reminding drives at the moment... Old Blue rays take a hell of a space up.
OK, but if you have the 2TB drive as an attached as a regular drive, with all your work docs on, and you have Time Machine and Cloud backing that up you already have 3 copies of it, one original and 2 back ups.
Why raid it?

It will keep making an image as large as it can, as it saves data as far back as the space allows.

If you partition the drive you can limit the space it uses no problem, but you're missing the benefit of iCloud then imho.




gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
If I were you, presuming when you say you have a TB OS X drive it is quite full, I would have...


1TB OS X drive
2TB WORK drive
4TB Time Machine
Cloud Back up for Work docs and everthing os related if needed.

Or

1TB OS X drive
2TB USB Time Machine
Keep your NAS doing what it is doing now.

Problem with the second one is if you do delete something from the work NAS you can't go back to it 12 months later.

Du1point8

21,604 posts

191 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
gizlaroc said:
Du1point8 said:
4 x 2TB... 2 of them are set up so that all business docs are stored duplicately in case one goes down, plus again on the cloud as another backup.

The issue Im not certain with Time machine is, that due to me having 1TB drive, will it store a 1TB image on the HD? Plus I already split out the media so that its already 1TB on each of the reminding drives at the moment... Old Blue rays take a hell of a space up.
OK, but if you have the 2TB drive as an attached as a regular drive, with all your work docs on, and you have Time Machine and Cloud backing that up you already have 3 copies of it, one original and 2 back ups.
Why raid it?

It will keep making an image as large as it can, as it saves data as far back as the space allows.

If you partition the drive you can limit the space it uses no problem, but you're missing the benefit of iCloud then imho.
I prefer to always have at least 3 copies... I should have 4 if I was going to be too paranoid.

1st on the NAS
2nd on raid of NAS in case 1st fails.
3rd on cloud in case of NAS failure.
4th on usb stick that I can have to hand.

Just using a NAS is not a safe way to back up anything even with duplicate copies on a secondary drive.

gizlaroc

17,251 posts

223 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
You have got three copies.

Copy one is on your drive, copy 2 is being backed hourly to Time Machine and copy 3 is going to the cloud.

The difference between NAS and Time Machine is the Time Machine will allow you to retrieve data you have deleted months ago in 2 minutes.