Comments inserted.
> On 2 Jun 2015, at 1:43 pm, Ronni Brown <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi Peter, > > Comments in Situ > >> On 1 Jun 2015, at 7:17 pm, Peter Crisp <[email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >> >> Ok, my apologies for not making it clear then. A pity we can’t use diagrams >> on this forum. I use a Time Capsule for wireless backup for all 5 MBP’s in >> my house. >> >> For my MBP 13” retina, I use a portable external drive (attached to the MBP) >> to hold the iTunes and Photos libraries as the 250GB on board MBP hard drive >> is too small. When I set up Time Machine to do my backups of the MBP hard >> drive (inc attached portable external drive), > >> I selected ‘Options’ and then added the external drive (the one attached to >> my MBP) to be included in the backup to the Time Capsule. > Huh? When you select ‘Options’ in System Preferences > Time Machine - Data > (Peter’s Time Capsule?) the Options window would show the attached external > drive under “Exclude these items from backups”. Yes, you’re right, my mistake > - I didn’t exclude, by default the externally attached drive is included. So > the External drive is included within the full back up - evidenced by the > fact that my MBP has 70GB in use (180GB Free of 250GB) and my 2TB external > drive makes up the balance of the 650GB backup Sparesebundle. > >> So the Sparesebundle backup file on the Time Capsule therefore holds a copy >> of the data on the external drive attached to the MBP. > > Are you sure? Have you checked by going to the Time Machine icon > ‘Enter > Time Machine’? > Are you sure this external drive which holds your iTunes Library & Photos > Library has been backed up to your Time Capsule? Yes, the backup file is > ~650GB which is the sum of what is on the MBP + what is on the external drive. > > Either I’m overworked and not thinking straight, but I’m certainly not on the > same page as you :( > With Time Machine, you can go "back in time" to Restore files, versions of > files, or your entire system. > To open a Photo Library that has been backed up with Time Machine the Library > must be first Restored from the TM Hard Drive to your Boot Drive. I will do a > trial by trying a Restore on one of the simple files say a PDF which I have > on the external drive to test the process. >> >> So notwithstanding a triplicate backup strategy being the right thing to do >> to provide robust data security, ideally I use the Time Machine backup as >> the first port of call in the event of needing to recover a specific file >> (or the entire portable external drive content if it were to fail or get >> stolen). >> >> I hope that makes my configuration clear and therefore the original question >> now understandable. > > Sorry, probably me, but I’m still confused. So I hope I have cleared up the understanding of my question from the original post. If I were to loose the external drive, then if I bought a new drive, plugged it in and the did a Restore from the TM back up of the ENTIRE external drive onto the NEW drive, will that restore the contents in exactly the same folder structure that it was? Would subsequent backups duplicate the now new external drive contents and bloat the Sparesebundle into an enormous thing? > > Cheers, > Ronni > >> >> Regards >> >> Pete. >> >> >> >> >>> On 1 Jun 2015, at 4:52 pm, Ronda Brown <[email protected] >>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>> >>> Hi Peter, >>> >>>>> I dont actually have a problem currently but if my external drive were to >>>>> fail or get lost or stolen, how would I reinstate the contents within the >>>>> backup file of the external drive to a NEW external drive and restore the >>>>> status quo? >>> >>> I'm not sure if I'm understanding you exactly. >>> If any of the above issues happen - The 'External Drive fails, or gets >>> lost, or stolen'... You would not be able to Restore anything from the Time >>> Machine backup as there is no Time Machine Backup - The External Drive is >>> no longer accessible! >>> >>> This is why we must have a good three parts backup strategy (similar to my >>> backup strategy I've posted numerous times on WAMUG) to help cover drive >>> failures, stolen, or lost computers or backup drives. >>> >>> Also it's best to have iTunes & Photos quit when Time Machine is backing up. >>> >>> Cheers, >>> Ronni >>> >>> Sent from Ronni's iPad4 >>> >>> >>> On 30 May 2015, at 6:48 am, [email protected] >>> <mailto:[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Good morning, I use an external drive to hold my iTunes and Photos >>>> library. I have explicitly selected in 'Options' to include the external >>>> drive in the hourly backup process with Time Machine so the backup file >>>> first time around was quite large (~650GB) and took a long while. >>>> >>>> I dont actually have a problem currently but if my external drive were to >>>> fail or get lost or stolen, how would I reinstate the contents within the >>>> backup file of the external drive to a NEW external drive and restore the >>>> status quo? >>>> >>>> I've never once restored a file from TM (though I am well practiced at >>>> deleting the Sparsebundle backup file!!) so not familiar with the process >>>> anyway but I am keen to understand how I would restore the external drive >>>> associated files (either singly (say my Photos library file) or the drive >>>> in total). >>>> >>>> Regards >>>> >>>> Pete. >>> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- >>> Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml >>> <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml>> >>> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml >>> <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml>> >>> Settings & Unsubscribe - >>> <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug >>> <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug>> >> >> >> >> >> Pete >> >> >> -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- >> Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml >> <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml>> >> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml >> <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml>> >> Settings & Unsubscribe - >> <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug >> <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug>> > > -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- > Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> > Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> > Settings & Unsubscribe - > <http://lists.wamug.org.au/listinfo/wamug.org.au-wamug> Pete
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