sparsebundles and Smart Update
 

If I read the user's guide correctly, it is possible to Smart Update a sparsebundle SD backup. So, I tried it for the first time, and SD is saying it is copying EVERYthing and NOTHING is "already up to date." If that's case, what's the benefit of trying to use Smart Update on a sparsebundle vs. starting over with a fresh sparsebundle image?

Not as far as I can tell here. A sparse bundle is treated the same as any other drive... Works fine for me.

Hmmm...OK, I'll have to delve into this further. Thanks for the quick reply.