cloning a safety clone

[camner]

I have my main drive partitioned into the principal partition and a safety clone. From time to time, I'd like to take a snapshot of my setup so I can restore in case of disaster (machine or human!). What I've been doing to do this is to make sure that everything I have installed/changed on my safety clone is done to the principal partition, and then use SD! to clone the principal partition.

So, my question is this: if I clone the safety clone, will SD! copy the symbolic links to the principal partition as links, or will it resolve the links? Or, put another way, is cloning the safety clone the same thing as cloning the main partition itself, or do I just get a clone of the safety clone?

[dnanian]

If you "Backup - all files" from the Sandbox to another partition, it'll make a copy of the Sandbox. It won't resolve the symlinks: this is why we always tell you to back up the original volume...

[camner]

OK, that makes sense, but leads to a followup question...

Since I'm almost always working off of the safety clone, some of the changes (such as system changes) affect only the safety clone, while other changes (data files) affect only the "real" or main, partition. Do you suggest making a regular backup of the main partition in order to back up the data, while NOT backing up the safety clone? Then, periodically updating the main partition with changes made since the last safety clone?

[dnanian]

Correct, that's what I suggest.

[Ronlap]

I have another scenario close to this and need to know how to proceed.

I created a safety clone (sandbox) and installed Snow Leopard (SL) and over the past months I also have installed a bunch of software updates as well as new software onto it. Is there a way to move the new OS and all of the updated applications back to the main drive so that I can create a future safety clone?

Thanks!

[dnanian]

A Sandbox, you mean, I assume. Yes: see the User's Guide, which explains in detail how to 'clone back'.

PLEASE make sure you have a backup of the original volume before you do this, and follow the steps carefully.