Back up /Users folder

[bsk]

I have two identical disks & I want one the target to be a bootable version of the source.

I want to be able to do:

1) one-off backups my current stable OS X installation to the target disk. This is my current stable OS X installation & that will remain until after I'm happy with whatever OS X update I've installed. This seems to be no problem with SuperDuper.

2) update just the User folder on the target disk - this ensures all my current data is backed up so that in emergencies I can reboot in the target disk with my last working OS but with my dats being at least reasonably current.

This I last thing cannot figure. The script keeps on on overwriting System files. I cannot seem to get it to just change the Users folders and ignore the rest.

Thanks for any advice.

[dnanian]

We're always going to scan the whole drive, so you're not really saving anything by "skipping" the system files. Is there some reason you want to only update the User folder?

My advice would be to not do that -- to always use "Backup - all files". It won't take any longer (since the system files don't tend to change), and you'll end up with an accurate bootable volume, rather than a potentially mismatched one...

[bsk]

[QUOTE=dnanian]My advice would be to not do that -- to always use "Backup - all files"./QUOTE]

Hi dnanian

In an ideal world, yes, what you say is easiest & simplest. However, because Apple's OS upgrades seem to more often than not contain little 'surprises', I'd rather have a bootable backup where the Users folder is relatively up-to-date and the System files are at a stable point (determined by me).

[dnanian]

Might I suggest a Sandbox instead? It's an elegant solution to exactly this problem.

[bsk]

I'll have another look at it when I get home, but from what I remember reading in the user guide, it's not really a backup solution.

BTW, notwithstanding my comments in this thread, SD is a lovely bit of software - I'm hoping that, if I can work out a simple solution to my particular constraints, I can stop using Retrospect (which I've used for about 7 years)

[dnanian]

No, it's not a backup solution, but -- in combination with a full backup -- it is a solution to the "surprises buried in updates" problem.

By installing the system updates to a Sandbox rather than your main drive, you can maintain its pristine, "checkpointed" condition, while you check out the changes to the system. Once you're satisfied they meet your needs, you can apply those changes to the original volume.

Since your original volume is getting backed up (fully), your system retains its "known good" state... and rolling back from a "bad update" when using a Sandbox is a simple matter of restarting from the original volume: much easier than a "real" restore!

[bsk]

Point taken, Dave, but I don't have the drive space to do both. I'll just for the mo use SD as fast cloning tool. Thanks for the comments, though.

[dnanian]

OK. Remember -- disk space is cheap, but your time is worth a lot.

[steve112]

Originally Posted by dnanian

No, it's not a backup solution, but -- in combination with a full backup -- it is a solution to the "surprises buried in updates" problem.

By installing the system updates to a Sandbox rather than your main drive, you can maintain its pristine, "checkpointed" condition, while you check out the changes to the system. Once you're satisfied they meet your needs, you can apply those changes to the original volume.

Since your original volume is getting backed up (fully), your system retains its "known good" state... and rolling back from a "bad update" when using a Sandbox is a simple matter of restarting from the original volume: much easier than a "real" restore!

Dave,
I want to make sure I understand the strategy you are suggesting here, as I believe it tells me exactly what I need to know about how to handle a recent installation of 10.4.5 on my Sandbox. Although it seems to be working fine, I want to go a few more days to see if anything strange happens. My original volume is still running 10.4.4. I also have two backup volumes, one on an external HD, and the other on a partition of a second internal HD. I try to rotate backups between these two backup volumes.
As I understand what you are recommending, I would work off the Sandbox until the end of the day, let's say, and then reboot from the original volume and run a Smart Update to one of the backup volumes. Next, I would reboot from the Sandbox and continue my work the next day on that volume. And at the end of the day, I would again boot up from my original volume and do a Smart Update to my other backup volume, and so on, until I am satisfied that 10.4.5 is for me. At that point I would either install 10.4.5 directly on to the original volume or carefully follow the instructions for copying back from the Sandbox to the original volume.
A related issue occurs to me. If while I am basically operating off the Sandbox and want to install a new third-party application, for example, a new money management program or LaunchBar, for a trial, can I do that on the Sandbox which is still my trial volume for 10.4.5?
Please excuse the length of this question, but SD does such a great job that I would hate to screw things up by inadvertently doing something wrong.
Thanks, Steve

[dnanian]

There's no need to boot from a volume to back it up, Steve. So, don't boot back to the original volume -- just back up the original to the backup, as you always do, and stay on the Sandbox.

You can install other applications on the Sandbox, no problem. When you copy back, they'll be "installed" on the original.

Make sense?

[steve112]

Dave- Thanks for the pointers. It will save a good bit of time not having to reboot.And thanks once again for "being there" at the oddest hours.
Steve