How does SD manage out of diskspace on a Time Machine disk

[halt1969]

First congrats on the new release!

Next question: What happens if I use the same volume for Time Machine and a SD clone and Time Machine uses so much disk space that the clone doesn't fit anymore?

Does SD throw away enough old Time Machine backups to free enough space? Or does it simply complain about not enough disk space. Time Machine will eventually fill the disk so I hope SD can cope with that.

[dnanian]

It'll just complain, so make sure you have sufficient space...

[greengrass]

Unfortunately, given the way TimeMachine works, every disk, regardless of size will eventually fill up. It seems to me that the only way to guarantee space for a SuperDuper clone on a TM disk is to partition the disk to guarantee enough space is reserved. I know you added the feature of having an SD clone and TM backups co-reside on a single disk to make life easier for the non-technical user, but you may have created a larger downstream problem. To ensure space for a maxed out source disk after TM has claimed "too much" space on the backup disk will require the user to manually delete selected TM snapshots. (I believe that is possible but I'm not certain it is.) For a non technical person that is scarier and more difficult than partitioning in the first place. Assuming your users read manuals and FAQs you may want to make note of the issues involved when you update the manual and the FAQs.

[dnanian]

Yes, I'm definitely aware of the issue.

[MacMarc]

I just ran into this problem. SD 2.5 cannot complete a back-up because TM has filled up most of the drive.

Do you have any advice on how to back-up until I buy another drive?

Is there a way to reduce the space that TM uses? If so, I can't find it.

Thanks,
Marc

[dnanian]

There are a few things you can do. If you have a particular large file that's eating space (e.g. Entourage database), you can go into Time Machine, select it, and use the Action Menu in Finder to remove that file from all your backups.

You could also turn off Time Machine and remove some of its backups or all its folders...

[MacCetera]

Originally Posted by MacMarc

I just ran into this problem. SD 2.5 cannot complete a back-up because TM has filled up most of the drive.

Do you have any advice on how to back-up until I buy another drive?

Is there a way to reduce the space that TM uses? If so, I can't find it.

Thanks,
Marc

In Time Machine, you can go back to your oldest backup and, under the gear menu in the Finder toolbar, select Delete Backup.

• This will remove the oldest backup session from your TM backup set.
• It may not give you much free space back because most of the files in that set are probably referenced in multiple newer sets, so you should do this one-at-a-time until you have freed enough space to complete your SD clone.

Note that each removal may take some time to complete. If you exit Time Machine, there will be a progress dialog in the Finder. Wait for that to complete before deciding if you've nuked enough old stuff.

-- Marc