backup...again

gpc1

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Greg
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Hi All


Can someone explain in simple terms how I can achieve the below, im checking out cloud backup solutions


Im running a Imac 2013 model.

All Raw files will be stored on an external WD 2 TB hard drive, along with other jpegs, videos etc etc. generally the WD external is my ‘base drive’

The Imac will hold nothing but apps and small temporary files I might drop to my desktop.

All my business and client documents are stored in Dropbox so I can access them on the go

I also have a Mac book pro which has some files and images on it.

I run LR and PS CC on both machines.


I have another 2 TB wd drive that I use to backup my imac. This is hidden and is plugged in and is backed up continuously via timemachine.


I want to be able to also backup the ‘base’ WD hard drive, the imac (internal drive), the MBP, the dropbox folders to the cloud.


I keep looking at Carbonite / backblaze etc.


I also looked as having the WD My cloud NAS thing (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00FOKN7D8/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=1X5X4DMXQGK0ZDVYM3QW&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=577048407&pf_rd_i=desktop)


I need it to be simple, reliable and in the event of my house burning down I want to be able to plug in a new mac and have it up and running and restored within hours if possible….


Many Thanks
 
also

does anyone have any ideas where I can buy a small metal cage / box so that I can put the WD backup drive in it and bolt it to the back of the desk / inside the drawers etc.

dimensions of the drive are 8.2 x 11.1 x 2.1 cm
 
just downloaded back blaze, but realised that it doesn't backup the operating system.

Does anyone use a cloud backup that backsup the OS too
 
I can't say as I do but after loosing everything a few years ago I am now completely anal about backing up, hence I run 2 x 2tb NAS drives + 1x 6TB NAS in raid 1 mode and also a WD 2TB my book studio.

The 6TB nas hosts my iTunes library, set to raid one it mirrors all content so acts as a backup as well, 1 of the 2TB has drives is used to back that up as well, the other 2tb has drive is used for time machine, bak ups of books, downloads, flac albums, pics etc, the WD backs up the contents of that drive.
All my other apple devices back up to iCloud as will the MBP when I sort it out.

I don't care if people think I'm paranoid, I lost nearly an albums worth of recorded songs & all my photographs, music, art work, writings etc etc when my old hard drive failed 7 years ago, I'm making damn sure I don't loose all my data again.

I wouldn't bolt and external drive to the desk, the vibrations from it will drive you mad as the desk will act as an amplifier, if anything get an old gun ammo cabinet or similar and bolt it to the floor if your worried about it getting stolen.
Even better get an external SSD drive and keep a copy of everything via carbon copy, on that and either lock it in a small safe at night or in a bed side drawer.
 
All my photos are backed up at least 5 times - on the cloud (twice) - on a 2TB HDD - and on Blu-Rays.

Plus I still have thousands on DVDs from years ago.

To me they are just too important to risk losing.
.
 
I use Amazon Glacier for my cloud backup. It is really cheap ($0.011 / GB) as it assumes you don't need access to restore very often. Restoring is expensive but as you'll only use it to recover a disaster I decided I didn't care what that would cost. You can restore any amount for free if you can wait 20 days as you can restore 5% a day for free.

My set up is that all of my documents, photos and everything else are stored on a NAS with two mirrored drives. The stuff that cannot be replaced (photos and so on) backup from the NAS every night to Glacier using the built in application (both Synology and QNAP NASs include such an app, don't know about others). I also have an external drive that I store in my desk at work. Once a month I bring that home and backup the entire NAS. I also have a time machine backup for the mac but I got that as a side effect of buying a Time Capsule to extend the WiFi and it is only really there to restore the Mac in the event of any problems, not really as a data backup as there is nothing there.

IMO, if you do not have a minimum of three copies in different locations of stuff you cannot replace) then you don't have a backup.
 
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Time machine will backup all your user info on the iMac hard drive. It doesn't back up the OS, however as this can be downloaded direct from the app store that's not a problem. In fact I keep a copy of the last 2 OS installers on my machine anyway, so if you did that, then time machine would save that for you. Under Yosemite, time machine will allow two drives to be used as backups, in father, son configuration.

All my images and video files are stored on external drives in much the way you do. I use Integeo Back Up Manager Pro to copy these to external hard drives. You can define what and where files are backed up and you can even schedule the back up.

It's a pity DropBox can't backup external drives. With high speed broadband that would make an excellent back up system as well. I believe it can be done using sim links but according to DropBox it is a bit problematical.
 
Time machine will backup all your user info on the iMac hard drive. It doesn't back up the OS, however as this can be downloaded direct from the app store that's not a problem. In fact I keep a copy of the last 2 OS installers on my machine anyway, so if you did that, then time machine would save that for you. Under Yosemite, time machine will allow two drives to be used as backups, in father, son configuration.

All my images and video files are stored on external drives in much the way you do. I use Integeo Back Up Manager Pro to copy these to external hard drives. You can define what and where files are backed up and you can even schedule the back up.

It's a pity DropBox can't backup external drives. With high speed broadband that would make an excellent back up system as well. I believe it can be done using sim links but according to DropBox it is a bit problematical.

Time machine backs up everything, including the OS.
You can restore a Mac completely from a time machine backup without having to download the OS.

Macs have a built in recovery tool that you can boot to and chose recover from time machine.
 
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