USING iBACKUP TO BACK UP YOUR FILES

For all Mac users on campus, we recommend a program called iBackup to create backups of all of your documents, files, and settings. The instructions below explain how to use iBackup to setup incremental backups to an external hard drive or network drive.

iBackup is a free program that you can download online. (iBackup is already installed on many FCAP machines.)

Choosing a Backup Location
Using iBackup to Transfer files to a New Computer
Install iBackup
Initial Backup & Setup
Update your Backup
Restore from Backup
Troubleshoot Backup Issues

Choosing a Backup Location

Before you backup your data, you will need to decide where you want to backup your data. You can backup work-related data to your network (H:) drive, or you can backup onto an external hard drive.

Advantages and disadvantages of backing up to your network drive:

• Network drives are provided by ITS. (For more information, read Connecting to your H: Drive and Shared Folders on the Novell Network)
• The network drives are also backed up, so your backup will have a backup.
• Space on the network drive is limited. You can only backup your work-related data to the network drive.

Advantages and disadvantages of backing up to an external hard drive:

• External hard drives are not provided by ITS, but they are sold in the Smith Computer Store.
• External hard drives are often big. You can backup your entire computer if you have a large enough hard drive.
• External hard drives can be portable, and some are very small.
• External hard drives can be fragile (just like a computer).
• Backups on an external drive are only available when you have the drive in front of you.

Back to top >

Using iBackup to Transfer Files to a New Computer

You can also use iBackup if you are transferring files to a new computer by "target booting." This mounts one computer (the computer that is in target mode) on the other computer as if it were an external hard drive.

*This only works if both your old computer and your new computer both have firewire ports.

1. Turn off the new computer and connect it to your old computer using a firewire cable.
   
   
2. Restart the new computer while holding down the T key until you see a grey screen with a spinning gear.
   
   
3. Release the T key. This will put the new computer into “target mode.” The hard drive of your new computer should now appear on the desktop of your old computer. It will look like an orange hard drive icon with a firewire symbol.
   
   
4. To copy files to your new computer, select a directory on the new computer as your backup destination (step 9 of Initial Backup & Setup).
   
   
5. Once the backup has finished, unmount your new computer (drag the icon to your Trash) and turn it off.
   
   
6. Start up your new computer normally and login to your own user account (should have the same username as the accont on your old computer).
   
   
7. Open iBackup and follow the Restore from Backup instructions to finish transfering your data. (At step 3 of Restore from Backup, you will select the backup folder created on your new computer.)

Back to top >

Install iBackup

iBackup is already installed on many FCAP Macs. Look for iBackup in the /Applications/ and /Applications/Utilities/ folders.

The instructions in this document refer to iBackup version 6.3. If you have an older version of iBackup, it is recommended that you install the latest version. To check for a new version of iBackup, click on the iBackup menu and select Check for Updates.

If iBackup is not installed on your Mac, it is a free download. To install iBackup:

1. Go to http://www.grapefruit.ch/iBackup/ and click “Download iBackup Now.” On the versions page, choose the most recent file.
   
   
2. Save the file and open it to install.
   
   
3. The iBackup disk image will automatically mount itself and open an installation window. Drag the iBackup icon to the Applications folder alias. You may be asked for your password to continue.
   
   
4. You may now unmount the disk image.
   

Back to top >

Initial Backup & Setup

1. If you are backing up to an external hard drive, plug in and turn on your external hard drive. If you are backing up to your network drive, connect to your network drive.
   
   
2. Open iBackup (in /Applications/Utilities). Shortly after you have launched the program, iBackup will look for updates, you should have the most recent version. Install any updates that iBackup suggests. When you are done, close the preferences window and return to the program’s main window.
   
   
3. Now you will make a new Profile to save your preferences. Click on the Profile drop down menu and select Manage Profiles...
   
   
   
   
4. The Preferences window will open. Click on the + (plus sign) in the lower-left corner to create a new profile.
   
   
5. Double-click on the text “New profile” to give this profile a descriptive name. I have named my new profile “Incremental Backup.”
   
   
   
   
6. Now adjust the backup settings:
   
   
   
   1. To setup periodic automatic backups, click on Scheduler to choose the frequency of your backup. Choose a time when your computer and external hard drive will both be on. (Weekly is a good selection for most people. Also, scheduled backups do not work as well on network drives.)
      
      
      
      
      
   2. To set the name of your backup folder, click on the Backup Folders tab. The default settings are fine for most people.
      
      
      
      
      
   3. To set the backup so that it leaves files in the backup that have been removed from you computer (recommended), click on the UNIX tab and make sure that “Delete any files in the backup folder that are removed from the source folder” NOT checked.
      
      
      
      
7. Close Preferences window.
   
   
8. To set the backup destination, click on the Set... button in the upper-right hand corner of the iBackup window. Select your external hard drive or network drive and click Choose. (If you are planning to backup to your network drive, you need to connect to the network drive to choose your destination.)
   
   
9. Now you will choose which files and settings to backup.
   
   For most people, backing up everything in the User folder is sufficient. Think about how you use your computer and whether there are files in other places that you would like to backup. (For instance, System Settings or Application Settings -- all other choices are included in the User folder.)
   
   
   1. To backup your User folder, check the box next to your username. (In the example below, my username is ewhite.)
      
      
      
      
   2. To backup System Settings (including your Apple Mail settings and archived messages), select System Settings and put check-marks next to the settings you want to backup.
      
      
      In the example above, I am backing up Address Book, iCal, Keychain, Mail, Printers, and Safari.
      
      
10. When you are ready, click “Backup Now” in the lower right-hand corner of the iBackup window. Depending on how much data you have and how fast your external hard drive is, this could take only a few minutes or much longer. (If you are backing up to your network drive, select "DATAVOL" when you are prompted.)
    
    
11. When the program is done copying your files, you can quit iBackup.

Back to top >

Update your Backup

If you setup periodic, automatic backups, you do not need to make any manual backups. To check when the last backup was performed, go to the backup folder on your external hard drive. Open the Logs folder. In this folder, there is a .txt file corresponding to each backup. You can look at the log to see how much data was transfered, which files where copied, and when it happened.

To manually backup, open iBackup and select your backup profile from the Profile menu. Make sure you have the correct backup destination set, and click “Backup Now.”

Back to top >

Restore your Backup

1. Connect your external hard drive or network drive. (If you are transfering data to a new computer, boot the new computer normally. You do not need to connect an external hard drive or mount your network drive.)
   
   
2. Open iBackup and choose “Restore” from the Profile drop down menu.
   
   
   
   
3. Click on the Set… button to choose the backup folder you want to restore from. (If you are transferring data from your old computer, find the backup folder that you created when you did the backup using target mode.)
   
   
4. All the files and directories created in your backup will appear. Select all of the files and directories you want to restore and click “restore now” (bottom right-hand corner). If you wish to restore (and overwrite) an existing file on your system, click OK to continue.
   
   

Back to top >

Troubleshoot Backup Issues

• Backups will not work if you do not have enough free space on your external hard drive or if it is not on and connected to the computer. (The same is true for your network drive. Your backups will not work if you are not connected to the network drive.)
  
  
• Always check your backups. Is everything you expect to be there really there? You will be glad you checked for important files before you need that backup copy.
  
  The backup logs are helpful for these checks. Logs are located in yourExternalHD/backup/Logs/
  

Back to top >