Smith College Technology And Resource Adviser

BACKING UP YOUR MAC

ITS recommends that you create backups of all of your documents, files, and settings. Getting started with a backup regimine can be daunting, but the most important thing is not your necessarily your method, but just that you do it!

This document will help you decide what type of backup is best for you. It will also provide links to directions for different backup applications.

Backup Chart
Choosing a Backup Location
Choosing a Backup Method

Backup Chart

The chart below shows which of the backup methods described below can be used with each backup location or device.

backup at smith

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 or USB Flash 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.

Advantages and disadvantages of backing up to a USB Flash drive (aka Jump Drive or USB Key):

Flash drives are not provided by ITS, but they are sold in the Smith Computer Store.
Flash drives are inexpensive.
Flash drives are about the size of a tube of lipstick.
Flash drives will probably not be big enough to backup all the data on your computer.
Flash drives are extremely portable and can be used on any computer with an available USB port. They are very convenient!
Backups on a Flash drive are only available when you have the drive in front of you.
The data on a Flash drive can become corrupt if it is not ejected properly before removing it from a computer.
For more information on USB Flash drives, visit this page on TARA: Using a USB Jump Drive

Advantages and disadvantages of backing up to a CD-Rs or DVD-Rs:

CD-Rs and DVD-Rs are not provided by ITS, but they are sold in the Smith Computer Store and they are relatively inexpensive.
CD-Rs can typically hold 700 MB of data. DVD-Rs can store 4.7 - 17 GB of data.
CD-Rs and DVD-Rs are writable, you can copy and then write information to them once. They are perfect for saving the final copy of a project or set of files.
CD-RWs and DVD-RWs are re-writable, which means that you can write to them many times. These are convenient but not as reliable as CD-Rs and DVD-Rs.
Most modern computers come with a CD/DVD drive, so burning data to a CD-R or DVD-R makes it portable and easy to share.
For more information on CD-Rs and DVD-Rs, visit this page on TARA: Burning Files to Disc on a Mac

Choosing a Backup Method

Before you backup your data, you will need to decide how you want to backup your data. You can simply copy your data manually, or use an application to help you.

Advantages and disadvantages of manually copying your data:

You do not need to use any special software or utility to manually copy data.
You can backup to any device, including a USB Flash drive or CD-Rs or DVD-Rs.
You are in control of all backups: when they happen and also what is backed up. Your backup is not automated, you do it yourself.
You won't backup things that you don't care about, and you may save space on your backup drive.
For more information on manually copying data, visit these pages on TARA: Using Portable Storage Devices to Save your Files, Burning Files to Disc on a Mac, Connecting to your H: Drive on the Novell Network

Advantages and disadvantages of backing up using iBackup:

iBackup is a free application that runs on Mac OS X.
iBackup can be setup to backup to your network drive or an external hard drive.
iBackup can perform scheduled backups, automatically.
iBackup can be configured to backup your entire home folder and all your settings, or only a select set of folders on your computer.
iBackup will not run when your computer is off, and you may have to be at the computer in order to backup, depending on your settings.
For more information on iBackup and detailed instructions, visit this TARA page: Using iBackup to Backup your Mac

Advantages and disadvantages of backing up using Time Machine:

Time Machine is only available with Mac OS X 10.5 (it is not availabe for previous versions of Mac OS X). It is free if you have Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.
Time Machine can only backup to a dedicated external hard drive that is atleast as big as the internal hard drive of your computer (but should have atleast 1.5x capacity for best results).
Time Machine runs in the background, without your intervention.
Time Machine can backup your entire computer, and can even serve as a simple restore of your entire hard drive if your computer fails. It can also make migrating to a new computer easier.
Time Machine makes mutliple copies of a file, so that you can retrieve a specific version instead of just the last version.
For more information on Time Machine, visit the Apple Site: Time Machine Overview & Time Machine Suppport Topics. You may also want to look at Time Machine: Troubleshooting Backup Issues.

Advantages and disadvantages of backing up using Carbon Copy Cloner:

Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) is a free application that runs on Mac OS X.
CCC makes backups to an external hard drive. If you are cloning your internal hard drive, the external hard drive must be atleast as big as the internal hard drive of your computer.
CCC can also be used to make scheduled backups of your data, or to backup whenever you connect your external hard drive.
CCC can make a clone of your hard drive that acts like an exact replica.
CCC will not run when your computer is off, but there are many choices for scheduled backups.
For more information on Carbon Copy Cloner, visit the Bombich Software site: Carbon Copy Cloner Overview & Carbon Copy Cloner Documentation