need backup advice for external drives on an imac

[CynthiaM]

Trying to help a friend set up a  backup system on her imac. Someone else set her up with two external drives. She dumps all of her photos on to one drive and the second drive is supposed to be her backup drive. I believe she also has a third drive which is her time machine drive for the internal drive on the imac. When I asked her how the photos get backed up to the second drive, she was clueless. When I asked her friend who set this up for her this same question his response was that a copy got made of all the photos during the import process in Lightroom but he was speechless when asked what about rendered tiffs, psds or jpegs or changes to a raw file, how are they backed up.

Can anyone recommend a mac backup software for this scenario?
Thanks,

[jrsforums]

Try 'GoodSync'

[HSakols]

I use Super-duper http://download.cnet.com/SuperDuper/3000-2242_4-46651.html
It is easy to use and perfect for cloning your backups. 

[jerryrock]

By default, Apple's Time Machine backs up all of your data, unless you tell it not to. After the initial back up it then only tracks file additions and deletions. It is probably the best backup method available because it is seamless and in the background. It's sort of set it and forget it.

With that said, I use a Promise Pegasus2 R4 (thunderbolt2) storage device set in RAID 5 as my main photo storage unit on my MacPro 6,1. All of my data is backed up with Apple's Time Machine to a separate storage device connected via thunderbolt cable, so I have two copies of my image files at all times.

The RAID 5 configuration keeps a redundant hard drive in case of a drive failure and Time Machine allows me to retrieve any image file I accidentally deleted or just want to retrieve at a later time. Of course the size of the drive determines how far back I can go to retrieve that file.

I have also started storing a third copy of important images in Adobe's Creative Cloud Storage.

[CynthiaM]

By default, Apple's Time Machine backs up all of your data, unless you tell it not to. After the initial back up it then only tracks file additions and deletions. It is probably the best backup method available because it is seamless and in the background. It's sort of set it and forget it.

With that said, I use a Promise Pegasus2 R4 (thunderbolt2) storage device set in RAID 5 as my main photo storage unit on my MacPro 6,1. All of my data is backed up with Apple's Time Machine to a separate storage device connected via thunderbolt cable, so I have two copies of my image files at all times.

The RAID 5 configuration keeps a redundant hard drive in case of a drive failure and Time Machine allows me to retrieve any image file I accidentally deleted or just want to retrieve at a later time. Of course the size of the drive determines how far back I can go to retrieve that file.

I have also started storing a third copy of important images in Adobe's Creative Cloud Storage.

This all sounds complicated and I'm pretty good with this stuff but my friend? Forget it. When you talk about using a RAID, does that require hardware other than the drives (like a card) or is it just software that controls the drives?

As for Time Machine, my understanding is that it can be directed to include an external drive but then you need a pretty big drive if Time Machine is going to backup your internal and an external drive, no?

I'm looking for something very simple. I do my photo editing on a PC (use a macbook pro for a laptop so I'm familiar with macs) and use a program that does a simple copy of whatever I tell it to wherever I tell it to.  It can do a straight copy, or synchronize, can do so on a schedule and the backup is not proprietary; I can go to the backup drive and retrieve a file without having to do so through the software. Know of anything like that for a mac?

[digitaldog]

This all sounds complicated and I'm pretty good with this stuff but my friend? Forget it.

Then just get an external drive and SuperDuper. It's easy enough for my mom to use.

[Jeremy Roussak]

This all sounds complicated and I'm pretty good with this stuff but my friend? Forget it. When you talk about using a RAID, does that require hardware other than the drives (like a card) or is it just software that controls the drives?

As for Time Machine, my understanding is that it can be directed to include an external drive but then you need a pretty big drive if Time Machine is going to backup your internal and an external drive, no?

I'm looking for something very simple. I do my photo editing on a PC (use a macbook pro for a laptop so I'm familiar with macs) and use a program that does a simple copy of whatever I tell it to wherever I tell it to.  It can do a straight copy, or synchronize, can do so on a schedule and the backup is not proprietary; I can go to the backup drive and retrieve a file without having to do so through the software. Know of anything like that for a mac?

Yes. Time Machine.

You'll need a large drive if you want to back up a lot of data. If you tell TM not to include certain folders in a backup, it will ignore them.

For a backup system that just works, backs up once an hour without prompting, keeps multiple backup versions of any changing file and can be completely ignored until you want to restore something, I think TM is pretty hard to beat. And it's free.

Jeremy

[Ken Bennett]

+1 for Time Machine. It needs to be a very large drive, ideally 2 or 3 times larger than the total data she has. Make sure it's backing up both the internal iMac and the external data drive.

This is a partial solution, though, since it protects only against drive failure (it also can help find a deleted file). I'd recommend an offsite solution, too, to protect against fire, flood, burglary, etc. One of the online systems like Backblaze is just as easy to use as Time Machine, though the initial upload can take months. Or get another large drive and swap it with the Time Machine drive every week or so, making sure to keep one of them elsewhere (I keep my work drives at home, and my home drives at the studio).

[digitaldog]

For a backup system that just works, backs up once an hour without prompting, keeps multiple backup versions of any changing file and can be completely ignored until you want to restore something, I think TM is pretty hard to beat. And it's free.

TM is great, saved my butt countless times. But I still think having a cloned backup is pretty important. You can boot from it if necessary. It's easy to find something you need from the last backup (ideally within 24 hours). TM is great for finding individual files you might need as well as 'versions' going back awhile. With SuperDuper or, more expensive and complicated, ChronoSync, you can schedule the backup in the middle of the night, it just does the work for you. 

[CynthiaM]

Then just get an external drive and SuperDuper. It's easy enough for my mom to use.

What a great endorsement!

[Jeremy Roussak]

TM is great, saved my butt countless times. But I still think having a cloned backup is pretty important. You can boot from it if necessary. It's easy to find something you need from the last backup (ideally within 24 hours). TM is great for finding individual files you might need as well as 'versions' going back awhile. With SuperDuper or, more expensive and complicated, ChronoSync, you can schedule the backup in the middle of the night, it just does the work for you. 

I wouldn't for a moment disagree that a cloned backup is a jolly good idea, but I'm not sure that that was what was requested. As well as TM for local backups, I use ChronoSync to back up nightly over the Net to a Mac a mile or so away, which provides a level of "fire and theft" security too.

Jeremy

[BobShaw]

This all sounds complicated

No, it is extremely easy and the works and it's free.

Just open the backward running clock icon on the top menu bar (or go System Preferences), open Time Machines Preferences, click Options and ensure the drive with the data on it is not in the Exclude List. It is now set. Then "Backyup Now" and walk away.
You can can add additional backup drives which you should do. They will then be selected alternatively.