Time Machine (Missing Features)

[stingray]

I am mainly a Windows user, but a friend needs a good backup regime for her Mac.  TimeMachine looks perfect (and I have often wished this app worked on Windows) but I see two major deficiencies.

1. TimeMachine appears that it can not be scheduled.  You have full auto or full manual.... Am I  missing anything or are there any tricks to get around this.  Ideally, would like to run a daily backup at night time.
2.  TimeMachine does not provide user orientated logs of successful backups.  Someone needs to be able to interrogate the system logs.  For many small businesses, there is a need to provide an audit trail that backups have been completed and that the logs have been checked.


Any alternatives.  I am NOT interested in tools that simple do a synch copy of folders or disks , etc.  It should be possible to recover the system from the backup to a predetermined point in time.

Any help appreciated.


Ps (I use Macrium Reflect on Windows which is a full blown backup solution set).

[jrsforums]

Suggest you consider ‘GoodSync’
https://www.goodsync.com/

This would be mainly for data backup, not OS.

[gjbloch]

I use time machine editor. It allows scheduling. Its good in the sense that I set it up long ago and never had to look at it again. Just works. And the price is right (free).

[rdonson]

I use Carbon Copy Cloner on my Macs.  I've been using it for a number of years and it does what I need it to do.  Very flexible and easy to understand. 

https://bombich.com

[BobShaw]

I have used Time Machine as my only system for about 10 years with no data loss.
Out of the box it backs up ever hour for 24 hours then every day, every week, every month.
That is all I currently use with my data on an attached drive as it is quite fast normally.
It backs up both the computer (apps, users, data and OS) and the data drive.

When I used to have my data on a server I used a utility on the server to back up every night at 1AM. There are several free ones. I used Time Machine Editor from memory.

As for verifying it you just open the Time Machine Preferences from the top menu bar and it will tell you the latest backup on each backup drive. I run 4 rotating drives and it just picks the drive that is available with the oldest backup. I only have two drives connected maximum. The other two are on the shelf and offsite.

Each backup is verified when it is done. You can prove it by just going into the backup drive and navigating to any file and dragging it to the desktop.
It is as easy as that. Did I mention that it is free?

[Joe Towner]

Bob covers lots of the fun of Time Machine, and why it's perfect for so many users.  The biggest strength is that it just runs, and you can right click the icon in the top bar and say 'backup now' at any time.

I would actually say the logging in Time Machine is better than other apps, it'll tell you when the last backup completed, and will complain when it hasn't run in a while either due to lack of disk being attached or other things.

As always when dealing with really large data sets (5tb and bigger) it may not cover everything, but there isn't a good reason to not start with Time Machine.  If you want to shift to a offsite product, I always recommend BackBlaze, and the two of them work great together.

[stingray]

Thanks for the feedback.

I will try to find out if I can automate taking a screen shot of the status screen and if there is sufficient data within this screen..

I have seen references to Time Machine Editor and will check it out.

I have a lot of respect for Time Machine, and I will try the work arounds, but not having a scheduler  and a simple log of successes and errors means that it does not pass muster for many small businesses who are required to show proof historically that their system has been backed up (not just that the last backup worked).

It is a superb product for home users who do not have backup regulations to comply with. 

[Kevin Gallagher]

 hi guys, I'd never heard about Time Machine Editor prior to this thread. Thanks for the info and thanks to Stingray as the OP!

[Joe Towner]

I have a lot of respect for Time Machine, and I will try the work arounds, but not having a scheduler  and a simple log of successes and errors means that it does not pass muster for many small businesses who are required to show proof historically that their system has been backed up (not just that the last backup worked).

If you or your clients need central backups & auditing, that's not the market that Time Machine was setup for.  Apple has/had a central Time Machine management for multiple computers with the MacOS Server product, but they've stopped development last year with 10.14.x.  If you were setting up something now I'd point you at a RMM tool (Remote Management & Monitoring) like SolarWinds or CloudBerry, or a business cloud backup provider like Backblaze.

They all cost money, but if you're in a business where that proof is required, then there's budget to accomplish it.  If you're into scripting, you should be able to build an AppleScript to get the info and send an email with it.

Here's how to pull the Time Machine logs: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250226175

[stingray]

All feedback appreciated. I have only basic Mac skills and limited knowledge of the Mac ecosystem.

I am aware of Solar Winds.  CloudBerry looks interesting, but right now looks like it is a file / folder backup rather than a system backup, but a system backup seems to be in the pipeline. At 29$ per seat, it is indeed good value and I will monitor options going forward.

I am extremely familiar with IT infrastructure and business applications  for small, medium and extremely large commercial operations and have implemented complex systems for hundreds of enterprises.

The one person business segment is challenging for so many reasons and many backup solutions are  just beyond the scope of such business's, in terms of complexity to manage as well as  perhaps cost. This person is not looking a bargain basement solution, but something easily installed and easy to manage.

I am comfortable writing scripts and will try to write a script to extract logs for time machine (thanks for the script stub).

Time Machine Editor adds value also, so maybe the combo of the scripted logs with the improved schedule options may get this one over the line.

I realise Time Machine is a general purpose tool (and a good one)... but not designed for compliance environments.

Again, thanks for all the feedback.

 

[BobShaw]

...I have a lot of respect for Time Machine, and I will try the work arounds, but not having a scheduler  and a simple log of successes and errors means that it does not pass muster for many small businesses who are required to show proof historically that their system has been backed up (not just that the last backup worked).

It is a superb product for home users who do not have backup regulations to comply with.

From your comments you scream a Windows user who is used to failures being expected and taking forever to fix at great cost and pain.

A total failure of a computer in Mac OS should take no longer than about 4 hours to restore from a Time Machine backup once you have the new machine out of the box.
When you restore from a Time Machine backup you will have the Applications, Users, Settings and Data that had before. What other process does that?

I would say it is superb for everyone.
I modelled my backup system on the Chase Jarvis system. He went on to make Creative Live so not that small
https://www.chasejarvis.com/blog/workflow-and-backup-for-photo-video/

For a start, Time Machine is not a product. You don't have to worry that a "product" will work with Mac OS, because it IS Mac OS.
The scheduler we have talked about as a readily available utility.
There are logs. They are not verbose but utilities like Time Machine Mechanic (which I have never used) are supposed to give you English written logs.

I really can't see the point.
You get warnings on the screen if a backup has not occurred and just by opening the backup drive you can see all of the backups and pick a file at random and drag it to the desktop. That trumps a log which may be untrue any day.
See the pics
You can all of the backups going back to Move 2018 on this drive, you can see the lates backup and you can see that a Drive has not backed up for a while (because it is currently not attached). I don't know why it says "select a new disk" because it does that automatically. Most importantly, a non tech person can see also.

[stingray]

"From your comments you scream a Windows user who is used to failures being expected and taking forever to fix at great cost and pain."

I have said several times that I have a huge respect for TimeMachine.

I have managed hundreds of installations, some very small (5-10 users) but others very very large (10,000 to 50,000 plus).  In all these cases, data is managed centrally, backed up centrally and audited centrally. There are a whole bunch of things which are locked down on the client end, mostly security related (yes Windows clients, as they are easier to manage in a corporate environment). In 90% of cases applications are deployed using virtual desktops, so hardware issues are resolved by plugging in a replacement client and creating an image of a standard configuration.

I have stated openly that I am not an expert on the Mac or Apple ecosystem (even though I use a MacAir for travel an iphone and an ipad, all superb tools).

What is practical to do (and there are budgets) for small to medium businesses is often beyond the capability of a  one person business (usually does not have the expertise or budgets for industrial strength IT systems).  I am just trying to help out.

Time Machine Editor combined with a weekly email of the Time Machine logs will probably suffice in this case.  I will create a script to generate the weekly time machine logs.

While the Mac has the logs and these can be interrogated (and Time Machine will raise error messages, etc), an auditor will want proof that the logs were actually checked. A simple process and file of the emails, which can be signed by the operator will provide proof that backups are well managed.

If the scale of the operation increases then more robust solutions can be considered.

I am very pleased TimeMachine is a standard part of the mac ecosystem. I have since discovered that the Mac and backups can be encrypted, so well done Apple on that front.

Again, I thank everyone for their suggestions.

[Chris Kern]

Time Machine Editor combined with a weekly email of the Time Machine logs will probably suffice in this case.  I will create a script to generate the weekly time machine logs.

Another possibility you may want to consider is the bundled Apple command-line utility tmutil.  This gives you greater control over Time Machine processing than the desktop front-end, including the ability to control the frequency and schedule of back-ups (from your posts I get the impression you want to skip the default hourly snapshots), a way to list the contents of the back-up database, and a back-up integrity option which provides reasonable assurance that what is stored on the target back-up medium matches what was read from the source filestore.  Depending on the environment, use of this utility might be preferable to installing a third-party application that is accessible to naive end-users.  Control of the utility is easily scripted and, since it is part of the MacOS bundle, version compatibility with Time Machine is managed by Apple.  Use the standard UNIX "man page" facility from a terminal emulation window to see the available options.  Note, however, that some of these are only available in a privileged process environment, which could raise security issues if you're not very familiar with UNIX.

[stingray]

Chris,

Much appreciated. You picked up the vibe perfectly re schedule.  As it is not my machine I am reluctant to get too deep. An existing GUI might be easier for the user to manage. I have no problems writing scripts to extract log details, as opposed to updating system settings that I am not familiar enough with.

I do take note of your suggestion and it could be ideal further down the road.

Thanks.

[Chris_Brown]

1. TimeMachine appears that it can not be scheduled.  You have full auto or full manual.... Am I  missing anything or are there any tricks to get around this.  Ideally, would like to run a daily backup at night time.

Perhaps this will help: TimeMachineEditor

[smthopr]

Whatever you do, make sure the time machine auto back up is disabled when you go to back up from a time machine drive.  If auto back up is enabled, and there is not enough disk space, when you go to find the old files and copy them, a new backup will be performed, and you might loose your data while you are thinking that you are restoring your data.

I've learned this the hard way when I had two drive failures, and only one remaining backup on a time machine drive.  I was not able to recover the over written files.

[BobShaw]

Whatever you do, make sure the time machine auto back up is disabled when you go to back up from a time machine drive.  If auto back up is enabled, and there is not enough disk space, when you go to find the old files and copy them, a new backup will be performed, and you might loose your data while you are thinking that you are restoring your data.

I've learned this the hard way when I had two drive failures, and only one remaining backup on a time machine drive.  I was not able to recover the over written files.

I am not sure what you mean,
You can't back up FROM a Time Machine drive. You backup to one or you Restore from one.
If you are restoring then you do it from CMD-R at startup and you are not logged in so Time Machine can't start.
If you mean that you were dragging and dropping then still should not have affected a past backup.
You do need at least twice and ideally three times the size on the backup disk as what you are backing up.