grtlkr

Q: Time Machine Backup to two separate hard drives

I want to have two separate complete backups on two different hard drives, and I want Time Machine to update each drive separately so I always have two full and complete backup drives.  How can this be done?

iPhone 5s, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Dec 14, 2015 8:03 PM

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Q: Time Machine Backup to two separate hard drives

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  • by Eric Root,Apple recommended

    Eric Root Eric Root Dec 15, 2015 9:27 AM in response to grtlkr
    Level 9 (71,578 points)
    iTunes
    Dec 15, 2015 9:27 AM in response to grtlkr

    Depending on what OS version you are using, go to System Preferences/Time Machine and click Add or Remove Backup Disk. After adding the first disk, click it again and add a second disk. The ability to add 2 or more disks was implemented in Mountain Lion.

     

    http://pondini.org/TM/27.html

  • by DeepYogurt,

    DeepYogurt DeepYogurt Dec 15, 2015 6:41 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (53 points)
    Dec 15, 2015 6:41 PM in response to Eric Root

    But this doesn't do the backups twice (once per drive) does it? I think all this does is put multiple drives in the backup queue, so that when one fills up, the second drive will step up to the plate and start doing the backups? I don't have a way to test this to be sure at the moment, but the last time I had more than one drive in the TM list of available volumes on a different Mac OS X system, I think this was how it worked.

  • by Eric Root,Apple recommended

    Eric Root Eric Root Jan 8, 2016 10:32 AM in response to DeepYogurt
    Level 9 (71,578 points)
    iTunes
    Jan 8, 2016 10:32 AM in response to DeepYogurt

    The way it works now is the Time Machine backup rotates the hourly backup between the drives. With 2 drives, each external gets a new backup every other hour.