Best "smart" backup via FTP?...

Question

Level 3

557 points

Best "smart" backup via FTP?...

Hi,
I have SuperDuper! (great product), which backs up my user folder(only the things that have changed), etc, and then I use Backblaze (nicely clean design, works very well)... however I just changed my web hosting provider to iPage.com. They provide unlimited space, so, I am looking to backup options(daily) to their site by FTP (I own Fetch). I am happy w/ Backblaze (much better than mozy!), but maybe I am paying for a service I don't need w/ Backblaze, if other viable options exist?

I read where SuperDuper! can do this, but it said something about making your FTP a dmg (not sure how to go about that?). I do like the smart backup, where it ONLY backs up what has changed since the last backup(don't need to tie up the broadband w/ "retread" backups daily).

So looking for the best app out there to do this? Thanks in advance!

Message was edited by: Tim3308

Mac Pro (early 2008) 3.0 ghz, 14 GB RAM, Mac OS X (10.6.4), Dual displays LaCie 730 & Eizo CG241W, Wacom Intuos4

Posted on Jul 19, 2010 12:49 PM

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Answer 1

Chris CA

Level 10

82,513 points

Jul 19, 2010 2:05 PM in response to Tim3308

If you make a sparse disk image then use that for SD, it will open it and update the dmg as needed.
But then you would need to upload the entire dmg.

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Answer 2

Tim3308 Author

Level 3

557 points

Jul 19, 2010 2:37 PM in response to Chris CA

Thanks, Chris. Yeah, that kinda defeats one of the goals. Could SD read the folder on the web hosting site and update it's contents somehow?

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Answer 3

Jul 19, 2010 2:55 PM in response to Tim3308

Transmit can incrementally synchronize a local and remote folder (if you don't change anything on the remote end this comes to the same thing as an incremental backup).

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Answer 4

Jolly Giant

Level 7

25,464 points

Jul 19, 2010 3:03 PM in response to Tim3308

[ Tri-Backup|http://www.tri-edre.com/english/products/tribackup.html] or ChronoSync might be options ...

J GG

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Answer 5

Tim3308 Author

Level 3

557 points

Jul 19, 2010 3:08 PM in response to Roger Wilmut1

Roger Wilmut1 wrote:
Transmit can incrementally synchronize a local and remote folder (if you don't change anything on the remote end this comes to the same thing as an incremental backup).

Roger, if that is indeed true regarding Transmit, then that's what I would be looking for (I wonder if it has auto scheduling?). I certainly appreciate the effort, looking from afar, that the developers put into Transmit. Thanks.

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Answer 6

KJK555

Level 4

2,906 points

Jul 19, 2010 4:39 PM in response to Chris CA

to the OP:
When You use a sparse bundle instead, only 8mb changed bands get updated.

Message was edited by: KJK555

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Answer 7

Tim3308 Author

Level 3

557 points

Jul 19, 2010 4:39 PM in response to KJK555

KJK555 wrote:
You use a sparse bundle instead, only changed bands need updating.

What/huh?

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Answer 8

KJK555

Level 4

2,906 points

Jul 19, 2010 4:45 PM in response to Tim3308

Mac OS X v10.5 (Leopard) introduced the concept of the sparse bundle Instead of a monolithic file,
a sparse bundle is a bundle (directory) that stores the disk image as banded data files. When the
content of the image changes, one or more band files is changed, created, or deleted. This allows
backup software (such as Time Machine) to operate more efficiently.

(same type of file Apple uses for filevault). Can be either encrypted or unencrypted, depending
on your security requirements (or lack of).

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Answer 9

Tim3308 Author

Level 3

557 points

Jul 19, 2010 4:50 PM in response to KJK555

Thanks for more "light" KJK. So, how are you suggesting actually implementing this over ftp to a remote folder -- w/ what software?

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Answer 10

KJK555

Level 4

2,906 points

Jul 19, 2010 5:17 PM in response to Tim3308

Carbon Copy Cloner can do this, so can Chronosync, and most likely others I've seen listed here.

Create your sparse bundle, mount it, copy or backup files to it, unmount it, upload it to
your favorite server, then set up your backup software to keep your local copy synchronized
with your remote copy. Only changed bands get updated, making backup a snap. If you use
encrypted sparse bundles, no one can read your data (or at least make sense out of it) when
you are uploading (or downloading) your data.

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Answer 11

Tim3308 Author

Level 3

557 points

Jul 20, 2010 9:53 AM in response to KJK555

From Chronosync: still paying Backblaze is looking better all the time, as this attempted solution is getting clunky:

We don't directly support connecting to FTP/SFTP servers. You need a 3rd
party product like MacFuse/MacFusion or ExpanDrive that allows mounting
FTP/SFTP servers as if they were volumes in Finder. Once you have that setup
so that the FTP/SFTP server is available in Finder, then you can specify the
newly mounted volume as a sync target in ChronoSync.

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Answer 12

Tim3308 Author

Level 3

557 points

Jul 20, 2010 10:32 AM in response to Tim3308

So, thanks to some insights I've learned here:

1.I create a "sparse bundle" of files (I used SuperDuper! -- which I then can incrementally update it)),

2. I then upload that to my FTP site (already paying for w/ unlimited space), but I have to keep that sparse bundle locally (pretty darn big, eating up lots of disk space --I think this is quite a negative), to "smart update" it by syncing. Btw, these files are very big -- I have lots to back up.

3. Then daily update the local sparse bundle w/ SD.

4. Then use Chronosync w/ something like ExpanDrive(seems like the cleaner solution, but again more money) to copy the latest version of my sparse bundle to sync (update) w/ the local sparse bundle(bundles, actually, as I will have more than one form different volumes) to the FTP site.

Or I just keep paying Backblaze $50 a year to have backups, in the background, without me lifting a finger...?

Am I missing something (uhh, certainly likely?) or is Backblaze coming out ahead here vs. my "homemade" incremental back up solution?

Thanks, T

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Answer 13

Tim3308 Author

Level 3

557 points

Jul 20, 2010 11:54 AM in response to Tim3308

from a helpful and prompt person at Chronosync (this puts the quest to bed):

"If you are happy with the backup service, just use the backup service.

The best method I've found for syncing to FTP/SFTP sites is using ExpanDrive
and ChronoSync. But I have both those utilities around for other reasons. I
frequently need access to manipulate files at our hosts, so ExpanDrive comes
in very handy for that. I also use CS for maintaining my bootable clone of my
startup volume on a local external volume.

The backup service does just one thing, and appears to do it well for your
needs. I don't see a requirement to change unless you are going to use the
additional tools for other reasons as well.

The whole DMG thing comes into play because your FTP site is not a native
Apple file system and thus doesn't support all the file structures, naming
conventions, and attributes available on a local HFS+ formatted drive. Since
you can create a HFS+ file system in the DMG, then you maintain all the
features of the native file system, with the ability to move the DMG to a
foreign file system."

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Answer 14

KJK555

Level 4

2,906 points

Jul 20, 2010 1:13 PM in response to Tim3308

Well, there you go. 🙂

I hope I helped you solve your problem.

Kj

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