Backup Strategy

TM seems to eat up a lot of storage space duplicating things that are already saved -

TM does not do that. All source volume files are backed up once, and only one copy is retained. If that file changes though, even by one single solitary bit, TM creates a backup of it. Any older copies become candidates for deletion when TM requires the space it occupied.

So I need some additional strategy to make sure I can remove files from the internal drive but still have a cloud backup for them.

It seems you are seeking an archiving solution. As a backup utility, TM doesn't do that either. If you delete a file from a source volume, TM will delete it when it requires the space it occupies on its backup. That's what I mean by a "candidate for deletion."

TM does however back up the contents of all mounted volumes, so as long as you did not explicitly exclude those external drives then it will back them up too.

I have struggled with backup strategies since the days of tape drives, when you could do incremental backups.

TM is an incremental backup. Its capacity for retaining backups older than about one hour is limited by the capacity of the backup device. As for backups less than one hour old, macOS incorporates versioning and local snapshots.

I'm just curious what others have found that works well for them.

It works well for me. The only improvements I recommend are multiple redundant backups, to be used in the event a backup device fails.

dan weisberg wrote:

I am looking for a more thorough backup strategy that will work with my workflow.

I currently have a Macbook Pro with a 500GB internal drive. That drive is not large enough for all my storage needs, so I also have several external drives as well.

I also use both Time Machine to backup as well as iCloud (2TB family plan).

Where my brain is freezing up is finding the best tool, be it Carbonite or some similar service, or some other method to allow me to backup data right from my external drives, and to not lose data from any cloud storage if I take it off my internal drive.

If I understand correctly, if I move a file from my internal drive to the external drive then iCloud will not be of help since it is meant to sync between the internal drive and iCloud. So I need some additional strategy to make sure I can remove files from the internal drive but still have a cloud backup for them.

I have struggled with backup strategies since the days of tape drives, when you could do incremental backups. The whole notion of Time Machine baffles me - I know it is nice to be able to go back to an earlier point in time, but TM seems to eat up a lot of storage space duplicating things that are already saved - at least that's how my mind processes it.

I'm just curious what others have found that works well for them.

Icloud is not a backup.

3-2-1 Backup Strategy: three copies of your data, two different methods, and one offsite.

Boot clone https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-10081

How to use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201250

Use DiskUtility Restore feature https://support.apple.com/guide/disk-utility/restore-a-disk-dskutl14062/mac

note: >System Preferences>Security & Privacy >Privacy>Full Disk Access

unlock the padlock, press the + button and add Disk Utility

dan weisberg wrote:

I am looking for a more thorough backup strategy that will work with my workflow.

I'm just curious what others have found that works well for them.

I will add— iCloud is a sync service not a backup service:

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/syncing-overview-mchl923c1147/mac

FWIW, for total safety, nothing can replace something you can back up

to and literally hold in your hand. Putting trust in any cloud service is an

accident waiting to happen. What happens if a file or files are corrupted

and and you need the backups and the cloud server is down or or internet

is down or otherwise have no access to internet?

I have a three pronged strategy myself, none of which involve any

internet. First, I use Time Machine as a backup source for "incremental"

recovery, i.e. a bad update (system, app, etc.), corrupted files, or the basic

"Oh crap, I really did not want to delete that!"

Second, I do weekly system clones or manual clone before any macOS upgrade.

While you can recover an entire system from Time Machine backups, if you have

a lot of data in can be excruciatingly long time to recover. Example, I had done

some messing around one day and forgot to do a clone before doing it, caused

major issues and needed to do the restore from Time Machine. So, for a system

of 300+ GB, Time Machine took six hours to restore it. Had I done the clone before

hand, it would have taken a few minutes to reformat the internal drive and about an hour

or so to clone back to the internal.

My third strategy is back up data completely separate from all other backups.

Just as an example, being an amateur photographer, my photos are very important

to me. For those I actually have two separate external drives that I back them up to.

As inexpensive as storage solutions are today, there is no reason to have multiple

backups. There is a saying, "One backup is no backup since the backup itself can fail".

Another saying I like a lot, "The cloud is wonderful. The cloud is good. Until it isn't there."