apfs snapshot | cloning

Hi EsTaF,

Unfortunately APFS doesn't have the ability to create ZFS-style clones of snapshots. You can, however, copy data from a mounted snapshot, or use asr to copy the complete contents and metadata of a snapshot to another APFS volume. Both operations are "copy" operations - they will require more free space than the size of the snapshot contents in order to complete.

Hi EsTaF,

I took a look at the mount_apfs command and figured out the correct syntax to mount the APFS snapshots!

Let's assume that I have a Time Machine backup store on an APFS volume named "Strawberry", and the volume is mounted at /Volumes/Strawberry. To mount a snapshot named com.apple.TimeMachine.2021-11-23-120928.backup (which resides on Strawberry) at the (pre-existing) directory /tmp/mySnap, use this command:

mount_apfs -s com.apple.TimeMachine.2021-11-23-120928.backup /Volumes/Strawberry /tmp/mySnap

In short (after -s):

• First: Name of the snapshot you want to mount
• Second: Mountpoint of the (already mounted) Time Machine backup volume (the live APFS volume that contains the desired snapshot)
• Third: Directory on which the snapshot should be mounted to

Also, for APFS Time Machine backup drives, there is an easier way to browse snapshots: Simply navigate to the live backup volume in Finder. You'll notice that a lot of disk icons appear inside. Opening any of those will mount the corresponding snapshot and let you view its contents.

If you want to mount a local snapshot (a temporary APFS snapshot of your internal Data volume), try the below instead. This example assumes that the local snapshot is named com.apple.TimeMachine.2021-11-20-115813.local, and I'm trying to mount it at the (pre-existing) directory at /tmp/mySnap:

mount_apfs -s com.apple.TimeMachine.2021-11-20-115813.local /System/Volumes/Data /tmp/mySnap

Hope this helps!

EDIT: Fixed a few things.

EsTaF wrote:

Accidentally added a point to the exceptions of the time machine that is needed.

Hope that the snapshots of the apfs have everything, no exceptions.

I'd found only a hint, how to mount a such one:

mount_apfs -s com.apple.TimeMachine.2021-11-24-124130 / ~/Desktop/111

But this is not the moment that is needed. The snapshot may be busy at all.

And how to make a clone of a snap?

Example on my bsd one:

zfs clone estaf/ww/date@yesterday estaf/home/tmp/point

"BSD one" ?

This seems a good question for your third party app Developer...?

If in doubt refer to the developers website; Support/Help/FAQ/known issues/compatibility:

https://docs.oracle.com/en/

https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19253-01/819-5461/gbcxz/index.html

Contact a third party vendor

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201777

Other third party options: Carbon Copy Cloner

Leveraging Snapshots on APFS Volumes | Carbon Copy Cloner

What is the bigger picture— independent of your approach above, what is it you are trying to accomplish...?