Time Machine MobileBackups

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Ugi1971 Author

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Time Machine MobileBackups

Hi all, I'm new here, so please accept my apologies if my question has been already posted and maybe solved.

I've just noticed that under /Volumes it has been created a volume called "MobileBackups". Why has it been created as before today there wasn't such a volume? MobileBackups has never been present since few minutes ago!

Infact That Volume contains "backup.backupdb" and it was created few minutes ago, precisely at 4.45 on Feb 01.

In addiction, the icon of that volume appeared on my desktop only for a while.

Would you mind explaining me why the volume "MobileBackups" appeared only today and what it is useful for, please?

What might cause that volume to appear only today?

Thanks a lot.

All the Best

Ugi

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Jan 31, 2012 8:58 PM

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Answer 1

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Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Feb 1, 2012 4:11 PM in response to Ugi1971

That contains your Local Snapshots, and has been there since you started using Time Machine on Lion.

(They're actually in a hidden folder named /.MobileBackups, but also appears in /Volumes for convenience.)

The modified dates are always the date of the last Local Snapshot; and the sizes are meaningless.

These are similar to Time Machine backups, so you'll have access to (at most) the last week's worth of changes while you're away from your normal backup volume.

They're temporary and expendable -- if your disk gets to 80% full, they'll be deleted, so under most circumstances, you don't need to worry about them.

See Time Machine - Frequently Asked Question #30 for the gory details.

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Answer 2

Ugi1971 Author

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Feb 2, 2012 12:22 AM in response to Ugi1971

Thanks a lot Pondini

As far as I understand local snapshots are useful whenever i'm away with The external HDD where TM stores Lion's backup disconnected but regardless it is connected or not, local snapshots are always created (if free space is enough). Am I wrong?

In addiction local snapshots should explain me Why sometimes I see internal HDD's free space drammatically reduced even though I'm Not doing anything that may "eat" space. If I'm Not wrong I should be given space back once The local snapshots will be deleted. Does it make sense?

Thanks.

All The best

Ugi

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Answer 3

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Feb 2, 2012 8:02 AM in response to Ugi1971

Ugi1971 wrote:

. . .

As far as I understand local snapshots are useful whenever i'm away with The external HDD where TM stores Lion's backup disconnected but regardless it is connected or not, local snapshots are always created (if free space is enough). Am I wrong?

No, you are correct. 🙂

In addiction local snapshots should explain me Why sometimes I see internal HDD's free space drammatically reduced even though I'm Not doing anything that may "eat" space. If I'm Not wrong I should be given space back once The local snapshots will be deleted. Does it make sense?

That's not Local Snapshots. They don't really grow, at least not in the usual sense.

They work sort of backwards from the way other backups do: when you make a normal backup, you make a copy of the current contents of a file, so that takes up additional space (usually on an external HD).

When you change or delete a file and Time Machine is active with enough space available, the file isn't really deleted; it's just hidden from you (and the Finder) for a while.

So if your free space is decreasing rapidly, it's possible that you're changing big files or folders, making new ones, but the old ones aren't really getting deleted.

More likely, though, it's a problem with hidden or system files. See Where did my Disk Space go? for ways to find and fix them.

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Answer 4

Ugi1971 Author

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Feb 3, 2012 12:35 PM in response to Pondini

Hi Pondini,

perfect, all is clear. Thank you

Just a last question.

The Volume MobileBackups doesn't appear on my desktop (or Finder) and that's strange because the folder /Volumes/MobileBackups isn't HIDDEN.

I issued the command "ls -ladeO@ /Volumes/MobileBackups and the output was

"drwxrwxrwx 0 root wheel 0 3 Feb 21:05 MobileBackups"

That confirms that it isn't an hidden directory (volume) so I would expect it to be listed in a Finder window or on desktop as it happens for my other volumes like HDDs.

Would you mind explaining me why that happens (I mean why MobileBackups doesn't show up even though it isn't hiddden), please?

Notice that the volume MobileBackups appears only once on my desktop/Finder and that's really strange because I can assure I hadn't changed anything before and I didn't change anything after!

Thanks so much.

All the best.

Ugi

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Answer 5

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Feb 3, 2012 12:48 PM in response to Ugi1971

Ugi1971 wrote:

. . .

The Volume MobileBackups doesn't appear on my desktop (or Finder) and that's strange because the folder /Volumes/MobileBackups isn't HIDDEN.

I issued the command "ls -ladeO@ /Volumes/MobileBackups and the output was

"drwxrwxrwx 0 root wheel 0 3 Feb 21:05 MobileBackups"

That confirms that it isn't an hidden directory (volume) so I would expect it to be listed in a Finder window or on desktop as it happens for my other volumes like HDDs.

Yes, the actual folder (it's not a volume) is hidden: /.MobileBackups. It also appears, unhidden, in /Volumes.

Showing hidden items on the internal HD:

Showing /Volumes:

It's the same thing. (Note that the sizes are meaningless.)

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Answer 6

Ugi1971 Author

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Feb 3, 2012 1:28 PM in response to Pondini

I don't understand.

The volume (not the directory) is unhidden so I should see it but I don't.

In addiction, in your screenshot you red rounded "/Volumes". You can see it in the finder. I presume that you unhid /Volumes. Right? If I select Macintosh HD (that is /) I don't see "Volumes".

How can you make the hidden DIRECTORIES visible in the Finder without unhiding them (I mean without canceling the dot before their names)?

All the best,

Ugi

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Answer 7

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Feb 3, 2012 1:47 PM in response to Ugi1971

Ugi1971 wrote:

I don't understand.

The volume (not the directory) is unhidden so I should see it but I don't.

From a Finder menubar, select Go > Go to Folder and type /Volumes in the prompt.

That works for hidden files & folders, but not those you're not authorized to see. If you type /.MobileBackups int the same prompt, you'll get this:

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Answer 8

Ugi1971 Author

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Feb 3, 2012 2:13 PM in response to Pondini

Pondini wrote:

Ugi1971 wrote:

I don't understand.

The volume (not the directory) is unhidden so I should see it but I don't.

From a Finder menubar, select Go > Go to Folder and type /Volumes in the prompt.

That works for hidden files & folders, but not those you're not authorized to see. If you type /.MobileBackups int the same prompt, you'll get this:

Right!

What I'd like you to tell me is how you can get the following view:

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/78463040

and how I can show the full path on the title bar (now I can see the relative path only).

Thanks again.

All the best,

Ugi

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Answer 9

Pondini

Level 8

38,863 points

Feb 3, 2012 2:28 PM in response to Ugi1971

Oh, sorry, I misunderstood. 😟

There are a couple of ways:

Use the (free) TinkerTool app, per #A3 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting.

Or, run

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles 1

via Terminal, then Restart/Relaunch the Finder (reverse by changing the "1" to zero).

and how I can show the full path on the title bar (now I can see the relative path only).

Not sure what you mean. The folder is really /.MobileBackups but also appears as a volume in /Volumes.

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Answer 10

Ugi1971 Author

Level 1

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Feb 3, 2012 2:51 PM in response to Pondini

Great! Thanks.

Not sure what you mean. The folder is really /.MobileBackups but also appears as a volume in /Volumes.

Yes, that's right.

I asked something different. Sorry for being unclear. I try to explain better what I meant.

Now look at below:

I'm in "Components" directory (whose full path is /System/Library/Components) but if you take a look at the title bar you can see simply "Components" (red rounded) which is the relative path. I'd like to have the full path instead of the relative one on the title bar exactly like you have.

I know there's the option "show path" from the "View" menu and aother stuff like that...I'm focused on the title bar only (it's a matter of curiosity)

Could you help me?

All the best,

Ugi

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