Server Backup Software Recommendations

Question

Level 1

0 points

Server Backup Software Recommendations

I'm looking for recommendations for good backup software for a Mac mini running SLS. Here are the details of my situation.

I do NOT care about backing up the system volume--my server is for home use, and if I lose the system volume I'm content to simply reinstall the OS and reconfigure the handfull of services I'm using from scratch. What I do need to back up are users' home directories, shared AddressBook and iCal server data, and a handfull of shared folders that contain things like music, an iPhoto library, master copies of downloaded installable software, etc. In fact, all of the data I want to back up lives on a drive external to the server in folders named Users (the home directories like ~foo, etc.), Library (shared AddressBook server and Calendar server data directories), and Shared Items (music, software, iPhoto library).

Against all of the advice to the contrary I've been using TimeMachine. I thought this would be OK as all I wanted to backup was user data, and I don't care about configuration data and logs. But BOY OH BOY did I get screwed royally by TimeMachine. When I lost my data volume recently (the whole 1TB external disk went Tango Uniform), TM appeared to restore all of the actual data but mangled either the POSIX permissions bits or the ACLs or both. Almost NOTHING worked correctly... the iPhoto library won't open (all the data is there, but iPhoto says "the library is either in use or locked by another application", and all options to repair fail), the Quicken 2007 data file won't open (the Open dialog in Quicken doesn't even show the data file), and formerly executable software installers flatly don't execute (the icon launch animates, but nothing acutally runs and the console logs an unspecific permission denied error). I've been able to resolve most of these problems by dorking around with the POSIX permissions (by doing things like chmod -fR ugo=rwx) and the ACLs (using the Server Admin tool's File Sharing screen to assign and replicate ACLs), but it's been a long and painful process.

I've also had problems with TM hanging with no notice or alert... just goes off into la-la land and leaves the icon spinning on the menu bar. Sometimes I can resolve this by simply rebooting the server, sometimes I need to run a complete defrag. Once I had to completely turn off file indexing on the server to get TM to resume working.

Anyway, bottom line is that TM is unreliable and I need something else that:

Is completely "fire and forget"
Just. Freaking. Works. Always.
Will back up individual folders I select to another external hard disk
Starts with a full backup and then runs incrementals
Is as simple to use as TimeMachine, preferably with a similarly simplistic interface
Doesn't require me to write scripts or do much from the command line

Those last two--points #5 and #6--are there because I'm a system administrator by day and I spend 40-50 hours per week mucking around with Unix and Windows servers (including backups), and I DO NOT want to spend any of my off hours at home dealing with same.

iMac, MacBook, Mac Mini, iPhone 3G, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Mar 1, 2012 7:02 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

Jeff Kelleher

Level 4

3,075 points

Mar 1, 2012 8:29 PM in response to jlanter

Hve you looked at SuperDuper and/or Carbon Copy Cloner?

I don't use TM becasue it puts the backup inot one file, so besides the issues you found, data corruption is a real issue with TM, IMHO. As you mentioned, it gets flaky on its own from time to time as well.

I've never used it on servers, becasue everything I've read recommends not using it for servers.

SuperDuper and CCC make clones, so one bad bit here or there would only kill one file here or there.

I use CCC to make manual backups. It does scheduling, but I've not used that feature, because frankly, if I have a set it and forget it backup, I'm afraid that I will do just that, and I'll never know if it fails until it does and I need it.

SuperDuper also does scheduled backups.

Reply

Answer 2

steve359

Level 6

17,169 points

Mar 1, 2012 8:35 PM in response to jlanter

One thing to add to Jeff's recommendations of CCC or SupderDuper ... the clones are bootable, which means that if the primary internal disk dies, you can "option boot" off the external clone. Once you have booted off the clone, you can clone back onto the internal drive (whether the internal drive is repaired or a new replacement).

Reply

Answer 3

BobHarris

Level 9

53,315 points

Mar 2, 2012 5:50 AM in response to jlanter

I can 2nd/3rd SuperDuper and Carbon Copy Cloner (I use both). SuperDuper has saved me many times when I had a flaky PowerMac G5 years ago.

Carbon Copy Cloner is easy to configure so that you are backing up just specific sub-directory trees (of couse this type of CCC is not bootable, but would meet your described needs).

Both SuperDuper and Carbon Copy Cloner only keep a single copy, so you do not get the Time Machine backup in depth so you can go back too older versions of a file. Then again, you can run both TM and SD and/or CCC if you want both.

Finally I would suggest you look at CrashPlan (free if you use your own computers and storage). You can backup from other machines to a backup server over the net (including across the internet), and you can backup within the same machine to local storage. You could also arrange to backup to a computer system at a relative's house so you have your own off-site storage, or you can pay CrashPlan to host your off-site backups. CrashPlan runs on Macs and Windows. I've been using CrashPlan for keep my laptops backed up to my home Mac mini.

Reply

Answer 4

jlanter Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 21, 2012 6:21 PM in response to jlanter

Thanks for the responses, guys, I really appreciate it.

All three of you mentioned CCC, and I've seen it spoken of highly in other places as well. I decided to take the plunge and try it out. Setup and configuration was a snap, and it appears to be running regular backups just like I wanted. Obviously it lacks the "cool" interface of Time Machine, but if it's reliable then I don't really care. I especially like the options for configuring e-mail notifications of errors. That was one of my big gripes about Time Machine... when it would go off to la-la land and quit working, there was no notice--not even errors in the error log. I would only find out backups had stopped and been down when I would logon and check the icon.

Of course, I won't really know if CCC works until I have to do a restore, but I've checked its output closely and it not only appears to be getting everything, it also preserve the ACLs which I think were a part of the reason my iPhoto library didn't work after restoring it from Time Machine.

Anyhow, again, my thanks to you guys for taking the time to response with your advice and experience. If anyone else looks in on this thread, I can add my recommendation for CCC!

Reply

Answer 5

steve359

Level 6

17,169 points

Apr 21, 2012 7:30 PM in response to jlanter

Restores are very simple, but you also need to watch the "mode" you restore in. Backups are made in a mode that keeps "archive" data with several optional supporting directories in the "target".

I have restored twice, and there is a mode that just copies over as a "final destinatation" that does not create the archive subdirectories. Refer to the help that comes with your CCC for specific instructions.

Reply