Newsroom Update
Beginning in May, a special Today at Apple series titled “Made for Business” will offer small business owners and entrepreneurs free opportunities to learn how Apple products and services can support their growth and success. Learn more >
Beginning in May, a special Today at Apple series titled “Made for Business” will offer small business owners and entrepreneurs free opportunities to learn how Apple products and services can support their growth and success. Learn more >
I had heard in the past that Time Machine should never be used to backup OS X Server, though I have just read a couple of Apple Documents that indicate it can.
So I am wondering: what is the preferred method to backup an OS X Server?
Suggested Backup Software
2. Data Backup
3. Deja Vu
4. SuperDuper!
5. Synk Pro
6. Tri-Backup
Others may be found at VersionTracker or MacUpdate.
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.
Not Time Machine?
Not for me. I suppose you can set up a large, separate hard drive for your users' backups. They can use Time Machine. But I would use backup software designed for multi-user/machine backups. My preferences would be Synk Pro, Tri-Backup, or Carbon Copy Cloner.
I am talking about just backing up the server at this point.... not the users...
Same opinion. I'm not a lover of Time Machine.
This is the official line on backing up a server with TM:
Restoring OS X Server from a Time Machine backup
I've found that a full-system restore didn't result in a completely functional server. I'm not sure why not. The best practice is probably to use both TM and a mirroring tool such as "Carbon Copy Cloner" or "SuperDuper." In case of a bare-metal restore, I would restore from TM first in order to preserve the backup history, then (if necessary) restore from a mirror backup. Any files that need to be restored from the most recent snapshot can be recovered in the time-travel view.
Appropriate Backup Software for Server?
