English Rebel

Q: Backup Software

I have a DROBO 5N network drive that I've been using to back up my MackBook Air using Time Machine. The only problem is that on a fairly regular basis I get a message from Time Machine that says it cannot verify the backup and needs to start from scratch.

Has anyone use an alternate backup program that uses a network drive and can do incremental backups like Time Machine? I don't mind paying for it.

Thanks

Alan

MacBook Air, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2)

Posted on Sep 9, 2016 5:24 AM

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Q: Backup Software

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  • Helpful answers

  • by dwb,Helpful

    dwb dwb Sep 9, 2016 9:19 AM in response to English Rebel
    Level 7 (24,063 points)
    Notebooks
    Sep 9, 2016 9:19 AM in response to English Rebel

    There’s nothing quite like TimeMachine but there are several good backup programs that archive files that have been changed since the last backup. I like ChronoSync and DataBackup. I’ve used both but for my purposes I like ChronoSync a little better to that’s the one I’m using now. Both will back up to a mounted network drive and both can be set to keep archives of changed files.

     

    One caveat: while I use ChronoSync to back up to a NAS I’m not using it as a source for using Migration Assistant to restore my iMac. I decided that wasn’t a good solution. Instead, I back up data only to the NAS and I use a local USB 3 drive for keeping a TimeMachine backup.

  • by Boyd Porter,

    Boyd Porter Boyd Porter Sep 9, 2016 8:33 AM in response to English Rebel
    Level 3 (963 points)
    Sep 9, 2016 8:33 AM in response to English Rebel
  • by etresoft,

    etresoft etresoft Sep 9, 2016 8:39 AM in response to English Rebel
    Level 7 (29,056 points)
    Sep 9, 2016 8:39 AM in response to English Rebel

    Hello English Rebel,

    Many NAS devices advertise compatibility with Time Machine. But they all use the same, flaky, open-source Apple share protocol. Sometimes the code they use is over a decade old.

     

    If you want wireless backups, the only reliable solution is a genuine Apple Time Capsule.

  • by English Rebel,

    English Rebel English Rebel Sep 9, 2016 9:19 AM in response to etresoft
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 9, 2016 9:19 AM in response to etresoft

    Time Capsule does not have redundancy. My DROBO can take up to five 5TB drives.

    Alan

     

    BTW I wonder if it's because DROBO used SHARES to create a separate area for my MBAir and MacPro?

  • by English Rebel,

    English Rebel English Rebel Sep 9, 2016 9:23 AM in response to dwb
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 9, 2016 9:23 AM in response to dwb

    Thanks I'll look into that.  I do have a 1TB USB 3 hard drive that I used to use for Time Machine before I got the NAS so I'll do a full Time Machine backup to it and keep it if I ever need to do a complete restore.

    I assume in that case I would boot to the USB drive, restore from there and then recover my personal data by entering Time Machine and restoring the latest backup from there.

    Thanks

    Alan

  • by Allan Eckert,

    Allan Eckert Allan Eckert Sep 9, 2016 9:29 AM in response to English Rebel
    Level 9 (53,457 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 9, 2016 9:29 AM in response to English Rebel

    I concur with etresoft on his recommendation against the use of NAS for backup of Macs.

     

    I have had to help a number of user move their backups from NAS to storage systems that are recommended by Apple after their backups to NAS became corrupted. There are just to many problems when NAS are used for backup.

  • by etresoft,

    etresoft etresoft Sep 9, 2016 9:35 AM in response to English Rebel
    Level 7 (29,056 points)
    Sep 9, 2016 9:35 AM in response to English Rebel

    Hello again English Rebel,

    You could plug an external RAID into the USB expansion port on the Time Capsule and use that. But if you really need that level of non-consumer redundancy, you might be better off with OS X Server, which includes a Time Machine service.