What is this CCC 'privileged helper tool' and is it safe to use.
I've watched loads of videos on CCC to see how it works, and this has never been mentioned once
Is it a new thing, and is it giving them too much permission? It looks like it's a new addition
MacBook Pro
Others have covered this, but I also added a Kbase article (just now) that offers more information about what a privileged helper tool is, and why we use one: What is CCC's Privileged Helper Tool? | Carbon Copy Cloner | Bombich Software
It's definitely not new, we've been using a PHT for 9 years now; since Snow Leopard. But you're really seeing it now because Mojave requires you to grant it full disk access. It's frustrating to us that Apple is forcing you to do this manually vs. having a dialog in which you could immediately grant access. I actually spoke with the Privacy team at Apple's developer conference and made a case for a dialog. They insisted on the laborious method, they want it to be more difficult. So here we are, now you're forced to take a look at CCC's underwear.
The level of access that you're granting to CCC is also not new, CCC has had (and required) that level of access all along. We can't make a backup of your startup disk and all of your data without being able to read those files.
Mike
Bombich Software, Inc.
Others have covered this, but I also added a Kbase article (just now) that offers more information about what a privileged helper tool is, and why we use one: What is CCC's Privileged Helper Tool? | Carbon Copy Cloner | Bombich Software
It's definitely not new, we've been using a PHT for 9 years now; since Snow Leopard. But you're really seeing it now because Mojave requires you to grant it full disk access. It's frustrating to us that Apple is forcing you to do this manually vs. having a dialog in which you could immediately grant access. I actually spoke with the Privacy team at Apple's developer conference and made a case for a dialog. They insisted on the laborious method, they want it to be more difficult. So here we are, now you're forced to take a look at CCC's underwear.
The level of access that you're granting to CCC is also not new, CCC has had (and required) that level of access all along. We can't make a backup of your startup disk and all of your data without being able to read those files.
Mike
Bombich Software, Inc.
The privileged helper tool isn't new. The following article is from 2017: Carbon Copy Cloner's Privileged Helper Tool | Carbon Copy Cloner | Bombich Software
But with Mojave there are some changes. See: Granting Full Disk Access to CCC and its helper tool | Carbon Copy Cloner | Bombich Software
It is safe. I don't remember being asked before either. However, with Mojave when installing the CCC update there is a new prompt that requires you to go to System Preferences. That wasn't a necessary step before Mojave.
I'd like to take a closer look at the configuration, especially with regard to the partitioning question. Can you choose "Ask a question" from CCC's Help menu to open a support request on our Help Desk? Please submit your logs along with that request so I can see how your disks are partitioned.
Thanks,
Mike
Can you also answer why something like downloads is in a different order in the desktop dock folder, and not mirror image of the drive?
If that Dock stack is sorted by "Date Added", then the sorting on a backup volume will be different than on the source. That's not a CCC limitation, you'd see the same result if you restored from a Time Machine backup (for example). Apple doesn't allow setting of the "Date added" attribute on HFS+ nor APFS, they literally zero-out any attempts to change that value. As a result, the "Date added" attribute of a file can't be preserved on any backup. If you sort by another attribute, e.g. the modification date or alphabetically, then the sort order will be preserved.
Addressing an earlier comment:
I've been using the version that backed up Snow Leopard previously, and just a few months ago was the last time I used it, and I'd never been asked for it previously.
If you were running CCC on Snow Leopard, that would have been CCC v3, in which case you'd have been prompted to authenticate every time you wanted to save a task or make changes to scheduled tasks. CCC 3 was using a privileged helper tool, but we weren't specifically calling it out by name.
I can't update to Mojave on mine, but it asked for me to sign in and allow it just after I clicked 'clone', and won't clone without the permission, unless anyone knows different
Thanks for answering Mike, I can't go to Mojave as my MBP is too old. I've been using the version that backed up Snow Leopard previously, and just a few months ago was the last time I used it, and I'd never been asked for it previously. That was just pressing 'clone' and that was all there was to it. So that would be the version that didn't ask for it, I'm guessing. I have downloaded the latest one to back up Sierra, which I'd not done as of yet, and that's when it came up, after I clicked 'clone'. That's why I was confused as to what it was. Setting the disk from and to, etc. You'd expect to see the permission for it, before it allows you to do all of that, if that makes sense?
Thanks Mike, Yes, I do change that in Finder, but the Dock one set as grid isn't affected, I hadn't ever changed it, but after trying, added/modified/created etc. It's still different to the original. It's not a problem, Only reason I asked is when I backed up SL, it was identical in every way. Including that.
Re: Older version, Honestly, I was never asked to authenticate when using older version? On install, probably just that once, But, It was as simple as pressing 'clone'. Again, no biggie, but was just curious.
Out of curiosity, I have done another CCC from scratch, and the same thing happens
The order doesn't correspond to Date Added, Modified, or Created/Kind. It's a different order. I tried all of them, and the clone is a different order to all of the options
One other thing,
Why does CCC site show a preparation of hard disk prior to first clone, using the Erase in Disk Utility, and many others show partitioning, 1 Partition, Is there any difference to that and erasing?
I can yeh, but regarding the partitioning, your videos show the preparation in Disk Utility as just 'Erase' before doing a clone.
I'm just asking why a lot of users use 1 'Partition' and you recommend 'Erase' before commencing.
I just assume it's one or the other and which one is correct? What configuration are you asking about
Erase vs. Partition may just be a difference in how Disk Utility presents this in pre-El Capitan OSes vs. post-El Capitan OSes. Prior to 10.11, you'd click the "Partition" tab in Disk Utility to prepare a disk (even if you were only creating one partition). In El Capitan and later, the "Partition" button serves only to add partitions to a disk that is already partitioned. If you're just erasing a disk and you only want one partition, then you use the Erase function.
Thanks, that's weird, I didn't use it that long ago but never got asked to allow it on there.
So it's safe to use then.....
For me it would clone in Mojave without my first granting full disk access but it reported an error when complete stating that there were some files that it was unable to backup.
And presumably, that's version 5, why are we all getting different results using it?
Is Super Duper as good? Never used that one
SuperDuper is a very good clone application, but lacks a few of the features/flexibility CCC has based on what I've read. I use SuperDuper.
Using Carbon Copy Cloner?
