Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Create Hands-off Versioned Backups
Whether or not you use Time Machine, you may use another product to create versioned
backups (that is, backups that store multiple versions of each file).
Dozens of apps
can do
this, including apps that back up data to the cloud, apps that back up data to local devices,
and apps that do both.
In any case, I simply want to emphasize that if you use any such app, you should be certain
it's configured to perform backups without any manual effort.
Some apps back up files as soon as they change, or at least within an hour or so—these
includeBackblaze, CrashPlan, DollyDrive, GoodSync,MemeoPremium BackupforMac,NTI
Shadow, Syncovery Professional Edition, Synchronize Pro X, and Synk. As long as that's the
case—and you haven't disabled automatic backups—you should be in good shape.
But many backup apps, especially those that have been around for many years, run only on
a schedule that you determine. Some apps can run as often as once per minute; others can
runnomorefrequentlythanonceperday.AppsthatrequireschedulingincludeChronoSync,
Prosoft Data Backup, Intego Personal Backup X6, and QRecall, among others.
Note:
Retrospect Desktop normally runs on a schedule, but it can be set to run
whenever client machines are available using its Proactive Backup feature.
Follow the instructions that came with your backup app to schedule backups. You can choose
what frequency works best for you, which should take into account how actively you modify
files and how much of an impact the backup app has on your system when it runs. For
me, once an hour is too infrequent, but even if you use your Mac only casually, I suggest
scheduling backups to run at least once a day.
What I use:
Because I write so much about backups, I have more backups than I
need, so I wouldn't necessarily tell you to do what I do. But I use a combination of
Time Machine, CrashPlan, and DollyDrive (with both local and cloud destinations) for
versioned backups, plus several cloud syncing services that store multiple versions of
certain files.
Schedule Bootable Duplicates
Alongwithversioned backups,bootableduplicatesareakeypillarofacompletebackupplan.
They let you get back to work quickly in the event of a hard drive failure, give you a useful
troubleshooting tool, and make upgrading to a new version of OS X safer.
