Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
devices that use them—are the best bet for small networks. Since
you'll be backing up multiple Macs, the drives you use will have
to be suitably large. Also, if you're making duplicates that you
may later wish to boot from, be sure to partition the hard disks
so that each startup disk on the network gets its own partition for
a duplicate. (I cover this in
Prepare Your Hard Drive
.)
•
Bandwidth:
You can perform a network backup using a wireless
network, but even with an 802.11n Wi-Fi network, real-world
performance is such that you get less throughput than a wired
100 megabit Ethernet connection will give you (and
far
less
than a gigabit Ethernet connection)—so backups will take longer,
especially if you're duplicating an entire hard disk. (Under ideal
circumstances, an 802.11ac connection can theoretically be faster
than gigabit Ethernet, but that requires the very latest gear—and
your throughput is unlikely ever to reach those speeds.) In any case,
you definitely want the highest-bandwidth network connection
you can get. If your computer uses multiple network interfaces, you
can ensure that the wired network is used in preference to AirPort
when both are available.
To do this, go to the Network pane of System Preferences, and
if the padlock icon in the corner is locked, click it and enter your
administrator password to unlock it. Then choose Set Service order
from the pop-up menu, drag Ethernet to the top of the list, and
click OK. Finally, click Apply in the main Network pane.
•
Availability:
For a scheduled network backup to occur, both server
and client machines must be turned on and awake. If your machines
are currently not left on all the time, check the Energy Saver pane
of System Preferences on each computer to ensure that it won't be
off or asleep when backups occur. (For more info, read the sidebar
