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Mac Forum / Country Specific / UK Mac Group / May 2008time machine - will it back up things like /usr/local ?
Does TM back up places like /usr/local, /usr/bin, /etc, /var and so on? Or does it only back up folders that are readily visible in the Finder? The configuration screen is somewhat delphic in this respect. Ian. -- >Does TM back up places like /usr/local, /usr/bin, /etc, /var and so on? >Or does it only back up folders that are readily visible in the Finder? >The configuration screen is somewhat delphic in this respect. It backs up everything, with minor exceptions. You can do a bare-metal restore from the Leopard DVD plus the TM backup. The configuration screen, like everything else in the UI, hides the Unix underpinnings of OS X from the poor easily-confused user. Cheers - Jaimie  Signature"Hard as nails, hard as nails - So would you be if you lived one hundred and eighty years on sunflower seeds and biscuit crumbs." - Polynesia >> Does TM back up places like /usr/local, /usr/bin, /etc, /var and so on? >> Or does it only back up folders that are readily visible in the Finder? >> The configuration screen is somewhat delphic in this respect. > > It backs up everything, with minor exceptions. You can do a bare-metal > restore from the Leopard DVD plus the TM backup. Good news. I have things like my Rails configuration, MySQL databases, Joomla websites in /Library/WebServer and so on and want to be able to do a Migration Assistant thingie from a TM backup including these things. > The configuration screen, like everything else in the UI, hides the > Unix underpinnings of OS X from the poor easily-confused user. ...which is all very well until you actually want to see those underpinnings. One of the things I have always like about the Mac is being able to do things the easy way but also being able to get under the covers when I need to. Time Machine doesn't really make this second bit that easy. BTW how did you find out exactly what TM backs up - is there some technical documentation somewhere? Thanks, Ian. -- >>> Does TM back up places like /usr/local, /usr/bin, /etc, /var and so on? >>> Or does it only back up folders that are readily visible in the Finder? [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >do a Migration Assistant thingie from a TM backup including these >things. Ah, now I don't know if MA will pull that stuff back in... I've not really experimented with it, but from the UI it feels a bit Aqua oriented rather than Darwin. If MA will do it for a Mac-to-Mac migration, then it'll do it from a TM backup - the TM backup is just a filewise backup of a Mac (plus versioning), after all. One of the new options on the Leopard DVD is "Restore from Time Machine backup", which does the bare-metal thing. You can't use Disk Utility to do this, which I think is a shame. >> The configuration screen, like everything else in the UI, hides the >> Unix underpinnings of OS X from the poor easily-confused user. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >being able to do things the easy way but also being able to get under >the covers when I need to. If by "always" you mean "since OS X debuted", then absolutely. I love having a house full of Unix boxes. >Time Machine doesn't really make this second >bit that easy. BTW how did you find out exactly what TM backs up - is >there some technical documentation somewhere? My Administrative account has "show bloody everything" enabled in Finder, and you can browse around your TM backup. It's terribly messy for day to day use though. Cheers - Jaimie Signature"The problem is not that the world is full of fools, it's that lightning isn't being distributed correctly." - Mark Twain > Ah, now I don't know if MA will pull that stuff back in... I've not > really experimented with it, but from the UI it feels a bit Aqua > oriented rather than Darwin. Precisely my worry. I'll take a closer look at the backup I've done. > My Administrative account has "show bloody everything" enabled in > Finder, and you can browse around your TM backup. It's terribly messy > for day to day use though. That sounds like an option I'd like to use! Though "show bloody everything" is not on my menu bar, sadly... how do you enable this? Ian. -- > > Ah, now I don't know if MA will pull that stuff back in... I've not > > really experimented with it, but from the UI it feels a bit Aqua [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > That sounds like an option I'd like to use! Though "show bloody > everything" is not on my menu bar, sadly... how do you enable this? Tinker Tool, for instance, or Onyx. Signatureflavio matani guitar tuition homepage.mac.com/flavio_matani/guitar/ www.livejournal.com/users/flavius_m/ On 12/05/2008, Flavio Matani wrote in message <1igtlsg.28v99lzcak6hN%flavio_mataniTAKETHISBITOUT@mac.com>: > > That sounds like an option I'd like to use! Though "show bloody > > everything" is not on my menu bar, sadly... how do you enable this? > > Tinker Tool, for instance, or Onyx. defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleShowAllFiles YES Then log out and log in again. (Or reboot.) Simon. Signaturehttp://www.hearsay.demon.co.uk >> The configuration screen, like everything else in the UI, hides the >> Unix underpinnings of OS X from the poor easily-confused user. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > the covers when I need to. Time Machine doesn't really make this second > bit that easy. You might want to look into tms, which allows cvs-style querying of Time machine backups. I haven't used it yet, I only discovered it today and my Mac isn't accepting remote access for some reason. http://fernlightning.com/doku.php?id=software:misc:tms SignatureYou know porn has become an addiction when you are standing at the petrol pump filling your bike and just before you top it off, you pull the hose out and spray it all over the tank. > You might want to look into tms, which allows cvs-style querying of Time > machine backups. I haven't used it yet, I only discovered it today and my > Mac isn't accepting remote access for some reason. > > http://fernlightning.com/doku.php?id=software:misc:tms Oooh. Downloaded - will be playing with this later. Cheers, Ian >>> The configuration screen, like everything else in the UI, hides the >>> Unix underpinnings of OS X from the poor easily-confused user. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > http://fernlightning.com/doku.php?id=software:misc:tms Cool - very useful. Paul On 11/05/2008, Ian Piper wrote in message <68p6f1F2ucajmU1@mid.individual.net>: > BTW how did you find out exactly what TM backs up - is > there some technical documentation somewhere? You can just look at the disk it backs up onto, and open folders and images as appropriate. You'll see the actual files there. By the way, I used Time Machine to back up my MacBook Pro (which is an Intel Mac). I then booted from the Leopard System DVD and used the menu item to restore the backup onto my old PowerBook G4 (which is a PPC computer) which had a completely blank hard disk. It worked perfectly. Simon. Signaturehttp://www.hearsay.demon.co.uk In article <otie24pn496kq4nfprondaq3b0be1hkrkj@newsposting.sessile.org>, > It backs up everything, with minor exceptions. You can do a bare-metal > restore from the Leopard DVD plus the TM backup. What exceptions? Are you saying if my only HD died, I could restore *everything* to the previous state by 1) reinstalling the system and 2) recovering everything else (user files, additional applications) from the TM backup? I'm very interested in TM, but haven't been able to find information on a *total restore* on Apple's site. SignatureCheers Martin > In article > <otie24pn496kq4nfprondaq3b0be1hkrkj@newsposting.sessile.org>, [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > I'm very interested in TM, but haven't been able to find information on > a *total restore* on Apple's site. I have had to do a "bare metal" restore twice using time machine (I was messing about with scanner drivers and was unable to uninstall them - not the Mac's fault). The only manual intervention needed to get back to what appeared to be 100% normal was to reconnect Mail to its library and re-register Seahaven Towers. But you do have to do it from the Install CD - and DO NOT start the standard install when it has booted. Look in the menus for the Time Machine option. Obviously it helps to have a completely up-to-date TM backup! I only turn off the USB external drive when I am going to unplug the Mac from the mains - e.g. for casual thunderstorms, or a protracted absence from home. John. SignaturePlease reply to john at yclept dot wanadoo dot co dot uk. ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** > In article > <otie24pn496kq4nfprondaq3b0be1hkrkj@newsposting.sessile.org>, [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > I'm very interested in TM, but haven't been able to find information on > a *total restore* on Apple's site. PS - I don't know if you gathered this from my previous message, but you do NOT reinstall the system and then recover everything else. The TM backup contains all your system, complete with any updates you may have acquired since you first installed it. John. SignaturePlease reply to john at yclept dot wanadoo dot co dot uk. ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com ** > PS - I don't know if you gathered this from my previous message, but you > do NOT reinstall the system and then recover everything else. The TM > backup contains all your system, complete with any updates you may have > acquired since you first installed it. Makes sense, thanks! SignatureCheers Martin >In article ><otie24pn496kq4nfprondaq3b0be1hkrkj@newsposting.sessile.org>, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >What exceptions? System caches, manual exceptions that you've added, and files that applications have marked as "Not for TM backups" like Parallels and VMware do for their virtual disk images (I think). This last certainly has potential to be a problem. >Are you saying if my only HD died, I could restore *everything* to the >previous state by 1) reinstalling the system and 2) recovering >everything else (user files, additional applications) from the TM backup? Nope. You boot off the Leopard CD, choose Tools/Restore from backup, connect your TM disk and pick a backup and date to restore to the computer. (A tip for those using unsupported NAS for TM, it'll only find supported disks.) Cheers - Jaimie SignatureNever sleep with anyone crazier than you are. >>Are you saying if my only HD died, I could restore *everything* to the >>previous state by 1) reinstalling the system and 2) recovering [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > (A tip for those using unsupported NAS for TM, it'll only find > supported disks.) Those of you using Airport Disks (which became accidentally 'supported' in 10.5.mumble) can just unplug the disk from the Airport and plug it into the mac, and it is recognised. -zoara- Signature09-f9-11-02-9d-74-e3-5b-d8-41-56-c5-63-56-88-c0 >>In article >><otie24pn496kq4nfprondaq3b0be1hkrkj@newsposting.sessile.org>, [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Cheers - Jaimie Ooh - nasty - was thinking of going down the route of using a NAS offering that I doubt is supported - is there a work-around to dig oneself out of that hole? Cheers, Marlon >>>Are you saying if my only HD died, I could restore *everything* to the >>>previous state by 1) reinstalling the system and 2) recovering [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >offering that I doubt is supported - is there a work-around to dig >oneself out of that hole? Yes, but it's a bit tedious. The NAS will store the TM backup as a bundle named "machine_macaddress.sparseimage", which you could copy off to a FAT or HFS+ formatted USB drive using another machine. If you include the hidden .files from the NAS root directory as well, that should work out fine. I've not tried that for a bare metal restore, but I have done the copy process and used the disk as the TM drive under a running OSX. Cheers - Jaimie Signature"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary." -- James Nicoll, rasfw > Does TM back up places like /usr/local, /usr/bin, /etc, /var and so on? > Or does it only back up folders that are readily visible in the Finder? > The configuration screen is somewhat delphic in this respect. It does here. The whole lot, by the looks of it. Signatureflavio matani guitar tuition homepage.mac.com/flavio_matani/guitar/ www.livejournal.com/users/flavius_m/ >> Does TM back up places like /usr/local, /usr/bin, /etc, /var and so on? >> Or does it only back up folders that are readily visible in the Finder? >> The configuration screen is somewhat delphic in this respect. > > It does here. The whole lot, by the looks of it. Ah, thanks. I was about to go and check the latest backup, so that is good news. Now let's just hope that the Migration Assistant will restore it! Ian. -- |
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