Time Machine and RAID

Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
Yes, I know we haven't got Time machine yet, but I'm hoping someone understands its concept better than I do. If one were using RAID based drives [for examaple a Mac Pro with four disks, two striped as Raid 0 and two as redundant] would using Time Machine be better used on an external drive? The disc real estate that would be potentially used up, say just for one month's work, would be a serious dent in any volume, and the redundant RAID would be another copy of a month's worth of copies. I'm hoping an external drive dedicated to Time Machine files will be possible, although the new technology may make a back up RAID unnecessary.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 4
    chuckerchucker Posts: 5,089member
    RAID mirroring is not a backup. It protects against hardware failure, not against accidental overwriting, deleting or changing of data.
  • Reply 2 of 4
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Chucker View Post


    RAID mirroring is not a backup. It protects against hardware failure, not against accidental overwriting, deleting or changing of data.





    He brings up a good point, though. Or at least made me remember a question. If I were to have a Mac Pro with two or more hard-drives, could I use Time Machine and my second Hard-Drive to back up my primary one? I know we may not know those specifics, but it still is an interesting idea.
  • Reply 3 of 4
    chuckerchucker Posts: 5,089member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Macintosh_Next View Post


    If I were to have a Mac Pro with two or more hard-drives, could I use Time Machine and my second Hard-Drive to back up my primary one?



    Yes, you could.



    But imagine your Mac Pro gets stolen.



    Oh, at least you have a backup, right?



    No, that got stolen, too.



    A backup is best stored at a safe, separate location, which is why optical media, external hard drive or Internet-based backup are far better variants. Using an internal drive for backup purposes is certainly far better than nothing, but it's not as effective as alternatives.
  • Reply 4 of 4
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Macintosh_Next View Post


    He brings up a good point, though. Or at least made me remember a question. If I were to have a Mac Pro with two or more hard-drives, could I use Time Machine and my second Hard-Drive to back up my primary one? I know we may not know those specifics, but it still is an interesting idea.



    Yes you can. Although you would have to dedicate that second drive to Timemachine.
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