Time Machine and RAID
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
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.
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.
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.