Just finished installing Tahoe 26 on my MBPro. Wanted to backup to my Time Machine (using my old Voyager “toaster” and WD disk (the toast) and my Voyager ap[ears ot be no longer working. Have checked the cables etc..all look ok. What are you all using for your Time Machine backups? Looks like I have to either buy another Voyager or what to use to make ™ backups…..recommendations please….thx
I abandoned my “Toaster” systems at least 8 years ago. I have no idea what you mean by “WD disk” unless you are talking about a WD brand 3.5 inch HDD.
In today’s world, I don’t feel out of line in saying, Toasters are Toast.
I have always had two current backups or one current backup and another off site 14 days or fewer in age.
My current TM system is two SSDs (USB-c type) continously connected. TM is smart enough to alternate between the two SSDs every other hour.
My preferred SSD today is https://tinyurl.com/mr3h34f9
It is easy to make a case for online/iCloud backups. I have used them, but do not currently. If you want to go that way, you need to check carefully. For several years, the BackBlaze system would back up an external drive, but if the external drive was disconnected, BackBlaze would delete the backup of that drive. Kind of a PITA for folks with very large image collections stored on external drives. There were other things related to Macs as opposed to Windows that bothered me, but I just don’t recall.
When I left my old 2010 Mac Pro behind and moved on to the M2 Mac Mini, I ordered and set up a 4 drive case from Other World Computing, moved all the 2 Tb drives from the Mac Pro into it, but designated the 4th HD as my TM… In the years since, I’ve had one spinner fail, replaced it, but all 4 drives are my backups, a bit overkill, but a setup in Carbon Copy Cloner handles the first 3 drives, generally nightly… The SSD only takes a minute, the spinners vary, so it seems their internal abilities determine how long they take… Time Machine just does it’s thing, rarely used, but it’s there if needed…
No external, removable drives, I did ad a DVD external drive, only because of all the old disks around, but I haven’t burned a DVD in ages it seems…
Likely too many backups, but..
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And I thought I was the last person with a DVD burner – I still have my Apple SuperDrive and USB-A converter so I could connect it to my Mac.
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As a backup, my old Mac Pro still lives next to my dest, and it has two superdrive in it, so I could do copies, but there’s been no need.. In fact the family has all moved on as well, so I doubt they even have DVD drives on their machines any more either.. I remember once being concerned about the lifespan of DVD disks, well, no need to worry, few use them any more.. USB thumb drives, maybe, but maybe all our interests have shifted…
My bigger headache is all those old HDs, as well as old Superdrives and such out on the garage, too nice to toss, the HDs need to be destroyed, likely still have some financial or family history files on them… I have a LARGE bolt cutter, 3’ handles, if it’s jaws open wide enough, maybe just crunch 'em… Add them to the other electronic waste out there I need to take to the next local drop-off… Too many years of collecting Apple/Mac ‘stuff’!!
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Back to the topic, you might look for a simpler solution for TM, just use a larger capacity thumb drive, like an SSD, very fast, just plug n play, almost… I see many of 1Tb, or even 2 Tb ones on Amazon… And as they are portable, easily taken with if needed…
I use them for travel, handy…
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Looking at Amazon now for SSD drives.thx
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Installed ssd w/o issues, wondering if I can setup a different schedule for ™ backup for each of different ssd drives?
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When I installed a second SSD, I just let them do their things - I did have both SSDs set up and TMs and accepted the default of 1 backup every hour. It took about 4 hours and boom I got backups alternating between the two SSDs an hour apart. Weekend culling also sorts itself out.
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sounds like it works well for you. I have researched to find out if I can set up the two drives with a different backup schedule for each of them. For instance, 1 would back up daily, the other, hourly or weekly etc….From all I’ve been able to find out, ™ doesn’t have that capabiity.
The short answer is no. But I think the very long answer shows you will get almost exactly what you want. Below are 3 screenshots of some files in my TM#1. These are the Oldest Data, The Newest Data, and “Changing Data”.
When you are looking at the dates and times, remember that I have 2 SSDs - basically individually the make a backup (if needed) every other hour. TM is smart enough to know I am not working on my computer at 3:00am and also I don’t get much email between midnight and say 7:00am. So if TM#1 has a scheduled backup at 3:23am and nothing has happened since its previous backup (at about 1:25am) - the TM software does not make that 3:23am backup.
Oldest Data - this is weekly
Newest data – this is hourly.
Changing Frequency see how it starte with ~ 1 week and then Daily and finally hourly - or every 2 hours because TM#2 gets a backup between each of the TM#1 backups.
The change from hourly to daily has break points either the last BU before midnight or the first after. The daily to weekly happens about midnight Saturday or Sunday.
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thanks Gordon, Very informative. Awaiting new cable.
thanks, Gordon. Very informative.