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  #1  
Old 02-07-2006, 10:17 PM
DrDan in MA DrDan in MA is offline
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Question "Pull" a backup from a remotely mounted disk?

From P. 18 of the user's guide:
  • Backing up over a network

    Backing up to a network volume with SuperDuper! is as easy as backing up to a local volume, with a few special considerations. First, SuperDuper! cannot write directly to the network volume itself. Instead, you must store your backup in an image – preferably a Read/Write “Sparse” Image.
To me, this implies that the scenario is that SD! is running on the machine-to-be-backed-up, and that the disk-to-be-backed-up is visible over the network. Thus, the backup will be "pushed" over the network to the receiving partition... or so I'm thinking.

The scenario I'm trying to grok is where SD! is running on my laptop, and the other's disk (a Mac Mini) is visible over the network. I want to get a backup of all the files on the Mini. The machine is my wife's; her acct doesn't have Admin privs whereas mine does. So I opened a server connection between the SD!-bearing machine (my Ti-PBg4) and the Mini, logging into my account so that I can "see" all the files and dirs on it (I don't know about the invisible files of course).

Next I picked an available target partition on an ext FireWire HD that's hardwired to my SD!-bearing laptop. No problem thus far.

Now I wanted to designate the networked disk as the source, but SD! will not display it usably in its list of source disks. What I see is Disk Image at the bottom of the COPY list; and when I click on that, I'm shown the network-mounted volume but cannot actually confirm that (the OPEN button is grayed out, and I can only back out via CANCEL).

I "suspect" that the only way to backup that network-mounted disk is to install SD! on it and then to follow the instructions on p. 18 of the guide, again PUSHing a backup to a partition on my remotely-mounted ext HD. (and I've verified that I can mount partitions and have them visible. I just haven't installed SD! on the remote machine and tried to push a backup to my ext HD.)

Is my "suspicion" true? That SD! does "push" backups and not "pulls?"

And, assuming that it's true, and a partition on an ext HD attached to MY machine has a bootable version of the disk on HER machine -- and assuming further that her machine fails -- how can I actually USE the backed-up image that's on my ext HD? (Especially because the "sparse image" format recommended seems a tad different from the "normal" format of all the files needed to boot up a machine?)

I can imagine taking the formatted HD with the Mini backup over to the sick Mini, hooking it in via FireWire, booting while holding the "appropriate key" so that one can choose the boot disk (DAMNed if I can remember which one it is?) and then selecting the right partition holding the last successful Mini backup. Is this correct? If so, will it work if the backup in question is a "sparse image?"

Clearly in need of some clarification or pointer to where in the User Guide this sort of thing is already answered... TIA
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  #2  
Old 02-07-2006, 10:22 PM
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dnanian dnanian is offline
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We only do push backups, to a disk image stored over the network, just like it says in the quoted part of the User's Guide.

If you want to use the backup, there are a number of possibilities. First, when booted from the Tiger install disc, you should be able to access the Mini's drive over the network. Then, open the image with File > Open Disk Image..., and use the volume that appears as the source.

Alternatively, you can place the mini into "firewire target disk mode" (hold down "T" during power on) and access the image directly on the mini's drive, still using Open Disk Image...

That's all there is to it...
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Old 02-07-2006, 10:30 PM
DrDan in MA DrDan in MA is offline
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Dave - Thanks for the close support, as ever!
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Old 02-08-2006, 10:30 AM
DrDan in MA DrDan in MA is offline
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Question Waking "sleeping beauty" >1 time/day? :-)

OK, a "followup question" as they say. If I want to use a local copy of SD! to do a daily-at-4AM backup of my local disk on Mac "P" to Partition "A" of my ext HD, I can use the Energy Saver PrefPane on my local Mac to wake it from sleep at 3:59 every day, and all is well.

Now, from Mac "Q" elsewhere on the LAN, I want to use another SD! to push a backup of "Q"'s disk (as a sparse image) to Partition "B" on Mac "P". I want to make that a daily affair, to happen, say, at 1AM - so that it'll be done in time for Mac "P"'s own backup to Partion "A". To do this, I can use Mac "Q"'s Energy Saver PrefPane to waken it at 12:59AM every day.

Here's the thing though: I don't think there's a way to waken Mac "P" more than once per day. And I've found that if Mac "P" is asleep when Mac "Q" (which had previously mounted Partition "B" over the network) comes a-callling, why then Mac "Q" will simply beachball.

So [unless I'm wrong ( ) on this can't-wake-a-Mac-twice-in-one-day thing?] I don't think that it will be possible to do a daily backup of both Macs, unless
  1. I do one of the backups during the day, when I'm working on Mac "P" and it's awake, or
  2. I create staggered (alternate-day) backups, one on each machine.
Viz.,
  1. Have Mac "P" back itself up (via Smart Update) using its local copy of SD! to Partition "A" (hardwired to Mac "P"'s own Ext HD firewire) on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday at 4AM, when Mac "P" will have been set to wake daily from its slumber at 03:59, and then set things up elsewhere on my LAN such that I will also...
  2. Have Mac "Q" back itself up using its local copy of SD! to a sparse image on Partition "B" (mounted over the network on Mac "P"'s ext HD) on Monday, Wednesday, & Friday at 4AM, when Mac "P" will have wakened from its slumber at its usual time of 03:59. Furthermore, Mac "Q" will be scheduled to wake from ITS slumber at the same 03:59, so that its local copy of SD! can in fact do its scheduled backup-over-the-network at 4AM.
So I'd have backups that could be a max of 2 days behind, rather than one day.

Oh, there's another way forward I guess: Buy a second ext HD and hard-wire it to Mac "Q". That way I could have daily backups made on both Macs.

Any of this make sense? Wrong? Better ways to accomplish? Sound like a plan? and so forth
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Old 02-08-2006, 10:32 AM
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dnanian dnanian is offline
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Why not just have both backups scheduled for the same time?
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Old 02-08-2006, 10:54 AM
DrDan in MA DrDan in MA is offline
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There you go again, suggesting the stunningly obvious and correct answer! Thanks.

The notion had vaguely occurred to me but I was thinking it would slow down both backups given that Mac "P" would be writing to both ext HD partitions at the same time, and that its CPU would be executing SD! locally plus dealing with the net traffic... so I kinda pushed it aside, mistakenly... I'll give it a try though! I sure need to upgrade from WiFi 802.11B to 802.11G (so I'm closely watching what happens with the MacBook Pro)
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