Just need to make a bootable clone of my Mac

[kiwioz@mac.com]

Hi there

I am assuming that by using Backup – all files it will back up every file on my drive and make the backup bootable.
Is that right?


What I want to be able to do is then boot from my backup and clone another computer.

Can I do that?

So then I would have 2 computer exactly the same.


Thanks for your time

Craig Laird
Melbourne

[dnanian]

Hi, Craig -- welcome to the forums.

Yes, Backup - all files will create a bootable backup of all files on the drive, save for the ones Apple specifically says not to copy. You could then take that clone and copy to a different machine.

Note, though, that if you're using a Firewire drive to store the clone, both machines would have to be able to boot from Firewire.

Hope that helps!

[kiwioz@mac.com]

Thanks for responding so fast.

What do you mean by

save for the ones Apple specifically says not to copy.

I would boot from the firewire drive then backup -all file to the new computer right?

[dnanian]

Apple's "cloning" guidelines recommend excluding specific files from a full clone. These are files that wouldn't do you any good if copied, so you wouldn't notice, but I just wanted to respond "exactly" to your original question, where you said "every file".

Basically, it backs up every file of significance. Those that are skipped are skipped for a good reason, and won't affect the clone!

[kiwioz@mac.com]

Has this been tested with 10.3.3 ie Panther?

Thanks
Craig

[dnanian]

Yes. SuperDuper! was extensively tested with 10.3.3.

[kiwioz@mac.com]

I will give it a go then

And thank you for responding so fast

Craig

[dnanian]

A pleasure, Craig.

[Bogie168]

If you can completely copy your eexisting system, how about attaching the computers via Firewire and copying directly to a parttion on the destinsation (new) system. That seems safer than erasing the disk on the new system entirely.

Make sense?

[dnanian]

Well -- you can't create a partition on the new system without erasing the drive... unfortunately, Apple's tools don't allow partitioning on the fly.

[Vertig0gitreV]

Hello all... this is along the same lines as the source for this post, so I thought I would put it here.

I am trying to build a bootable Restore Image (something along the lines of a Ghost image for the wIntel world). The image would be for a Dual 2ghz G5 running OSX Server 10.3.3. I have done some reading around and discovered that the best solution would be to use BootCD and CCC... the only problem is that BootCD has yet to be updated for 10.3. So... if anyone out there has the time, I would love any suggestions you might have! Thanks in advance!

[dnanian]

Sorry it took so long for me to respond, Vertig0ritreV: vBulletin was having trouble accessing my mail server due to some changes on my end! They're fixed, though, so all should be well.

Anyway, SuperDuper! will make the image as well as CCC (if not better), but making the CD itself bootable requires magic that we haven't figured out. They've made it more difficult in 10.3.

Is the point here to make the image "magically" just restore from the CD? Or, are you trying to use a network server to "feed" the image to the client?

[Vertig0gitreV]

Originally Posted by dnanian

Sorry it took so long for me to respond, Vertig0ritreV: vBulletin was having trouble accessing my mail server due to some changes on my end! They're fixed, though, so all should be well.

Anyway, SuperDuper! will make the image as well as CCC (if not better), but making the CD itself bootable requires magic that we haven't figured out. They've made it more difficult in 10.3.

Is the point here to make the image "magically" just restore from the CD? Or, are you trying to use a network server to "feed" the image to the client?

I am trying to put together a restore option so that "if I get hit by a truck... (their words, I kid you not)" someone will be able to rebuild the server, should it fail on the day I am recovering from my encounter with a truck.

[dnanian]

Well, let's hope no truck will be involved, huh? How about a tricycle accident?

Anyway, here's the best thing to do. Create a standalone image on a removable FireWire drive with SuperDuper!, and update it on a regular basis with Smart Update.

If it becomes necessary to restore, you need only:

- Boot from the Panther install CD
- Run "Disk Utility" from the application menu of the installer
- Use the "Restore" tab to restore the volume with the image back to the original drive

That should work great for you, and won't be very difficult while you're recovering from your bruised shin.

Make some sense?

[Vertig0gitreV]

Originally Posted by dnanian

Well, let's hope no truck will be involved, huh? How about a tricycle accident?

Anyway, here's the best thing to do. Create a standalone image on a removable FireWire drive with SuperDuper!, and update it on a regular basis with Smart Update.

If it becomes necessary to restore, you need only:

- Boot from the Panther install CD
- Run "Disk Utility" from the application menu of the installer
- Use the "Restore" tab to restore the volume with the image back to the original drive

That should work great for you, and won't be very difficult while you're recovering from your bruised shin.

Make some sense?

Thanks a lot! Would this also work if I burnt the image to a DVD-R via the super drive?

Also, will it make any difference if the image i wil be creating is from a RAID set (mirroring) of two 160GB drives?