Best Backup Alternative to Time Machine?

[Slydude]

For years now I've been using a combination of bootable clones in conjunction with Time Machine backups as a recovery strategy. My current dilemma is that both legs of this strategy are now either vulnerable or useless.

Bootable clones have become a pain to complete with the M series Macs and are now virtually impossible to complete reliably. Time Machine is also questionable Time Machine couldn't complete backup.

My question is: What seems to be the current best practice for backups that complete two goals:
1. Quickest recovery of system files in an emergency (I boot from an external drive).
2. Preservation of my data - including applications installed in the Apps folder. I'd rather not have to re-install these and re-enter license info if possible.

I have both Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper but I'm open to suggestions for other alternatives if there's something better out there.

 

[MacInWin]

OK, two issues. Given that you boot from external, I would say to create a second, separate bootable external, using whatever tools makes sense for you. In the new world of Apple security, as long as you can get to Recovery, you should be able to use that second drive in an emergency.

As for your second issue, you might want to look at a product called ChronoSync from Econ Technologies. It's more of a sync tool, but in your case if you sync from boot to the second bootable drive, you can sync everything except what Apple prohibits. That way the two drives will end up as duplicates.

Yes, you can do the same with CCC and/or SD!, but ChronoSync is pretty good, too.

None of them do what TM does, however, in that none create a true heirarchical backup so you can go back in history to earlier dates. Yes, all three CAN build an archive of files that have changed, but getting them back isn't as simple as TM makes it, IMHO.

 

[Rod]

I have as frequently mentioned, a Time Machine backup on external HDD and a CCC clone (not bootable) on SSD.

I have never had a "TM could not complete backup" problem or other that could not be fixed by erasing the EHD and creating a new TM backup.

I do not believe a bootable clone holds any advantages for me on an Mx MBP so I don't see any point in attempting to maintain one.

All my important doc's are in iCloud Drive, my Photos Library in iCloud, likewise Passwords, Contacts, Pages, Safari, Calendars, Reminders ECT.
Concerns all presuppose an internal HD failure. Pretty unlikely without some warning these days but disasters do happen.

It happened to me less than 12 months ago due to a hardware failure.

Backups were useless because the device would not boot.

It was returned to me from Apple in as new condition (software wise). I set up and logged in to iCloud. All of the afore mentioned data downloaded, I dragged and dropped the rest from my clone. I could have "restored" from TM just as easily but the SSD is faster.

My point being that I haven't used the reverse clone to my HD from CCC method since my wife's previous 2018 Intel MBP and that was primarily because it was a newly installed blank SSD replacement for the dead original HDD.

I think two external backups plus iCloud or similar cloud based backup is enough.
I don't see any advantage in a bootable backup for myself.
Honestly try as I might to be prepared for any contingency I realise it's almost impossible.

 

[Slydude]

@MacInWin Thanks for the thoughts. That's kind of what I was thinking my best solution would be going forward.

@Rod I've been using TM since shortly after it was first released. I've had very few issues with it over the years. It has been rock solid for me until recently. This error has started appearing for me sometime since updating to Sonoma.

I started cloning my boot drive when I first started using TM because, at that time, TM backups weren't bootable. Rather than reinstalling the OS and then restoring from TM (very time consuming) I could either restart my Mac (primary or secondary) from the clone. I could usually be back up and running in a matter of about five minutes. I could save the full restore until I had time.

I have started putting more of my information in iCloud Drive.

 

[Jimmysb]

As a newish user to the Mac (just 2 years now), my computer is purely for pleasure, though I have the odd word document and all my photo on the Mac. I use TM daily (never had an issue), and have various document also saved to OneDrive (for easy access for none apple users) and iCloud, this includes photos in "Photos" and photos save prior to my apple days, I also have other cloud options to save photos and other items. For it is only my photos that are irreplaceable.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Bootable clones have become a pain to complete with the M series Macs and are now virtually impossible to complete reliably.

I just re-read Adam Engst's article,

https://tidbits.com/2024/12/23/its-time-to-move-on-from-bootable-backups/

and Dave Nanian's blog post:

https://www.shirtpocket.com/blog/index.php/shadedgrey/comments/youre_a_mean_one/

It's clear that CCC and SD! can't currently copy the OS when doing a backup of an Apple Silicon-Mac. Thus they can't automatically create a bootable clone anymore.

But it's also clear that you CAN still make a bootable external drive. All that you have to do is use Apple's Installer to install a fresh copy of the Mac OS.

It's also clear that you can still easily and reliably create a data-only clone using SD! or CCC.

The question that I have, that neither of those articles seem to address, is whether you can use Apple's installer to create a bootable external drive, and then do a data-only clone backup to that drive, essentially creating a bootable backup drive?

 

[Rod]

Slydude, can I ask if the TM backup you've had trouble completing is a fresh backup of Sequoia? Or is it from a previous macOS?

 

[Slydude]

The question that I have, that neither of those articles seem to address, is whether you can use Apple's installer to create a bootable external drive, and then do a data-only clone backup to that drive, essentially creating a bootable backup drive?

Interestingly enough I tried something similar to that last night and it seems to have worked. I'm going to try again later today to make sure everything is working correctly. Here's what I did

1. I actually tried to use Disk Utility to copy the Data partition but that did not seem to be reliable even though it's supposed to be.
2. Cloned my entire boot drive using SuperDuper (which of course wasn't bootable).
3. Boot the Mac into the Recovery mode and install the OS.

This seems to have worked but I think it is probably easier to keep track of/better to do as you suggested. I'm going to try that later today on a spare drive. I'll let everyone know how it goes. I think I did this a few months ago months ago and it worked as well but I want to try one more time and pay closer attention to what I did.

Slydude, can I ask if the TM backup you've had trouble completing is a fresh backup of Sequoia? Or is it from a previous macOS?

The current one that I had trouble with is a fresh backup but I make the fresh backup because I seemed to be having the same issue with a previous backup that contained an earlier version of Sequoia.

 

[MacInWin]

The question that I have, that neither of those articles seem to address, is whether you can use Apple's installer to create a bootable external drive, and then do a data-only clone backup to that drive, essentially creating a bootable backup drive?

Randy, I think you can. That was the essence of my suggestion earlier. While the system files cannot be cloned by CCC/SD! any more, the data and applications (with support files) can, so I am pretty sure you can install the OS from Apple, then clone the data to the drive and have a good, bootable copy. PITA to keep it up to date when the OS is updated, but workable. I wouldn't bother with it except that Sly said he is already booting from an external, so it makes sense for his situation.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Randy, I think you can. That was the essence of my suggestion earlier. While the system files cannot be cloned by CCC/SD! any more, the data and applications (with support files) can, so I am pretty sure you can install the OS from Apple, then clone the data to the drive and have a good, bootable copy. PITA to keep it up to date when the OS is updated, but workable. I wouldn't bother with it except that Sly said he is already booting from an external, so it makes sense for his situation.

You might be able to update your OS simply by booting from the external drive and using Software Update. However, as long as the external was bootable, I don't see how it would make a difference if you could easily update the OS on it or not. (You could, of course, update the OS by just starting over.)

I think that folks are much too GLOOM AND DOOM about all this. Apple may still fix things, and even if they don't, with a bit of work you can still make a bootable backup. And, as I outlined previously, I think that a bootable backup still has a lot of value.

 

[MacInWin]

You might be able to update your OS simply by booting from the external drive and using Software Update. However, as long as the external was bootable, I don't see how it would make a difference if you could easily update the OS on it or not. (You could, of course, update the OS by just starting over.)

I think in Sly's case he is already booting from an external, so changing the boot drive would be as simple as booting into Recovery and designating the OTHER drive as boot, then booting from it and updating the system, then rebooting Recovery and reset the system to the original external drive and booting from it. A bit of work, but should be OK.

I'm not sure Apple will "fix things" because I don't think Apple thinks anything needs fixing. They want additional security for the boot system, and have accomplished that with what they have done. The fact that the changes now make booting from an external drive more complex is not a concern for them. It is possible, of course, that they could respond to the user comments about the changes and the input from CCC/SC!/ChronoSync about how the changes have impacted them, but again, I don't think Apple sees it as a problem to be solved.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I'm not sure Apple will "fix things" because I don't think Apple thinks anything needs fixing.

Except that we've already seen this movie previously, actually more than once, and Apple DID fix it. Bombish and Nanian work fairly closely with Apple, and, at least in the past, listen to them. So I think that it is a bit too soon to be throwing our arms up in the air and giving up.

Also, the latest update to Sequoia apparently has munged Time Machine and Synology backups as well. It's hard to believe that Apple will just let that stand. This is one of those things that can have users start having their confidence in Apple shaken.

 

[ferrarr]

Also, the latest update to Sequoia apparently has munged Time Machine and Synology backups as well.

I've had no issue with TM, what happened? I updated on Christmas Day.

 

[Slydude]

I've had no issue with TM, what happened? I updated on Christmas Day.

Many users are finding that recent incarnations of Time Machine do not finish a backup properly. The error basically says the backup can't complete. See this thread Time Machine couldn't complete backup.

 

[pine man]

I've had no issue with TM, what happened? I updated on Christmas Day.

Following the upgrade to Sequoia, I have found Time Machine very slow indeed to launch.

In Finder, if I select Time Machine, it takes about 15 seconds to display the content. Prior to Sequoia it was pretty well instant.

However it still works, for which I have been extremely grateful several times recently!

 

[Rod]

Ditto Pine Man, I find mine takes about 10secs to open the EHD, "entering" TM from the Menu bar is almost instant and all still works as expected.

 

[ferrarr]

@pine man that sounds like an external drive performance issue, not a TM issue. I now use an SSD ad it takes 1 - 3 seconds to open.

 

[pine man]

that sounds like an external drive performance issue

I really hadn't even considered that, I just assumed it was Sequoia.

The drive I use is an old Buffalo, thunderbolt disk, which is a spinner. Definitely time I changed it for an SSD.

 

[Jimmysb]

I am using Sequoia, and though not looked at my TM backup, just opened them both via the app, and directly opening the EHD, and the speed of both seems fine.

 

[pine man]

Definitely time I changed it for an SSD.

Installed one today and it flies along now