Doing a proper system backup on macos Monterey

[Heinz Mandala]

Hi,

I always was using Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) for a complete 1:1, bootable harddrive backup. Sadly this is not possible anymore. Instead CCC now seems to backup the user partition or so... So even changes under "/" or "/Library/..." will be backuped... I have these questions:

- Will a timemachine backup also copy the whole user partition?
- Is there a way to do a complete 1:1 bootable backup?
- Can I boot from a USB drive copy?
- Should I format the backup drive with APFS or HFS+? APFS seems to be problematic, because there does not exist a recovery software for it.
- Can I read a written backup drive with another Mac?

I am quite experienced, also setup my hackintosh and I know OpenCore and Clover... Are there any such modifications to enable usb boot or 1:1 copies?

Thanks a lot for help!

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I always was using Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) for a complete 1:1, bootable harddrive backup. Sadly this is not possible anymore.

Bombich Software seems to think that it still is:

https://bombich.com/blog/2021/05/19...dapting-recovery-strategies-evolving-platform

If you are unable to accomplish it, I recommend that you contact Bombich support:

Carbon Copy Cloner 6 Knowledge Base - Bombich Software

bombich.com

That said, you aren't the first person that I've heard from that has had a problem creating a bootable backup using CCC recently, and for that reason many folks have switched to SuperDuper! (you can try it out for free):

SuperDuper! (free/$28)
https://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html

 

[IWT]

Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) does indeed work with the latest OS. But there are things to remember:

1. It's best to have an SSD as your CCC External Destination Drive

2. The EHD needs to be formatted APFS

3. Every time there is an OS update (or Upgrade), CCC loses its ability to be bootable; although the data is safe and can easily be accessed.

In order to make CCC bootable, you have to open CCC, Right click on the Destination hard drive (SSD is best as I said) and choose Legacy Bootable Copy Assistant. You then give CCC permission to wipe and reformat the Destination SSD, then it will make a brand new BU which is bootable.

HTH

Ian

 

[mfpv]

This may seem a bit crazy! I use CCC to make data only backups in addition to using TM. I've then made CCC backups bootable by installing macOS from the Mac's Recovery partition. It seems to work OK and you can continue to make data only backups without affecting the drive's bootability. Of course every time macOS gets updated, ideally you should re-install or update macOS on the drive.

 

[IWT]

@mfpv

This may seem a bit crazy!

Not crazy at all. You are using a facility, in this case CCC, in a slightly different way and it works for you.

Good for you.

Ian

 

[Heinz Mandala]

Thanks! Helped a lot!

 

[Rod]

There are a number of articles on this topic and it has been discussed at length on this forum before.

If you are running an Intel Mac:
mfpv's method (Post #4) of updating the operating system of a bootable CCC clone on an EHD using the Recovery Partition is how I was doing it on my old Intel MacBook Pro. Much faster than booting from the clone then updating from Software Update or creating a whole new clone using the Legacy Bootable Backup Assistant which necessitates erasing your SSD each time.

If you are running a Silicon Mac:
Without going into a lot of technical jargon to quote the Carbon Copy Cloner knowledge base,

"An Apple Silicon Mac won't boot if the internal storage has failed."​

Beyond Bootable Backups: Adapting recovery strategies for an evolving platform - Bombich Software

bombich.com

What this means is there is little or no advantage in attempting to create a Bootable clone for SoC (Silicon Macs) so, "If you were making your backups bootable in case of hardware failure, then that's an extra logistical chore that you can now retire from your backup strategy."

Here is another good article on the authors findings creating a bootable clone on a M1 Mac.

Can you create an external bootable disk by cloning an M1 Mac?

Cloning has been a popular way of creating external bootable disks. Now that CCC 6 can make full clones of disks for M1 Macs, is it a solution?

eclecticlight.co

His final words on the process were, "For the great majority of users, bootable clones are a thing of the past. If they play any role in your current workflows or recovery plans, you need to reconsider those in the light of their limitations."( hoakley May 25, 2021)

Having said that, you can restore all of your user data to a new or erased device from a CCC 6 clone using Migration Assistant or simply Drag an Drop from your CCC external drive.

In addition you can now no longer roll back with the SoC, you can only roll back the Data volume, you cannot use local CCC snapshots to roll back the OS version, which used to be possible.

Which raises the old question, which is better? CCC (Super Duper if you prefer) or Time Machine (TM). Personally I have both. I don't fully trust TM and two backups are better than one. I have a Data only CCC clone on an external APFS formatted SSD and TM on a HFS+ formatted external HDD. I run TM daily and CCC weekly with Safety Net on.

Four years ago the internal (spinner) HDD in my wife's 2012 MBP died. Just a question mark on the startup screen on boot. We restarted with the option key held and booted from her CCC clone on a USB (HDD) EHD and although a little slow she was able to continue using her computer for the two weeks it took to get a new internal HD, an SSD this time. We installed it ourselves and using Disk Utility on the EHD formatted and mapped the new drive then using the clone as source and the new Macintosh HD as target copied the clone to the new internal HD. Complete success.
Sadly perhaps those days are just about gone as far as a backup strategy goes.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

"An Apple Silicon Mac won't boot if the internal storage has failed."​

Correct. But that isn't because of the inability to create a bootable clone. It's because, if an Apple Silicon Mac has a failed internal hard drive, that Mac is dead FOR ANY AND ALL PURPOSES. Until you have it repaired, such a Mac is completely dead.

Meanwhile, your bootable clone can be used to boot a different (Apple Silicon) Mac and continue on with your work. It can also be used to clone back your drive to your original Mac once you get it back if it's storage has been erased.

What this means is there is little or no advantage in attempting to create a Bootable clone for SoC (Silicon Macs)

No. I gave a whole list of ways that a bootable clone is still useful in a previous thread. Did you miss that?

More to the point, any long-time Mac user will tell you that YOU NEED TO HAVE A BACKUP of your valuable data. Your choice is a clone, or a versioned backup. A versioned backup can't boot an Apple Silicon Mac with a failed internal hard drive either. (Nothing can.) It also can't be used to boot another Mac or to clone to another drive. So having a clone backup still seems to be a very valuable way to go, maybe an invaluable way to go, and possibly even the best way to go depending on your needs.

Here is another good article on the authors findings creating a bootable clone on a M1 Mac.

Can you create an external bootable disk by cloning an M1 Mac?

Cloning has been a popular way of creating external bootable disks. Now that CCC 6 can make full clones of disks for M1 Macs, is it a solution?

eclecticlight.co

That article is outdated. Both CCC and SuperDuper! claim to now be able to easily create bootable backups under Monterey, even for Apple Silicon-based Macs. I know for a fact that SD! can do it.

Shirt Pocket Watch

shirt-pocket.com