• AppleCentral Network:
  • Tech Support
  • |
  • Open Source
  • |
  • Apple News
  • |
  • Register Domains
  • |
  • SSL Certificates
  • |
  • iPod Deals
  • |
  • Mac Deals
  • |
  • Mac Book Shelf
  • AppleCentral Home
  • MacTech Magazine
    • About MacTech in Print
    • Issue Table of Contents
    • Subscribe
    • Risk Free Sample
    • Back Issues
    • MacTech DVD
    • MacTech Archives
    • MacTech Print Archives
    • MacMod
    • MacTutor
    • FrameWorks
    • develop
  • MacNews.com
    • MacNews News
    • Blog
    • MacTech Reviews and KoolTools
    • Whitepapers, Screencasts, Videos and Books
    • News Scanner
    • Rumors Scanner
    • Documentation Scanner
  • Apple Expo
    • by Category
    • by Company
    • by Product
  • MacForge.net
  • Job Board
  • Advertising
    • Benefits of MacTech
    • Mechanicals and Submission
    • Dates and Deadlines
    • Submit Apple Expo Entry
  • User
    • Register for Ongoing Raffles
    • Register new user
    • Edit User Settings
    • Logout
  • Contact
    • Customer Service
    • Webmaster Feedback
    • Submit News or PR
    • Suggest an article
  • Connect Tools
    • MacTech Live Podcast
    • RSS Feeds
    • Twitter
You are not logged in. [Log In] AppleCentral » Forums » Mac » Software » Time Machine help
Register User    Forum List        Active Topics    FAQ
Page 2 of 5 < 1 2 3 4 5 >
Topic Options
Hop to:
#452075 - 10/27/09 01:29 AM Re: Time Machine help [Re: starmillway]
Lea Offline
LoneStar

Registered: 08/18/06
Posts: 10539
Loc: Texas

Everything I know about TM that I didn't learn here, I got from the Missing Manual (Leopard). I swear by those books, love 'em, never regretted a dime spent.

When my PowerMac bit the biscuit last December, we bit the biscuit and got me a MacPro. Never regretted a dime on it either, but that's when I got good with TM. I'm still backed up through last January, and even though I rarely go there ~ LIttle Sister wants some research docs we did back in May? I don't want to dig out my Project DVD and wade through gigs looking for that one stinkin' file? Don't have to.

I really worship at TM's alter when I realize that I've just screwed up a week's work in about an hour and a half. I trot back to the night before I lost my mind and screwed up the file and ~ it's FM*, I'm tellin' ya.

Anyway, kate, the Missing Manuals kick ass.


*F'n Magic laugh



_________________________
I always deserve it. Really.

Top
#452081 - 10/27/09 01:36 AM Re: Time Machine help [Re: Lea]
MacBozo Offline
Nut Dood

Registered: 04/21/02
Posts: 17704
Loc: Pinellas Park, Florida
FM. That's my wife's attitude for anything computer related. laugh
_________________________

Top
#452082 - 10/27/09 01:40 AM Re: Time Machine help [Re: Lea]
MacBozo Offline
Nut Dood

Registered: 04/21/02
Posts: 17704
Loc: Pinellas Park, Florida
Before TM, there were auto-backup solutions out there, but none were very user friendly. With Snow Leopard and Migration Assistant now TM aware, it's a nobrainer to use TM. I'll have to get a larger backup drive when I start importing my music CDs and LPs into iTunes.
_________________________

Top
#452095 - 10/27/09 02:24 AM Re: Time Machine help [Re: starmillway]
Reboot Online   content

Muhahahaha

Registered: 04/22/02
Posts: 15046
Loc: Columbus OH
Originally Posted By: starmillway
As I understand it, Carp, I could have a file called "Ethel's Vacation Plans" and it gets backed up every day for say 30 days if that is what I have room for on my TM backup drive.
That's what it fakes you into believing. When it backs up it only copies files that have been modified since the last backup. All the other files, like "Ethel's Vacation Plans," don't get copied again if they haven't been modified. They use sym links, fancy aliases, to make the new backup look like it copied everything again.
Quote:
So I have 30 copies of Ethel's Vacation Plans and I could get the original one back or the one I revised 3 days ago.
You'd have 30 different copies only if you modified it 30 times, otherwise the other copies are small aliases. Smaller than the brain mass of Bush. wink
Quote:
I use TM but damned if I could find much information about using it. I've looked everywhere and even Apple's docs don't really give you much information.
You've found the right place. grin
_________________________
AppleCentral Trivia

MM-MCF Trivia

Call the Doctor

Top
#452097 - 10/27/09 02:33 AM Re: Time Machine help [Re: starmillway]
carp Offline
Dino's are Babe magnets

Registered: 04/19/02
Posts: 27021
Loc: Hawaii
Originally Posted By: starmillway

I think that makes sense. Let me ask this: If I started my document Ethel's Vacation 30 days ago and made revisions every day for the next 30 days, would I have the document 30 times so that I could just get say the document with the fifth day's revisions on it and not the next 25 days?



Ahhh yes and no

TM should back up the revisions you made over the 30 days and time stamp it

If your original Ethels Vacation documents is 100 megs and you make 1 meg changes for the next 30 days - the files size should be 130 megs give or take for what was deleted .

Now if TM is giving you a over 3 gigs for that document over the 30 days then that is totally wrong
_________________________

Top
#452109 - 10/27/09 03:23 AM Re: Time Machine help [Re: carp]
Reboot Online   content

Muhahahaha

Registered: 04/22/02
Posts: 15046
Loc: Columbus OH
Originally Posted By: carp
If your original Ethels Vacation documents is 100 megs and you make 1 meg changes for the next 30 days - the files size should be 130 megs give or take for what was deleted
That's not the way it works. If a 100 meg file was changed even 1bit, it copies the whole 100M file over again, not just the changed part. No backup system is smart enough to only copy the 1bit of changes in a document.

So let's assume each day you added 1M worth of stuff to the file, on the second day you would have a total of 201M of backup, the third day you'd have 302M, the fourth day 403M and so on.
Quote:
Now if TM is giving you a over 3 gigs for that document over the 30 days then that is totally wrong
As you can see from my example it could hit 3 G in about three weeks, that's normal.

After a month the daily backups start dropping off.


Edited by Reboot (10/27/09 03:26 AM)
_________________________
AppleCentral Trivia

MM-MCF Trivia

Call the Doctor

Top
#452116 - 10/27/09 03:41 AM Re: Time Machine help [Re: Reboot]
carp Offline
Dino's are Babe magnets

Registered: 04/19/02
Posts: 27021
Loc: Hawaii
I see where your coming from

However I am assuming that 100M in Kates Vacation example has 100 - 1 meg files . So if she changes one file the other 99 should not be duplicated each time . Thats what I am talking about

Folders -vs- files I guess

Still if you have a 100M file and you change the word ahhh from "" they to theirs" TM should not back up the whole 100M file , rather link and time stamp the change back to the original
_________________________

Top
#452123 - 10/27/09 04:04 AM Re: Time Machine help [Re: carp]
Reboot Online   content

Muhahahaha

Registered: 04/22/02
Posts: 15046
Loc: Columbus OH
Yes, folders vs files. Kate said one file, not 100 1M files, that's what I was referring to, one 100M file. Yes, in your example it wouldn't copy the whole folder, only the file/s that changed in the folder, the rest of the files in the folder that didn't change would be aliases.
Originally Posted By: carp

Still if you have a 100M file and you change the word ahhh from "" they to theirs" TM should not back up the whole 100M file , rather link and time stamp the change back to the original
It backs up the whole file again like I explained above. You don't seem to understand the complexity of just backing up changes, it doesn't work the way you're saying. It would be nice, but it doesn't. For starters Time Machine would have to understand the file format of every program ever made to do that.

I don't even know of a program that operates that way with its own native files except Adobe's Version Cue with pics, but that's what it's made for. Of course it relies on you keeping the original file forever. TM doesn't work like that, it throws out versions when they get old enough, that's why it copies the whole recent versions of files.
_________________________
AppleCentral Trivia

MM-MCF Trivia

Call the Doctor

Top
#452150 - 10/27/09 12:23 PM Re: Time Machine help [Re: Reboot]
iMacsoontobe Offline
Where's the RAM?

Registered: 01/10/08
Posts: 218
Loc: The Burgh
Wow!
Learning so much, you guys rock!
Reboot is the MAN!!!

Top
#452188 - 10/27/09 05:44 PM Re: Time Machine help [Re: iMacsoontobe]
starmillway Offline
Oregon

Registered: 02/04/08
Posts: 1858
Loc: McMinnville, Oregon
Originally Posted By: iMacsoontobe
Wow!
Learning so much, you guys rock!
Reboot is the MAN!!!


You're welcome smile Because I still don't understand it fully, and asked the question, you benefit! Anyway, as long as Reboot understands, I am comforted that he's here to bail us out when needed.

After I wiped my drive and started up TM again, things were not just right yet. Was disappointed somewhat until I "set up" TM again and it is now back to normal.

I thought the hard drive would be big enough but I wish I had gotten a really large one. I had to exclude all my movies so that I could back up everything else. I'll back up the movies on anohter drive.

_________________________

Top
Page 2 of 5 < 1 2 3 4 5 >
Previous Topic
View All Topics Index
Next Topic

Tweet

Preview

Moderator:  Acumowchek 
Print Topic
Switch to Threaded Mode
Publications, Articles and Industry Discussion
   »MacTech/MacNews Article Discussions
   »Apple World
Marketplace
   »Deals and Special Offers
      »Expired Offers
   »Trading Warehouse
Mac
   »Hardware
   »Software
   »Servers, Security, and Networking
   »Programming, Web Dev & Scripting
   »Windows and Virtualization
   »Cloud and Online Services
Mobile Technologies
   »iPhone Apps, AppStore, and iTunes
   »iPad, iPhone, iPod and Apple TV Hardware
Mods and Hacks
   »General Mods
      »Techniques
      »Miscellaneous
      »Mod Logs
   »Laptop Mods
      »Case Mods
      »Hardware Mods
      »Misc. Mods
   »Desktop Mods
      »Case Mods
      »Hardware Mods
      »Misc. Mods
   »Peripheral Mods
      »iPod Mods
      »Misc Mods
   »Software Hacks & Mods
General Discussion
   »Site Feedback & Issues
   »Stan's Lounge
   »Soapbox
Now Software Support
   »Announcements
   »Now X
      »FAQs
      »Discussion
   »Now Up-to-Date & Contact
      »Community Help
      »Tips and tricks
View profile
Send a PM
View homepage
Add to your Watched Users
View posts
View profile
Send a PM
Add to your Watched Users
View posts
View profile
Send a PM
Add to your Watched Users
View posts
View profile
Send a PM
Add to your Watched Users
View posts
View profile
Send a PM
Add to your Watched Users
View posts
View profile
Send a PM
Add to your Watched Users
View posts
View profile
Send a PM
Add to your Watched Users
View posts
View profile
Send a PM
Add to your Watched Users
View posts
View profile
Send a PM
Add to your Watched Users
View posts
View profile
Send a PM
Add to your Watched Users
View posts
Board Rules · Mark all read
Contact Us · AppleCentral · Top

MacTech Only Search:
Community Search:

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
  • SPREAD THE WORD:
  • Slashdot
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Reddit
  • Newsvine
  • Generate a short URL for this page:



AppleCentral. www.applecentral.com
Main office: 805-494-9797
Xplain's use of MacNews, AppleCentral and AppleExpo are not affiliated with Apple, Inc. MacTech is a registered trademark of Xplain Corporation. AppleCentral, MacNews, Xplain, "The journal of Apple technology", Apple Expo, Explain It, MacDev, MacDev-1, THINK Reference, NetProfessional, MacTech Central, MacTech Domains, MacForge, and the MacTutorMan are trademarks or service marks of Xplain Corp. Sprocket is a registered trademark of eSprocket Corp. Other trademarks and copyrights appearing in this printing or software remain the property of their respective holders.
All contents are Copyright 1984-2010 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.
Generated in 0.049 seconds in which 0.030 seconds were spent on a total of 14 queries. Zlib compression enabled.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.5.8