[SkyWriter]

Originally Posted by Tamerlane

Yes, you can tell TM what not to backup. If you have a large dir with movies or indeed VMs, you can tell TM in the System Preferences not to backup those files. There are a few programs that allow for finer grained settings for TM, but I've never tried those.

i meant how can i tell what is getting backed up each time? not what choose/exclude what will get backed up. it there a log file with the filenames and sizes?

[sorrysteve]

Just did a complete TM reinstall of my File Vault encrypted home disk. Had to run NBI after it completed, but now it works perfectly. Nice!

[nobo_mini]

Originally Posted by SkyWriter

i meant how can i tell what is getting backed up each time? not what choose/exclude what will get backed up. it there a log file with the filenames and sizes?

Not really. TM does report to the system log when it ran, how much it backed up, whether or not it pruned old backups, but does not call out what files got backed up.

Personally, I've only needed/wanted once or twice to be able to see exactly what got backed up. Generally let it run and not worry about details.

To echo other's comments, my backup strategy takes all the pieces. I've got two USB HDDs that I use for TMing the Mini and the MB Pro: partition for each computer. Every two weeks I rotate the drives, keeping the idle one in my detached garage. Once a month, I do a SuperDuper! of each computer. Once a quarter, I burn to DVD the really important files and put it in my bank's vault.

[grassle]

WARNING!

Although Apple says "Time Machine automatically saves up-to-date copies of everything on your Mac — photos, music, videos, documents, applications, and settings" (emphasis mine) this is not true.

First there are files excluded by Apple. E.g. the system itself: Apple does not want to distribute a tool for cloning their systems. Understandable, but you should have an install disk anyway. Yet that's not exactly "everything".

Then there is the complete Guest user, the cache files, the logs (you'll never know why your system deserted you...), trashes will be gone forever, and some more, see here and here.

Then there are applications that tell the system to not back up certain files, without notifying the user. See here for more info and how to check.


BTW, there is a number of nice TM tools, see here and here.

I found two useful:
Time Machine Buddy organises and displays the systems logs generated by Time Machine
TimeMachineEditor or TimeMachineScheduler to change the interval of Time Machine backups.


HTH,
g

[nobo_mini]

Originally Posted by grassle

...First there are files excluded by Apple. E.g. the system itself:
...
Then there is the complete Guest user

I don't know if I'd say "the system itself": per the list on the websites and looking at the local copy of the exclude list, the majority of the critical directories/files are backed up. That said, I'd not use TM for restoring en-mass a system. User data, /Applications, are the ones of top priority for me. Some of the "low level" folders/files that are used (eg. /Library/*, /System/, some of the /etc, /usr/local files) I'd do as well. Then again, I maintain a bootable clone copy, so, restoring a system from TM is not mission critical.

As for /Users/Guest, that account get cleaned out after logout. Quote the System Preferences pane:

When a guest user logs out, all information and files in the guest account's home folder are deleted.

So, there's really nothing there to backup. And yes, from experience, I've seen this happen when trying to setup the Guest account with some extras.

[DMBryant]

For those that want to use Time Machine and FileVault at the same time I found this link:

How To: backup your File Vault home directory unencrypted (also works with Snow Leopard!) Useful solutions

I haven't tried it yet but was going to give it a bash tonight

[grassle]

Originally Posted by nobo_mini

I don't know if I'd say "the system itself": per the list on the websites and looking at the local copy of the exclude list, the majority of the critical directories/files are backed up.

You're right. I should have said "a complete system that is able to run after only copying back from TM". It was the deceiving "everything" that itched me.

Originally Posted by nobo_mini

That said, I'd not use TM for restoring en-mass a system. [ ... ] Then again, I maintain a bootable clone copy, so, restoring a system from TM is not mission critical.

I run a complete disk snapshot every month and every time after major changes of the system. TM I only use for older versions of documents, or for migration via migration manager.

Originally Posted by nobo_mini

As for /Users/Guest, that account get cleaned out after logout. Quote the System Preferences pane:
When a guest user logs out, all information and files in the guest account's home folder are deleted.
So, there's really nothing there to backup. And yes, from experience, I've seen this happen when trying to setup the Guest account with some extras.

Right again.

g.