[jpmm]

This may be a silly question (and one already answered, though I couldn't find it)...
I am looking to get a Mac Pro, and in it, I was going to add a 250 GB Sata drive to use with Time Machine. Apple's Web site (almost) makes it sound as if the HD should be external (maybe that's because of the iMacs and Mac Books, which require externals).
So, my question is -- this Should work right? Internal HD for backups. I will use a 160 GB External drive for my own periodic backups (separate from what Time Machine does).
Alternatively, I thought of returning the 250 GB drive to the store (still unopened) and getting an External... but it will cost more.
Thoughts... suggestions??
Thanks... I know I can count on you guys for help.
- Jim.

[wgood]

I imagine that an internal drive with the Mac Pro would work quite nicely with Time Machine. Provided that the backup drive is equal or larger in size to the boot drive that will be backed up, you can count on always having a backup available, since the backup drive is always connected.

[estumpges]

You can set Time Machine to backup to a second internal drive in a Mac Pro. My question is whether you can set Time Machine to backup to a partition on a drive.
I have a large external drive that I use for video and audio production. I'd like to partition half of it for use with Time Machine instead of buying another drive and using up another firewire port. Also, people with a 1TB iMac drive might not mind using 500GB or 600GB for backup if they could partition their internal drive to work with Time Machine.
Does anyone have any information on Time Machine and partitioned hard drives?

[mcbane666]

You could buy a Second FR drive with two ports on it, and daisy chain them.

[estumpges]

Does that mean that a partition will not work or are you just suggesting an alternative in case it doesn't?

[Mycroft_Holmes_MW]

I would guess that a second partition would work, but I'd caution against this as a primary backup. Should the drive have a hardware failure, it would take out both your working partition and the backup partition.

[edmetric]

I don't know since I haven't used Time Machine but just want to pop in a thought.
Backup to a partition is okay for deleted files but not for a damaged hard drive. If the original dies, the backup dies too using a partition.
Writing from one partition to a second partition on the same drive is the slow way to do things. Pushing to a second internal drive or Firewire out to an external is safer and faster.
Time Machine is the reason Apple is going with the new GUID Partition Table (not that SJ tells me anything these days). It writes beyond two terabytes which is already an option on the Mac Pro. Start building drive clusters now if you want to use Time Machine. RAID them if you have the money. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Edit: Oops, didn't mean to step on your post Mycroft_Holmes

[estumpges]

I see your point about the problems with backing up to a partition on an internal drive. I actually want to backup to an external drive partition. Hopefully that will work better.
Thanks for the thoughtful replies guys.

[mcbane666]

Quote:

---

Does that mean that a partition will not work or are you just suggesting an alternative in case it doesn't?

---

I was just saying that by daisy chaining them you wouldn't lose a port. I'm not touching the partition issue, I feel it should work from what i have read, but won't know until someone trys it

[edmetric]

I haven't used Time Machine /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif so, from what I've read at Apple, back up is to a folder on any hard drive you designate. In my experience, not necessarily applicable here, back up goes to the root partition on a drive so the only partition you can choose is the first one on any drive. A folder is created for each computer that uses the back up drive.
When the drive fills up, which it will, TM starts deleting older files to make room for your newer back ups.
The bigger the drive, the longer you retain restore capability. This is not an archive system unless you connect a new drive every month. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif It is an incremental back up system, not whole back up. You probably can't search for an old file in your back ups and copy it out for re-use. You can restore old files into your working drive by wiping out the new.
I haven't used TM. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Since I'm not expecting to buy Leopard, I probably won't use it. I'm reviewing it to see how it fits with my work plan. I'm not an incremental back up type of worker. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif HTH

[jpmm]

I am posting to one of my older threads, since this is related. At the end of last year, I got a SATA 300mb/s Western Digital drive. I purchased my Mac Pro just about 3 months ago - so I am just now installing the 2nd hard drive into the Mac Pro. It's for TIme Machine to use.


It was incredible easy to install the drive into the case. However, when I turned the Mac Pro back on, the drive was not recognized - nor could it be seen by the Disk Utility app. I shut down the MP and pulled the drive out, reinserting it (just in case). Power on - still no drive seen. I did decided to put it in bay #3, and leave the case off this time. Power on, and I was prompted to initialize. I shut the system down and put the drive back into bay #2 (putting the case back on). Power on, and I was again asked to initialize. So, I did. Time Machine is now backing up to my new drive called "Macaroni". Ok, so why wasn't it recognized the first 2 times?? I was thinking it was a jumpers issue, but there were no jumpers to set. I thought it wasn't seated snugly enough into the bay, but that's really hard to imagine, since the bays are so precise.

Any other thoughts? I guess if it's working, then ok. But I it seemed very strange so I thought I would post a message here to see if anyone else had any simliar problems.

Thanks,
Jim.