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Access the local Mac's Time Machine without its external USB HDD?
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Ant
Dec 13, 2014, 3:47:24 PM12/13/14
to
Hello.
Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
Thank you in advance. :)
--
"A coconut shell full of water is a(n) sea/ocean to an ant." --Indians
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Ant is currently not listening to any songs on this computer.
Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
Thank you in advance. :)
--
"A coconut shell full of water is a(n) sea/ocean to an ant." --Indians
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
/ /\ /\ \ Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
| |o o| |
\ _ / If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
( ) If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on this computer.
philo
Dec 13, 2014, 3:56:37 PM12/13/14
to
On 12/13/2014 02:47 PM, Ant wrote:
> Hello.
>
> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
>
> Thank you in advance. :)
Since the backup data is on the external drive, then of course there is
> Hello.
>
> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
>
> Thank you in advance. :)
no way to access it unless the drive is connected.
nospam
Dec 13, 2014, 3:58:16 PM12/13/14
to
In article <L-GdndgXjfBGOBHJ...@earthlink.com>, Ant
stored to be connected. otherwise what would time machine (or any
backup app) do?
however, recent versions of os x (including 10.8.5) can make local time
machine backups on the internal drive which later get synced to the
actual backup drive because most people don't have their backup drive
connected all the time, namely macbook users.
<a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
you obviously would need the drive on which the time machine archive is
> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
stored to be connected. otherwise what would time machine (or any
backup app) do?
however, recent versions of os x (including 10.8.5) can make local time
machine backups on the internal drive which later get synced to the
actual backup drive because most people don't have their backup drive
connected all the time, namely macbook users.
Barry Margolin
Dec 13, 2014, 4:01:02 PM12/13/14
to
> Hello.
>
> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
I suppose you can use a partition of the internal disk for Time Machine,
>
> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
it just seems like a bad idea -- if the drive dies, you'll lose the real
data AND the backup. That defeats the purpose.
--
Barry Margolin, bar...@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me ***
Jolly Roger
Dec 13, 2014, 5:20:12 PM12/13/14
to
On 2014-12-13, Ant <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> Hello.
>
> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
>
> Thank you in advance. :)
If the Mac is a laptop, then it's possible you have local Time Machine
> Hello.
>
> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
>
> Thank you in advance. :)
snapshots stored on the internal drive. If so, then you should be able
to enter Time Machine and access the backup data stored in the local
snapshots even when the external drive is not connected to the computer.
As others have indicated, it would be a very bad idea to rely solely on
local snapshots for your backup solution. You should continue using
external drives for Time Machine backups.
While local snapshots are disabled by default on desktop Mac models, you
can enable them if desired. This would allow your desktop Mac to be
backed up even when external Time Machine volumes are unavailable, at
the expense of free space on the internal volume.
More details here:
<http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202301>
<http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201250>
<http://www.macworld.com/article/1164802/enable_local_time_machine_snapshots_on_a_desktop_mac.html>
--
E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my ravenous SPAM filter.
I often ignore posts from Google. Use a real news client instead.
JR
David Empson
Dec 13, 2014, 6:06:06 PM12/13/14
to
external drive. They just fill in gaps in the timeline when you go to
the restore user interface. On my system I often have local backups
which are within minutes of an external backup, so it appears they
operate completely independently.
If the external drive is not available, then "Enter Time Machine" still
lets you restore from local backups. At least in Yosemite it shows the
timeline of the external drive even if it isn't connected, but obviously
you can only restore from the local backups.
--
David Empson
dem...@actrix.gen.nz
Ant
Dec 18, 2014, 2:24:52 AM12/18/14
to
On 12/13/2014 12:56 PM PT, philo typed:
>> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
>> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
>> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
>>
>> Thank you in advance. :)
>
> Since the backup data is on the external drive, then of course there is
> no way to access it unless the drive is connected.
Even the local snapshots on the internal/local drive? I remember TM had
two different snapshots (internal/local and external due to the purple
and white colors).
--
"Maybe it's like an ant hive..." "Bees man, bees have hives." "You know
what I mean. It's like one female that runs the whole show." "Yes, the
queen." "Yeah the mamma. She is bad*ss, man. I mean big." "These things
ain't ants estupido." "I know that." --Aliens movie
>> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
>> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
>> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
>>
>> Thank you in advance. :)
>
> Since the backup data is on the external drive, then of course there is
> no way to access it unless the drive is connected.
two different snapshots (internal/local and external due to the purple
and white colors).
--
"Maybe it's like an ant hive..." "Bees man, bees have hives." "You know
what I mean. It's like one female that runs the whole show." "Yes, the
queen." "Yeah the mamma. She is bad*ss, man. I mean big." "These things
ain't ants estupido." "I know that." --Aliens movie
Ant
Dec 18, 2014, 2:28:33 AM12/18/14
to
On 12/13/2014 3:06 PM PT, David Empson typed:
> I haven't seen any evidence that the local backups get synced to the
> external drive. They just fill in gaps in the timeline when you go to
> the restore user interface. On my system I often have local backups
> which are within minutes of an external backup, so it appears they
> operate completely independently.
>
> If the external drive is not available, then "Enter Time Machine" still
> lets you restore from local backups. At least in Yosemite it shows the
> timeline of the external drive even if it isn't connected, but obviously
> you can only restore from the local backups.
It doesn't look like 10.8.5 can access from local/internal hard drisk
drives from what I have seen. Unless I overlooked it?
--
"Remember, ants are only waiting for you to die..." --unknown
> I haven't seen any evidence that the local backups get synced to the
> external drive. They just fill in gaps in the timeline when you go to
> the restore user interface. On my system I often have local backups
> which are within minutes of an external backup, so it appears they
> operate completely independently.
>
> If the external drive is not available, then "Enter Time Machine" still
> lets you restore from local backups. At least in Yosemite it shows the
> timeline of the external drive even if it isn't connected, but obviously
> you can only restore from the local backups.
drives from what I have seen. Unless I overlooked it?
--
"Remember, ants are only waiting for you to die..." --unknown
Ant
Dec 18, 2014, 2:32:55 AM12/18/14
to
On 12/13/2014 2:20 PM PT, Jolly Roger typed:
> If the Mac is a laptop, then it's possible you have local Time Machine
> snapshots stored on the internal drive. If so, then you should be able
> to enter Time Machine and access the backup data stored in the local
> snapshots even when the external drive is not connected to the computer.
Yeah, it's a 13.3" MacBook Pro (mid-2012). For some reason, I don't see
these local snapshots. I do see them when the external USB2 HDD is
connected.
> As others have indicated, it would be a very bad idea to rely solely on
> local snapshots for your backup solution. You should continue using
> external drives for Time Machine backups.
I am aware of that.
> While local snapshots are disabled by default on desktop Mac models, you
> can enable them if desired. This would allow your desktop Mac to be
> backed up even when external Time Machine volumes are unavailable, at
> the expense of free space on the internal volume.
Hmm.
> More details here:
>
> <http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202301>
> <http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201250>
> <http://www.macworld.com/article/1164802/enable_local_time_machine_snapshots_on_a_desktop_mac.html>
Thanks. :)
--
"The constant creeping of ants will wear away the stone." --unknown
> If the Mac is a laptop, then it's possible you have local Time Machine
> snapshots stored on the internal drive. If so, then you should be able
> to enter Time Machine and access the backup data stored in the local
> snapshots even when the external drive is not connected to the computer.
these local snapshots. I do see them when the external USB2 HDD is
connected.
> As others have indicated, it would be a very bad idea to rely solely on
> local snapshots for your backup solution. You should continue using
> external drives for Time Machine backups.
> While local snapshots are disabled by default on desktop Mac models, you
> can enable them if desired. This would allow your desktop Mac to be
> backed up even when external Time Machine volumes are unavailable, at
> the expense of free space on the internal volume.
> More details here:
>
> <http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202301>
> <http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201250>
> <http://www.macworld.com/article/1164802/enable_local_time_machine_snapshots_on_a_desktop_mac.html>
--
"The constant creeping of ants will wear away the stone." --unknown
philo
Dec 18, 2014, 8:00:29 AM12/18/14
to
On 12/18/2014 01:24 AM, Ant wrote:
> On 12/13/2014 12:56 PM PT, philo typed:
>
>>> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
>>> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
>>> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
>>>
>>> Thank you in advance. :)
>>
>> Since the backup data is on the external drive, then of course there is
>> no way to access it unless the drive is connected.
>
> Even the local snapshots on the internal/local drive? I remember TM had
> two different snapshots (internal/local and external due to the purple
> and white colors).
Yes, you can access any /local/ snapshots ...however I hope you realize
> On 12/13/2014 12:56 PM PT, philo typed:
>
>>> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
>>> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
>>> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
>>>
>>> Thank you in advance. :)
>>
>> Since the backup data is on the external drive, then of course there is
>> no way to access it unless the drive is connected.
>
> Even the local snapshots on the internal/local drive? I remember TM had
> two different snapshots (internal/local and external due to the purple
> and white colors).
that you need a backup on an external drive. No drive is going to last
forever and all data should be stored in at least two places... so do
not rely solely on a local snapshot.
Jolly Roger
Dec 18, 2014, 9:24:38 AM12/18/14
to
On 2014-12-18, Ant <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> On 12/13/2014 12:56 PM PT, philo typed:
>
>>> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
>>> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
>>> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
>>>
>>> Thank you in advance. :)
>>
>> Since the backup data is on the external drive, then of course there is
>> no way to access it unless the drive is connected.
>
> Even the local snapshots on the internal/local drive? I remember TM had
> two different snapshots (internal/local and external due to the purple
> and white colors).
I believe I did mention this to you days ago in a reply to this very
> On 12/13/2014 12:56 PM PT, philo typed:
>
>>> Is it possible to access the local Mac's Time Machine without its
>>> external USB HDD? Or is the external backup HDD required? This is
>>> assuming Mac OS X 10.8.5. I am not sure if the newer versions can do it.
>>>
>>> Thank you in advance. :)
>>
>> Since the backup data is on the external drive, then of course there is
>> no way to access it unless the drive is connected.
>
> Even the local snapshots on the internal/local drive? I remember TM had
> two different snapshots (internal/local and external due to the purple
> and white colors).
thread.
Jolly Roger
Dec 18, 2014, 9:32:42 AM12/18/14
to
On 2014-12-18, Ant <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> On 12/13/2014 3:06 PM PT, David Empson typed:
>
>> I haven't seen any evidence that the local backups get synced to the
>> external drive. They just fill in gaps in the timeline when you go to
>> the restore user interface. On my system I often have local backups
>> which are within minutes of an external backup, so it appears they
>> operate completely independently.
>>
>> If the external drive is not available, then "Enter Time Machine" still
>> lets you restore from local backups. At least in Yosemite it shows the
>> timeline of the external drive even if it isn't connected, but obviously
>> you can only restore from the local backups.
>
> It doesn't look like 10.8.5 can access from local/internal hard drisk
> drives from what I have seen. Unless I overlooked it?
If you have local snapshots, they will be located in this directory:
>
>> I haven't seen any evidence that the local backups get synced to the
>> external drive. They just fill in gaps in the timeline when you go to
>> the restore user interface. On my system I often have local backups
>> which are within minutes of an external backup, so it appears they
>> operate completely independently.
>>
>> If the external drive is not available, then "Enter Time Machine" still
>> lets you restore from local backups. At least in Yosemite it shows the
>> timeline of the external drive even if it isn't connected, but obviously
>> you can only restore from the local backups.
>
> It doesn't look like 10.8.5 can access from local/internal hard drisk
> drives from what I have seen. Unless I overlooked it?
/Volumes/MobileBackups
So if this directory exists on your computer, you can access it.
If the directory does not exist, then local backups are not enabled. As
stated in the MacWorld article I already pointed out to you, you can
enable local snapshots with the command: sudo tmutil enablelocal.
Jolly Roger
Dec 18, 2014, 9:36:10 AM12/18/14
to
On 2014-12-18, Ant <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> On 12/13/2014 2:20 PM PT, Jolly Roger typed:
>
>> If the Mac is a laptop, then it's possible you have local Time Machine
>> snapshots stored on the internal drive. If so, then you should be able
>> to enter Time Machine and access the backup data stored in the local
>> snapshots even when the external drive is not connected to the computer.
>
> Yeah, it's a 13.3" MacBook Pro (mid-2012). For some reason, I don't see
> these local snapshots. I do see them when the external USB2 HDD is
> connected.
You're saying you do not have a /Volumes/MobileBackups directory on this
>
>> If the Mac is a laptop, then it's possible you have local Time Machine
>> snapshots stored on the internal drive. If so, then you should be able
>> to enter Time Machine and access the backup data stored in the local
>> snapshots even when the external drive is not connected to the computer.
>
> Yeah, it's a 13.3" MacBook Pro (mid-2012). For some reason, I don't see
> these local snapshots. I do see them when the external USB2 HDD is
> connected.
machine? Perhaps local snapshots aren't enabled then. You can enable
them with this command:
sudo tmutil enablelocal
Once that's done, you can start a new local backup immediately with this
command:
tmutil snapshot
>> As others have indicated, it would be a very bad idea to rely solely on
>> local snapshots for your backup solution. You should continue using
>> external drives for Time Machine backups.
>
> I am aware of that.
>> While local snapshots are disabled by default on desktop Mac models, you
>> can enable them if desired. This would allow your desktop Mac to be
>> backed up even when external Time Machine volumes are unavailable, at
>> the expense of free space on the internal volume.
>
> Hmm.
probably avoid enabling them on a drive that is relatively full.
>> More details here:
>>
>> <http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202301>
>> <http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201250>
>> <http://www.macworld.com/article/1164802/enable_local_time_machine_snapshots_on_a_desktop_mac.html>
>
> Thanks. :)
Ant
Dec 19, 2014, 10:49:47 AM12/19/14
to
On 12/18/2014 5:00 AM PT, philo typed:
> Yes, you can access any /local/ snapshots ...however I hope you realize
> that you need a backup on an external drive. No drive is going to last
> forever and all data should be stored in at least two places... so do
> not rely solely on a local snapshot.
I am aware of that. I just want easy and quick access to local snapshots
when the external HDD isn't connected. ;) Now, to figure out why I can't
see them without the external HDD connected. Hmm!
--
"Above ground I shall be food for kites; below I shall be food for
mole-crickets and ants. Why rob one to feed the other?" --Juang-zu (4th
Century B.C.)
> Yes, you can access any /local/ snapshots ...however I hope you realize
> that you need a backup on an external drive. No drive is going to last
> forever and all data should be stored in at least two places... so do
> not rely solely on a local snapshot.
when the external HDD isn't connected. ;) Now, to figure out why I can't
see them without the external HDD connected. Hmm!
--
"Above ground I shall be food for kites; below I shall be food for
mole-crickets and ants. Why rob one to feed the other?" --Juang-zu (4th
Century B.C.)
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