Folder to folder backup procedure
-- Below is a detailed, listed workflow of folder to folder backup procedure --
To copy files from your
editorial / current drives to your backup
drives, you can simply drag the folders over to the backup drives. However, this may not be the best
method. You will be moving a lot
of files and chances for error is high. The worse that can happen when moving a
lot of files is that an error, and without an error log file, you will not know
what files / folders were copied over and what were not. This is particularly troublesome when
you have to dig back into your files to find out at which point transfer had
halted to continue transfer from that m point on. This
becomes a tedious and time consuming task.
Using a backup / copy
software can eliminate this headache as they usually transfer file more robust
than a drag and drop in finder. As well, they usually provide an error log file that alerts
you of where a
problem occurs, if there is a problem at all.
There are several
different backup / folder sync applications that will ease this process. Some are more complicated than others
to use. I
propose the following software: ibackup (http://www.grapefruit.ch/iBackup)
This software allows you to do multiple folder transfer. You can set up several folders that require
backup and allow it to run overnight.
It also provides an error log so that if there are interruptions, you
can find out where it stopped and re-continue without having to hunt through
your files. You can also use
this software to schedule recurring backup. But for the purpose of this step-by-step, we will not go
into recurring backups, but one time transfers.
Download and install
1.
Download the
application on the following website: http://www.grapefruit.ch/iBackup
2.
Double click the
downloaded folder, and copy iBackup into your computer’s application folder
Setting up preferences
1.
Double click iBackup (from
your computer) to open up the application
2.
Go to iBackup à Preference to open up
and alter your preference
3.
In the “General” and “Plug-in” tabs, you can change the setting as you
see fit.
4.
In “Profile”, we need to create a profile for you backup needs; you can
use the existing “Backup” profile.
Use the following setting:
·
Scheduler: ‘Never”
(*this is where you can set recurring backups for a different use
·
Backup Folders:
Leave “Backup Folder Name” blank.
Otherwise, it will automatically create a new folder for each backup
session
·
Connection: leave this blank, unless you want to backup to a
remote server
·
Script: leave blank
·
Log Files: check “Wirte log file to backup folder, this allow you
an error log in case something goes wrong, especially usefull with large # of
files being backuped
·
UNIX: leave as default
Using iBackup to copy
folders
1.
Setting the
Profile
·
On the top left
corner, you will need to select your profile. The default is “backup”. Leave it as such.
2.
Setting your
target drive / target folder
·
On the top right
corner, click on the “Set” button.
·
Set the path to
your backup folder by choosing your target drive and target folder
·
Click “Choose”
3.
Set your source
folders
·
Click on the “+”
button on the bottom left corner
·
Select the folder
that contains files you want to copy over
·
The folder will be
listed on left hand side of the application
·
Continue the
process until all of your folder are selected and appear in the left hand side
bar
·
Make sure all the
folders that you want to copy over is marked with a “check” in front of it.
·
** Remember to
de-select any of the default backup files / folders that are pre-selected. The easiest is to delete all the file /
folder already in your list before using the application
4.
Backup
·
Click the “Backup
Now” button on the right bottom corner.
Transfer will commense, and a log file will be generated on the right
hand side.
·
At the end of the
transfer, you will hear a “bong” sound.
Check your log file that the # of erros is “0”.
5.
Verify your
result
·
Select the original
folder, go to File à
Get Info (or press Apple + I), the size of the folder will be displayed
·
Go to the backupe
folder, go to File à
Get Info (or press Apple + I), the size of the backed up folder will be
displayed
·
Compare the two
sizes, they should be identical. If they are, you backup went through
fine. If not, go back to the log
file and see if there are anything miss as indicated in the file.