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Old 10-12-2004, 02:12 PM
Phil Phil is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 3
Sparse Disk Image track record?

I've purchased SuperDuper for personal use and it looks very promising.

Additionally I support several digital photographers that are looking for a backup solution. They tend to need "versioning" less than authors or software developers for whom the file can change significantly day to day.

Given the cost, complexity, and declining robustness of Retrospect (which I've used for over a decade in businesses) I'm looking to develop an operating model for this group of friends using SuperDuper.

In general, I like the split of backuping up the System separately from User files. The System would be backed up to a bootable partition. As for User files, I like the idea of Smart Backups of the /User/xyz to a sparse disk image created with Disk Utility. (descibed in the FAQ http://www.shirt-pocket.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81) The reason I prefer the sparse disk image, is that typically in would not be mounted, lessening potential confusion as which is the primary file and which is the backup. I realize that once it is mounted it looks just like a disk and confusion is possible. This group in particular varies quite widely in their awareness of the file system. Perhaps the distinction is too minor to matter.

Sorry for the long introduction. What I was wondering is does anyone have extensive experience with the sparse disk images? Are they reliable? Can they shrink, if the content is removed? When were they introduced to OS X and do they draw on a tested code base?

Any perspective would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
-Phil
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