Keeping archive of files

[kez]

Thanks for your reply, Dave.

But I'm not sure we're on the same page yet.

My user's data files (not system files) are currently stored on a dedicated mirrored network volume (I'll call "Current"), so I'm all set with continuously backing-up the **current** version of those data files.

My goal is to find a low-maintenance way to automatically compare that collection of current data files with the collection of data files existing yesterday (or some other user-selected previous time), and automatically save, on a separate dedicated mirrored network volume (I'll call "Archives"), a copy of only those data files that were changed or deleted since yesterday (such as in a folder with today's unique date, e.g., 20060709).

I have a copy of the post-change (i.e., current) version of each such data file (in the correct location in the folder hierarchy) on the "Current" volume, so I don't need/want to save the post-change versions every day on "Archives".

I also definitely don't need/want to re-save the unchanged data files every day on "Archives", since those files also already reside on "Current" and they take up a **lot** of disk space.

I don't even need/want to save on Archives the locations of the changed files (i.e., precisely where they were located on "Current"), since other meta-data (e.g., filename, mod date/time, etc.) will help me manually resolve any ambiguities about whether I'm considering the right archived data file when I need to manually restore that data file to "Current" because someone deleted that data file or it got fouled up somehow.

Yet page 10 of the User Manual states:
"Smart Update... is similar, in that the result is an exact copy of the source."

And page 12 of the User Manual states:
"Smart Update.... When you click Copy Now, SuperDuper! will only make
the changes necessary – replacing, adding and removing files and folders –
to ensure the backup exactly matches the source; this will typically only take a few minutes."

So I'm confused by the suggestion to use Smart Updates. It seems that doing so will reproduce all the data files each day (thereby exactly matching the function of "Current" and taking up much much more disk space than needed), rather than storing only a copy of the files changed or deleted since yesterday (thereby achiving the goal for "Archive" and taking up relatively little disk space on that volume).

Would you elaborate a little further to clarify how Smart Updates works, and how it would work in this situation to accomplish the goal for "Archive"? Thanks so much.

Kez