Start two (sequential) backups with one click?

[jeshyr]

I have two separate backup sets which I almost always need to run one after the other.

There's no single time of day that my Mac is always switched on/available for backups, so I don't want to schedule them to a specific time and I often have to restart multiple times a day so I'd rather they didn't run as startup items.

I've tried using saved settings and an AppleScript to start backups using the specified saved settings but if I fire the second before the first is finished then I get an error. There doesn't seem to be an "at the next available time" flag on the start-a-backup command.

Is this do-able?
r

[dnanian]

So... schedule them as 'on connect' backups. If you manually click 'copy now' for both in the scheduled copies window, they'll run back to back.

[jeshyr]

Schedule them as on-connect backups even though that's not what I want, then trigger them from the scheduled copies window? That's positively machiavelian!

SuperDuper has saved my butt so many times I should be offering you my first born at this point. Thank you

r

[jeshyr]

... I can't schedule backup-on-connect to an internal drive.

[dnanian]

Ah, didn't realize it was an internal drive.

I don't rememberf if we implemented this in 2.6, and I'm on the road right now and can't check, but you may be able to use Copy Now in scheduled copies even when the two checkboxes are unchecked.

But if not, schedule both for a time that your Mac will not be on.... and run manually as described before.

[dnanian]

Ah, didn't realize it was an internal drive.

I don't rememberf if we implemented this in 2.6, and I'm on the road right now and can't check, but you may be able to use Copy Now in scheduled copies even when the two checkboxes are unchecked.

But if not, schedule both for a time that your Mac will not be on.... and run manually as described before.

[sjk]

Originally Posted by dnanian

…, but you may be able to use Copy Now in scheduled copies even when the two checkboxes are unchecked.

Copy Now worked fine with one of my Scheduled Copies that's unchecked; wasn't convenient to test with more right now.

I wasn't aware of that Copy Now button until reading this thread and that'll be much easier than scheduling/unscheduling certain entries, as I've been tediously doing for awhile.

One suggestion would be to optionally defer the start time without having to update/enable schedules. Maybe make the Option key modifier change the button to Copy In…, which when clicked would open a simple dialog for entering the amount of time to defer. That way it's treated more like a semi-hidden advanced option instead of something intended for normal usage.

Thanks!