I consideing subscribing to Backblaze for offsite backup. It’s only use would be for re-creating my setup from scratch after losing all access to my computer and any contents of my house (fire, earthquake, flood, etc.). So I have some questions about setup, the backup process, and re-creating the system:
Setup:
Backblaze askes you to choose the region that houses your backup server. Most of the regions only have one actual location, but the US West region includes Sacramento, CA and Phoenix, AZ. While a disaster affecting my house has little chance of also affecting Sacramento, it has an infinitisimal chance of affecting the other locations. So, since I don’t want to my server to be in Sacramento, I would probably choose the US East (Reston, VA) or CA East (Toronto, CA) region, since their connectivity the California is probably similar. Are there concerns about cross-national data restrictions if I choose Canada? Are there significant privacy concerns in I choose Virginia?
Backup:
Backblaze suggests that files must be closed to be backed up. So this suggests doing occaisional backups with my web browser and mail app closed. Is there any simple way to schedule automation to close those apps, run a backup, and reopen the apps? Or is it better to do it manually with the scheduling being a reminder tickle to me?
Re-creation:
Has anyone re-created their setup from a Backblaze backup? How easy was it to do? How did you keep track of necessary components that weren’t part on an Apple system installation nor backed up? In particular, is there a convenient way to keep track of the applications used by the data files in the backup?
Here are some thoughts about some files that would help in adding the appropriate apps to the re-created system:
I think it would be neat to have a CSV file that would be a table of file extensions present in the backed up files and preferred applications for opening them. It would be nice to have a routine that extracts that information from the Load Services database and creates that table. A supplementary table could also shows each app, whether it was loaded directly from Apple, via the App Store, or independently. This information can currently be displayed and saved as a PDF fromSystem Settings>General>About>System Report> Applications, but not in a form for doing active lookup and re-sorting.
I, and several clients, have used Backblaze for seven years, now, with no problems. I’ve only had to restore for a client once (see below). Because I have multiple local backups I’ve not thought of needing it to do a full restore but when I was writing code full-time it was comforting to know there was a full remote, up-to-date, backup of the source code.
It is well-behaved. I haven’t encountered bugs or slow-downs on my modest 100 down, 20 up internet connection.
Backup
Really? I never noticed they said they have to be closed! But I wouldn’t bother with some special script to close things because the backup process is continuous. Over the course of a week it’ll probably get everything.
Re-creation
Restoring your system from a Backblaze back-up is nothing like restoring from TimeMachine or a CCC or SuperDuper clone. It is much more like what sysadmins had to do in the 90’s () —piecemeal. In essence, it backs up your User folder and external drives. Thazzit. Further, if you have to do as I did and request an external drive be sent to you because the client had monstrous amounts of artwork (it was delivered quickly), you then have to manually pick and choose what files to copy over to the new system from the drive and that includes the Library. And, no, you are playing with a bonfire if you think you can just copy over the entire Library folder. You have to pick and choose.
In the case of that client Backblaze saved their bacon because their TimeMachine backup turned-out to be corrupt (no, not negligence, bad luck) and I think, in general, that the way you should think of Backblaze and similar services is as a last-resort thing. Without it you have a disaster; with it some work is ahead of you but thank heavens you still have the important stuff.
This was several years ago so my memory of the particulars is hazy. I thought about trying Migration Assistant. Backblaze support had no idea and a quick web search turned up nothing. Since it was a client system and they were very nervous I chose to be extremely conservative and do it the old-fashioned way.
It would certainly be worthwhile to experiment because this would save so much time. I thought about trying it afterwards but didn’t have a spare system and a half day to fool around.
I find that Backblaze tends to perform hourly incremental checking of changed files and then downloads the changes and I have never had any backup issues with nonstop, continuous backups in the decade I’ve used the service, open files or not. Backblaze will catch once-open files an hour after closing them, assuming the computer is on.
Under Backblaze’s Best Practices it notes, “Files that are currently in use by another program cannot be backed up. You should periodically ensure that the files that you want to back up are saved” Since the default is to back up continuously, and most people never have even one app always open at all times, I think it would be an extreme edge case for someone to need to manually close files on a regular basis in order to ensure proper backup.
If you are especially punctilious you can choose to simply periodically close files (quitting apps is not needed) and manually run a backup, but I think this is probably unnecessary. Backblaze should not be seen as a primary or sole backup strategy, and in most cases (with the exception of something like a home fire) one will be accessing local backups for speed and ease of recovery anyway.
Can you run Migration Assistant, pointing it at that backup drive?
No, and there wouldn’t be any point. To recreate your system you would need to install macOS, create your user, reinstall all your apps, then download your data files from Backblaze and insert them in the right places. When you have completed that your system will be as close to recreated as Backblaze will allow, so there would be no point in using Migration Assistant.
I think you missed the context here. @Dafuki said that he had Backblaze send over a HDD with the content. With that in hand, if it is a full backup of the Data volume, it should (at least in theory) be possible to clean-install macOS and migrate from that drive.
But you’re right, if you are going to restore from the Internet, then there would be no point.
I think you missed the context here. @Dafuki said that he had Backblaze send over a HDD with the content. With that in hand, if it is a full backup of the Data volume, it should (at least in theory) be possible to clean-install macOS and migrate from that drive.
Thanks you are right, I did miss the context. But I don’t believe it would work. BackBlaze’s focus is on user directory, not the -Data volume, which contains more than just the user directory, eg all third party applications. As said earlier It is not a complete back up of the -Data volume as used by Migration Assistant, and created by TM and CCC.
Unfortunately, Backblaze does not backup the entire Data volume. It only does your User files and any external drives you indicate.
So, it is a legitimate question to wonder if you have a new machine, whether Migration Assistant will recognize only a User folder hierarchy on an external drive as a data source for user files. Recall that the Assistant allows you to select which parts of another machine you bring over: System settings, applications, one or more users, etc.
It would be wonderful if it did because it does all sorts of stuff to install a user that when you copy things over manually are extremely tedious and fraught with potential mistakes.
I suspect it will not do this but it would be great if someone were to experiment when it’s a test restoration that won’t be in dire circumstances.
I don’t really know what “open” means in the context of a Web browser or email app, but I suspect it’s not something that would cause data to be at risk.
I’m pretty sure not, and even if Migration Assistant allowed it, I’d be hesitant to recommend it, since you have to know that Apple doesn’t test such an edge case to the extent of full duplicates or Time Machine backups.
I never noticed that bit about files needing to be closed to be backed up. Actually, even though I’ve been using Backblaze for years I’ve never tried restoring anything from it.
As a test I just went into Backblaze’s restore file feature and found a file I was editing last night. It seems to have the correct timestamp for my last edit even though I didn’t close the file.
So I’m not sure.
Anyway, I never get any backup errors from Backblaze. Lately I did get morning “backup did not complete” errors from Time Machine though. When that happens I “backup now” and it usually finishes. But I’ve switched to backup once a day there because hourly didn’t seem to be working well lately.
Thank you for posting this info! I don’t want to blame the messenger.
Well, shoot! What are we supposed to do for an off-premises backup solution at a cost appropriate for normal people? CrashPlan decided they didn’t like doing backups anymore (they’ve since returned to the backup business, but they’re dramatically slower than Backblaze). There was a company before CrashPlan whose name I’ve forgotten, but they disappeared as CrashPlan rose.
I have put several business team members on BB, and use it for home as well. The article mentions Wasabi as the competitor which blew past Backblaze. I’m familiar with Wasabi, as we would have used it at work as part of an expansion of our spinning storage to the cloud, and Wasabi is not the same as Backblaze Backup. Wasabi is more analogous to Backblaze’s B2 storage. (We abandoned the idea of cloud storage at work because of the absurd ongoing costs, and our discovery at a major conference that every other company—even ones much larger and more profitable than ourselves—had come to the same conclusion!)
BTW, the scandalous “longer piece” referenced above admits at the end of its executive summary that its writers are shorting the stock and will profit from others’ shorting as well!
I’m not sure how seriously to take that scandalous report from Morpheus Research, and am glad I don’t have to think much about it because I’ve been a happy user of Arq 7 (and Arq 5 before that) for years. It is a one-time cost but you need to bring your own storage. They also offer “Arq Premium” which costs a yearly fee but includes 1 TB of storage. (Pricing link.) I hope you find something that works for you!
Yes, thank you for reminding us about Arq. Its users periodically remind me of its utility and reliability, and it is certainly a solid choice for offsite backups, especially for those who have storage in two locations. If I were still at a small business, for example, I could place storage there to back up my home Mac, and vice versa.
(That was actually the cool distinctive of CrashPlan, which allowed one to back up to a friend or relative’s computer for free; the only payment required was for CrashPlan’s cloud storage. I believe the resurrected company has not included that feature.)
This had a good airing in this Tidbits thread.
It did cause me to think hard about staying with Bacblaze, and I even started a free trial of CrashPlan. But subsequent discussion in that thread put the Morpheus report in clearer context, and I decided to stay with Backblaze.
In addition to the storage cost, new users of Arq 7 pay US$50 up front and, after a year, US$25 per year for continuing updates. In the early days there were real lifetime licenses (I have one) but those are long gone for new users. Arq is, of course, much better suited to Macs than Backblaze.
Thanks for recommending Arq, I was about to start a free trial when I read that it only includes 1TB could storage and $.006/GB/month for more. With 3TB to backup this would make it much more expensive than Backblaze (or CrashPlan). The extra 2TB would add $120 per annum to the basic $60.
I can see Arq is good value if you have less than 1TB to backup or using your own storage.
As above I started a CrashPlan trial after the Backblaze story and it is still much slower than BackBlaze. I had used CrashPlan many years ago, before switching to BackBlaze. I couldn’t really detect anything different from when I last used it.
) —piecemeal. In essence, it backs up your User folder and external drives. Thazzit. Further, if you have to do as I did and request an external drive be sent to you because the client had monstrous amounts of artwork (it was delivered quickly), you then have to manually pick and choose what files to copy over to the new system from the drive and that includes the Library. And, no, you are playing with a bonfire if you think you can just copy over the entire Library folder. You have to pick and choose.