Backing up external drives on Time Machine

[SackJabbit]

I’m aware Time Machine can back up external drives, for example one which stores my iTunes library, large video files and documents which I don’t want to keep locally on my MacBook. Time Machine is set to back up my Mac and that external drive to another larger capacity portable drive.

Say, when I go out with my Mac along with the portable drive, with the intention have TM backup every hour. Am I required to bring the other external drive to for TM to work? Or TM will just backup Mac, and then backup my external drive as well when I come home and reconnect it?

Thanks!

 

[Fishrrman]

Best solution for backing up an external drive (particularly a data drive that is not a boot drive) is to use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to "clone" the source to the backup.

For all practical purposes the backup is an EXACT copy of the source drive -- indistinguishable.

 

[Weaselboy]

Or TM will just backup Mac, and then backup my external drive as well when I come home and reconnect it?

Yep... that is exactly what it will do.

 

[SackJabbit]

Best solution for backing up an external drive (particularly a data drive that is not a boot drive) is to use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to "clone" the source to the backup.

For all practical purposes the backup is an EXACT copy of the source drive -- indistinguishable.

Yes, I do have CarbonCopyCloner as my alternative additional backup solution, for my MacBook and external data drive, to a much larger capacity external drive. I use CCC in addition to TimeMachine because I've read and personally had the odd issue with TM being finicky at the boot recovery / restoring my Mac.

I agree that CCC makes restoring a drive from the clone created an easy process.

Yep... that is exactly what it will do.

Oh cool, that's great. Thank you.