What is your file/folder saving/backup workflow with multi mixed platforms OSX/Windows

[chefwong]

When dropbox was supporting symlinks, I was simlinking documents and deskop across the board with my pc/macs on DropBox.

I use BackBlaze for my backups. I don't use TM mainly as I'm mobile and it only sees the -NAS- @ night when I'm at home.
DropBox stopped symlinkink awhile back so my complete workflow has been changed...


Just curious how are you guys maitaining/using your files/folders with a mixed platform.

 

[Dave_H]

Hi,

I use Syncthing, I've installed it everywhere.

It's primarily a sync tool, but with the good configuration (like Folders set on Receive Only on the NAS side and/or Send Only on other devices) it can serves as a backup storage. At least that's my setup.

 

[BigMcGuire]

My workflow? OneDrive. I do ... everything ... in OneDrive. OneNote is my notebook of choice across all my platforms, though I use Notability for Apple Pencil notes and have it saving to OneDrive automatically (PDF).

Backups? 1 8TB drive that is partitioned (2TB Mac, 6TB Windows) - Time Machine for the MacBook Pro and Acronis for the Windows Machine. BackBlaze is installed on my Windows Machine.

I used to use Arq but I'm finding Time Machine and Acronis are doing just fine for me. When I work on projects that I want a history - I'll set Arq to back up that folder to an external drive (or another internal location) on an hourly / half hour basis.

OneDrive keeps me synced between Windows, iPhone, and Mac. I have a Work folder going to my work provided laptop as well.

 

[chefwong]

Re: TM. Given on that a few years already. Mainly as I'm using my NAS volume to backup, and after the -4th time, the -sparse bundle- of TM broke via NAS, I stopped the un-supported/un-reliable backup of the MAC via TM to a network volume

 

[hobowankenobi]

I like Synology Drive now that they have both syncing and backing up options in the client. Cross-platform, including access from iOS. Using their Quick Connect feature, I backup over the internet to a NAS 30 miles away without any firewall ports to open, NAT configuratin, IP addresses or DDNS to worry about. Works great. They offer encryption from client to server too.

The Drive Server app is pretty good, with reporting features, and options to set (versioning control, etc.). You can select live/continuous backup, or scheduled. The client auto starts and lives in the menu bar, so you can check at a glance and see your stuff if getting backed up.

Drive has some quirks and a little learning curve to get dialed in, but well worth the effort. Was an easy choice over TM.

 

[Dave_H]

I must be lucky then, because TM on the NAS (Qnap) has been very reliable for me, apart from the aforementioned Syncthing setup. It works so well in fact, that I've even forgotten about it. A second TM is configured on a Samsung T5 external drive, that I plug every now and then.

Of course all this is from the backup side, I (fortunately) have never had to restore yet.

 

[hobowankenobi]

I have read and followed along over the years with issues for TM backing up to a non-Apple destination, usually a NAS.

Issues come and go regarding TM failures. Luckily there are some smart folks who share challenges and fixes.

Some folks—after having found and resolved the backups being reported as corrupted, forcing starting over, losing all history, and being without a backup for a long period—see issues return with an OS update.

Others seem to think wifi is the issue, and report more success with clients and destination being wired.

It feels like Apple changes something like (AFS or SMB spec) that breaks stuff again. Hard to prove, with no easy error logging to diagnose. Apple doesn't really broadcast functions or specs to anyone. Makes it harder to diagnose, plan for change, utilize all the functionality...and (for me) to trust TM for long term archiving.

Synology supports TM backups, but you don't have to look far to find questions and gripes about the same problem. My impression overall is that TM to supported third-party NAS works...until it doesn't.

I had wired iMacs backing up to Synology NAS for months. Out of the blue, file corrupted issue. Was it a MacOS patch or update? A Synology patch or Update? Something else?

Long story short, If it won't run reliably for more than a few months, for me it is too much of a bother to troubleshoot and fix, even if the issue is only once or twice a year (or per OS update). So far (more than a year now) Drive backup has been chugging away with only very minor file specific issues; nothing that required wiping a data set and starting over.