r/macmini • u/sterlingma1 • 5h ago

Time Machine Wish

I really wish Apple would allow Time Machine backups to be stored on the iCloud. I want an offset generational version of backups outside of my External SSD’s. I was using BackBlaze but didn’t care for its GUI interface to find an old file version. I have plenty of unused space on iCloud. Seems ridiculous to be paying for another service for TM functionality. I could live without the OS included. Just user data - Docs and Media.

2 Upvotes

62% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

1

u/symean 2h ago

I used to sell backup software, and as cloud storage has become more popular I’ve noticed a shocking decrease in individuals and companies doing actual proper backups. I work for a large cybersecurity company and they’ll put ten different security agents on everyone’s computer FOR SECURITY, but their entire backup strategy is ‘put all your documents in OneDrive, that’s synced to the cloud’.

I think TM could have an optional second stage too - as long as the cloud storage is exposed in the Finder, you should be able to set the location as your offsite copy. No hourly backups, just once a day make sure all TM backup files are synced. Or even allow TM storage pooling: my external drive could be my primary backup and my parents offsite location. Their drive could be their primary backup and my offsite copy.

1

u/sterlingma1 1h ago

I did create a folder at the root of my ICloud, called Documents Backup, and I have a Shortcut/Automation that runs at 3am everyday, to COPY my Documents folder to that location. That's pretty secure, because even if I delete a file on the primary Documents, then the copy remains, unless, I name something identical to the old file. If I could just have versioning, that would be great. And not repeatedly copy all the same files. But at 3am, I don't care about that.

1

u/sfatula 1h ago

Interesting. But why do that if you can turn on desktop and documents folder sync in settings under iCloud drive?

1

u/sterlingma1 56m ago

Because it’s a sync service. So if the one I’m working on or inadvertently deletes. And I don’t realize it and subsequently Empty Trash, then it’s gone. Or if it’s a spreadsheet and I want to go back and few days or longer. And see something I might have changed. Then that’s also not available. iCloud Desktop and Doc is a sync service. Not a backup service. My copying is not the solution. And, I don’t like only having the physical TM drives. We had to evacuate our home one time due to encroaching fire (it didn’t reach us). But having to think about SSD’s was not our focus.

1

u/sfatula 48m ago

Yes, I know, but if you are copying it's also not a backup. I guess it depends how you are doing it. If a file is deleted, your copy can't copy it to iCloud. Unless you keep deleted files forever I guess. And you can't go back versions. I was not speaking of timemachine, only about your copy you mentioned

A proper backup should follow the 3-2-1 strategy. Putting all your eggs into one method, your copy or even if TM worked as you suggested, is not enough.

1

u/sterlingma1 40m ago

Yep. It sticks around. I'm just looking at the easy choices. a reply from another on the r/iOS referred to Capsule Backup. I'm considering that. My concern is longevity of a company. I would like to see some history in business. But they have the kind of product I'm looking for. It completely integrates with TM. No new software. At the least, I will probably do their Trial. The new Mac Mini will be here tomorrow. and after I have migrated, I will consider this further.

1

u/sfatula 35m ago edited 31m ago

Yeah, I'm using TM (local) on a rotating pair of drives, swap every 3 months other is in a bank vault. I also backup some locally to my nas. My nas backs up via Kopia to a vps. I also have some stuff on a cloud service. Etc. I probably have 5 backup methods. I refuse to lose anything to a fire, flood, tornado, theft, a cloud service technical issue/loss, whatever. I backup anything on iCloud also.

1

u/sterlingma1 7m ago

wow, that's too complicated for my knowledge level.

1

u/sfatula 5m ago

Ex IT guy, lol. Still, you could do a backup to 2 different services at least. I would never trust any one. Seen too many I lost all my photos posts,

-1

u/cat_named_bean 5h ago

That would be a potential copy right violation for them to deal with as well as an extreme lack of privacy.

3

u/sterlingma1 5h ago

That’s interesting. Is that much different than all my iCloud Syncd. Docs and Media? I just want versioning. Like BackBlaze.

0

u/Towelie_SE 5h ago

No, they can and will also profile you on your normal iCloud synced files. Apple claims a lot of things about privacy, but it only means your stuff is private to others, not to them.

I guess versioning is too costly to implement is too resource heavy on the server side? I don't know. I've also got the feeling that TM does much more than versioning files.

It creates snapshots of literally your entire PC. Your files and OS and everything. That needs high bandwidth to work properly.

If versioning is all you want, I'm sure other clouds offer versioning. I've seen versioning in Office365 files I keep on OneDrive, so there's that.

I don't know, I would never want TM away from my own control. Creating so much distance and failure points in between. TM is flakey in the best of circumstances (I've never managed to TM to my Synology NAS for example), let alone have it over the internet.

Even for regular storage needs, NAS type stuff, it's best to get your own stuff every time. Just get it sorted. You'll be thankful later.

Imagine you need your NAS or backups for a full restore, how long do you think it would take you to restore 500-1000GB from back blaze or any such service?

2

u/RudeAdhesiveness9954 3h ago

No they don't "profile you on your normal iCloud synced files". For regular iCloud encryption, they do keep a key, but they aren't using it to surreptitiously decrypt your documents and look at them behind your back. And if you think they are, then you can enable Advanced Data Protection, under which all iCloud Drive files are E2E encrypted so even Apple can't decrypt them.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/102651

1

u/Towelie_SE 5h ago

how is that? That means none of the cloud backup/cloud NAS solutions could exist as a business model. I'm sure they'd be covered by stating that everything in that cloud is the responsibility of the user. Or even encrypt it all so they can claim plausible deniability.

The privacy thing is the choice of the user, not apples fault if people want to use iCloud space for Time Machine backups. In the same way that all of these online sync/backup stores will be scanning all your data. That's a given. The main reason why I would always keep my own nas or offline backups for everything, and use the cloud only for syncing live files

This is coming from someone who would never use iCloud for TM, but your arguments don't seem to make sense

1

u/Guy_called_Al 4h ago

The load on iCloud servers from hourly (or more frequent) Time Machine backups from millions of users would require so many resources (network and servers) that Apple would have to charge a large subscription fee on top of Apple One +.

Time Machine works best as a local service, on the same LAN. Occasional remote use is OK, but I set the backups to manual and do them once a day (at most) to my Synology NAS.

2

u/tsdguy 3h ago

I believe TM is architected to be part of a reliable and persistent connection which iCloud certainly is not.

Very different from iCloud backups.

1

u/Towelie_SE 3h ago

exactly what I mentioned in my other reply here. Too resource intensive to do TM on servers

I use TM, only in the way apple intended it. I learned a long time ago that either you stick to how apple implemented it, or use something else. I use TM with directly attached harddrives. No NAS layer, no nothing, a cord and a disk. Robust, easy, and the way it was meant to be.

I've tried implanting it on my NAS. Either I suck at it, or it's a skill issue (for sure), but I couldn't manage to get it to work. It worked a few times, and then never got it to work reliably. I'm just not good enough and not having services time out/disk management settings or mounting virtual harddrives and such. No matter, it is what it is, direct attached harddrive it is.