![os x server time machine os x server time machine](https://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/09-CachingService.png)
It obviously depends very much on your particular setup, but some of the things you might consider backing up remotely could include: So, if you decide against backing up the entire server remotely, you’re left with a choice of what really needs to be backed up as essentially irreplaceable data. The only thing that really matters is where you might judge that crucial point of downtime: are you happy with a 12-hour restore, or a 5-hour restore, or 1 hour, or 15 minutes, or…? Backing Up Only What Cannot Be Rebuilt This is the case whether you’re considering Time Machine specifically, or rsync, or any other option for backing up the entire server. Time Machine is slow enough to restore from a local hard drive do you really want to attempt the feat over an internet connection?Īt a certain point of potential downtime, it becomes better to rebuild the server environment from scratch and restore only the irreplaceable data, rather than attempting to restore a whole bunch of stuff which does not have to be restored and can instead be rebuilt. In addition to problems of speed and security during ordinary use, the issue of speed during a restore is a real killer.
![os x server time machine os x server time machine](https://images.sftcdn.net/images/t_app-cover-l,f_auto/p/6ec07b81-0dca-4b1b-9b82-40d4079a6fc8/4129574655/macos-server-screenshot.jpg)
However, in my view, Time Machine over the internet does not make a particularly good solution. You can do this by establishing a VPN connection from your server to another network, and backing up to a Time Capsule on that network, or it’s possible to forward port 548 (for file-sharing) on the remote network so as to expose a Time Capsule to direct internet access. It’s possible to set up Time Machine, for example, so that your server is backed up continuously to another machine in some other data centre. In principal, there’s nothing to stop you from backing up your entire server to another location.
![os x server time machine os x server time machine](https://ilgthegeek.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/filesharing.png)
In previous articles, I’ve described a basic backup strategy for running an OS X-based server now it’s time to take a look at backing up important information to another server in a geographically distinct location.