Systematic Backups for Mac Servers

[Jwzg]

We currently have 3 MacMini servers for MDM, File Sharing, and OD. I am currently using Time Machine to a standalone hard drive for backups, but that is NOT an enterprise level solution. For those who've run Mac servers for a while, what hardware and software do you use for backups and why?

[abillybob]

Hey Mate,

 

Firstly why have you got separate Mac Servers for separate tasks? We have one Mac Server here running pretty much all of that and more and have no problems?

Secondly time machine may be free and doesn't look the 'business' but trust me it is and it is the recommended way I would personally backup any type of Mac system, whether that is a Mac Server or a Client.

 

Time Machine is all we've ever used because we hadn't needed anything more and it's really helped us out of a few problems quite a few times.

[Jwzg]

How many users do you have? We support around 550 devices and 450 users. Not a big org, but enough to give me pause to run a JSS and OD on the same machine. Perhaps my concerns are unfounded. If I was sure, I probably wouldn't ask . Edited September 25, 2014 by Jwzg

[abillybob]

Around 500!?

[Jwzg]

Why the surprise? We're a 1:1 school.

[abillybob]

Haha No you asked me how many Users do I manage I said around 500. You since edited your post after I posted what I said.

[Jwzg]

Sorry You're pretty quick tonight.

 

Continuing on, I was thinking about using Carbon Copy Cloner as the software, but we have used TS in the past to do a complete restore, and it worked. I just think something that's quick to restore in the case of an outage is best.

[abillybob]

Tonight??? Oh you're in America, I'm still at work!!! Lucky you eh!?

 

Yeah Carbon Copy Cloner is good, I actually do have the software here for that, though tried it once didn't really make a huge difference to what Time Machine can do, so never bothered. It's not that much quicker than TM either.

[Norphy]

I have to admit, I'm just using a USB 3 hard drive attached to our Mac server and Time Machine as well. It's not ideal but it works.

 

Ideally I'd like to back it up to our main backup server and have the backups committed to tape once in a while but unfortunately our backup software doesn't support Macs.

[Jwzg]

My job is interesting: we run two totally different systems for faculty/staff (AD with SMB file share) and students (OD with AFP). Don't ask me why we don't consolidate, but I'm all for it. It's a huge waste of money and resources for an institution our size.

 

That said, I just discovered that the NAS used for nightly backups of our DC's has an AFP share already there. Hopefully I can just save there and forget the hardware.

[ZeroHour]

You can TM backup to a Windows share though and get the backup software to take revisions etc.

[Jwzg]

Thanks for all of the input! Nice to have 24 hour support, courtesy of my friends in Europe

[Brimstone]

Thanks for all of the input! Nice to have 24 hour support, courtesy of my friends in Europe

@Jwzg Your doing it right a Mac Mini Server should have a dedicated JSS, I would go near running JSS and OD in the same one.

 

As far as backups are concerned you could use CCC but this does very much the same as TM but doesn't allow you create a complete clone which CCC can do so having both could be best as long as you know that CCC is not longer free

[Jwzg]

OK: I now have CCC backing up a sparseimage of each machine nightly (offset of course) to our NAS. Score one for safety and automation. Edited September 25, 2014 by Jwzg