Storing Mac primary data storage folders within cloud storage folders

One of my favorite methods of backup is redirecting the primary data storage folders to a cloud service (like Dropbox or Google Drive).  On a Mac, the process is not intuitive.  Here's my process.

You need to perform the steps once for each folder you want to move.  So if you want to move three folders (desktop, documents, pictures), you'll need to perform the steps three times.  The steps involved two commends.

First, you move the data to the new location.  Then you create a symbolic link to the new location.  In the examples below are a series of commands for desktop, documents, pictures, music, and movies.  The commands with %username% and %Company% would be altered to match the real world situation.

iMac:~ username$ sudo mv ~/Documents "/Users/%username%/Dropbox (%Company%)/laptopdata/Documents"
iMac:~ username$ sudo rm -rf ~/Documents/
iMac:~ username$ ln -s "/Users/%username%/Dropbox (%Company%)/laptopdata/Documents" ~
iMac:~ username$ sudo mv ~/Desktop "/Users/%username%/Dropbox (%Company%)/laptopdata/Desktop"
iMac:~ username$ sudo rm -rf ~/Desktop/
iMac:~ username$ ln -s "/Users/%username%/Dropbox (%Company%)/laptopdata/Desktop" ~
iMac:~ username$ sudo mv ~/Movies "/Users/%username%/Dropbox (%Company%)/laptopdata/Movies"
iMac:~ username$ sudo rm -rf ~/Movies/

iMac:~ username$ ln -s "/Users/%username%/Dropbox (%Company%)/laptopdata/Movies" ~

iMac:~ username$ sudo mv ~/Pictures "/Users/%username%/Dropbox (%Company%)/laptopdata/Pictures"
iMac:~ username$ sudo rm -rf ~/Pictures/

iMac:~ username$ ln -s "/Users/%username%/Dropbox (%Company%)/laptopdata/Pictures" ~

iMac:~ username$ sudo mv ~/Music "/Users/%username%/Dropbox (%Company%)/laptopdata/Music"
iMac:~ username$ sudo rm -rf ~/Music/

iMac:~ username$ ln -s "/Users/%username%/Dropbox (%Company%)/laptopdata/Music" ~

Storing Mac data storage folders (desktop, documents, etc) in a cloud syncing folder (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc)

This page talks about methods for moving data storage locations to cloud syncing folders which allows for real time backup of those data storage locations.  I use this process often for smaller clients who need/want backup on the cheap.  This is particularly easy if they're already using Dropbox or Google Drive or have an Office365 account with OneDrive storage.

https://www.howtogeek.com/204595/how-to-move-special-folders-on-os-x-to-cloud-storage/

Setting up Automator to back up Mac on startup to Google Drive

I've written about using Automator to back up a Mac here.  I've had trouble getting that to work, so I now do this.

Open Automator
Create a new Application

In your Google Drive, create a folder called Backup
In the Backup folder, create a folder Desktop, Documents, etc for each folder you want to back up.

Create these processes:

Get Specified Finder Items
(choose all the folders in the Backup folder - not the Backup folder itself)
Move Folder Items to Trash
Get Specified Finder Items

(choose Documents)

Get Folder Contents

Copy Finder Items

(copy to the Documents backup folder location and choose replace existing files)

Get Specified Finder Items

(choose Desktop and click options and choose Ignore this action's input)

Get Folder Contents

Copy Finder Items

(copy to the Desktop backup folder location and choose replace existing files)

Repeat these steps for each folder you want to back up

Get Specified Finder Items

(choose FolderToBackup and click options and choose Ignore this action's input)

Get Folder Contents

Copy Finder Items

(copy to the FolderToBackup backup folder location and choose replace existing files)

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Save the Automator application to the Applications folder

Go to System Preferences -> Users & Groups

Click Login Items

Add the application you created in Login Items

quantity of data stored on laptops/desktops

Below is the headline to a promotional email I got promoting a whitepaper.  The notable thing to me is the data on the amount of data stored on endpoints (i.e., desktops and laptops).  At present, I'm putting laptops in place instead of desktops at a rate of about 20 to 1.  Laptops have the ability to travel which makes them harder to back up, and if 28% of data is truly stored only on these endpoints, then an online backup system makes more and more sense.  My favorite (and has been for years) is Backblaze at $50 per computer per year (not a paid endorsement).  I've looked for better options and have yet to find any.

backing up a Mac to Google Drive

I was setting up a Mac for a client and looking for a super cheap method for backing it up.  With a 30 GB quota for Google Drive, it seems logical to use Google Drive.  I can simply create a startup batch script on a PC to copy desktop, documents, and other important folders to c:\username\google drive on a PC.

On a Mac, I found a good method using "Automator," which is much easier than using AppleScript.  As far as the method I used, I basically followed option 8 here:

http://mac.tutsplus.com/tutorials/automation/10-awesome-uses-for-automator-explained/

The nice thing about the above steps is that it sets up an automated running of the script on dates/times.

backing up a virtual machine to a local USB hard drive

A virtual machine can't natively see USB hard drives. The USB hard drives are attached to the host OS and not visible by the virtual machine. I wondered how to get a virtual machine created in Hyper-V to see a local USB drive and I found this excellent tutorial:

http://blog.ronnypot.nl/?p=721

A summary:

In the host OS, go to disk management and take the USB drive offline (right click on it and choose offline)

Shut down the virtual machine you want the USB drive to attach to.

Open the settings for that virual machine

Go to SCSI controller -> hard drive

Under phsyical hard disk, select the USB drive, which should be visible there

Now you'll be able to see the USB drive in the virtual machine and back up to it if that's what you'd like to do.

SBS 2008 backups limited to volumes 2 TB in size

In setting up an SBS 2008 box today, I was creating the backup routine - and got the error message "cannot configure backup schedule" - when creating the backup routine in the Windows SBS Console.

Long story short, apparently - there can be trouble if you have a Win32 formatted disk on your server. You can fix that with "convert d: /FS:NTFS" However, apparently, that error only exists when you use the SBS Console. If you use Windows Server Backup Console, you can back up Win32 formatted volumes.

But that wasn't my problem today. I got that error above, but when I ran the Windows Server Backup Console, it told me that my volumes had to be 2 TB minus 4 GB. Apparently, this is a universal limitation, not related to the fact that I have two 2 TB WD external HDs as backup for the server. But I had a 3.3 TB partition that came from the Dell factory.

So the solution was to use resize the partition, which was super easy. Go to disk management, right click on the drive that is too large and choose shrink volume. It'll let you reduce the size of the partition and allocate the space you got rid of as unallocated space and you can just create a new partition.

setting up shadow copy of folders to enable previous versions for users

One thing added to Windows 2003 was "previous versions" which allows users to retrieve old copies of files on network shares that they had deleted or saved over. In the old days, you had to go to backup (and still do if you haven't set up shadow copies on your network shares - which is not done by default).

Here's a good page on enabling shadow copies on network:

http://www.ucertify.com/article/how-to-enabledisable-the-shadow-copy-of-shared-folders-feature-of-windows.html

setting up BackupExec to notify on backup failure

Here are the steps to making BackupExec send email notifications of failure (instructions for BackupExec 11)

Tools -> Email and Pager notification
Setup the SMTP Configuration tab as needed

Tools -> Recipients
New -> Person
Set the email up as needed

Open the job in "job setup"
Click on notification and set up the user you created to receive notifications

sbsbackup fails with "Script.bks" cannot be found.

One of my SBS boxes had its SBSbackup jobs fail nightly with the following info:

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Backup Runner started.
Launching NTBackup: ntbackup.exe backup "@D:\Program Files\Microsoft Windows Small Business Server\Backup\Small Business Backup Script.bks" /d "SBS Backup created on 10/30/2008 at 11:00 PM" /v:yes /r:no /rs:no /hc:off /m normal /j "Small Business Server Backup Job" /l:s /f "H:\backup4\Backup Files\Small Business Server Backup (04).bkf" /UM
NTBACKUP LOG FILE: C:\Documents and Settings\SBS Backup User\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows NT\NTBackup\data\backup05.log
==========================================
The saved selection file "Script.bks" cannot be found.
The saved selection file "Script.bks" cannot be found.
============================================
NTBackup finished the backup with errors.

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Apparently, the problem is that selections are invalid - which is strange because I didn't change anything. The solution turned out to be:

1. Start -> Run -> NTBackup -> Advanced Mode -> Backup tab -> Job -> Load
Selections.

2. Select Small Business Backup Script.bks

3. Click OK on the error message:

Some invalid selections found in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Windows Small
Business Server\Backup\Small Business Backup Script.bks.

4. Job -> Save Selections (overwrite --> Small Business Backup Script.bks)



It seems like this is related to a recovery storage group causing backup trouble.