Since backups are essentially a matter of copying files, many industrious Mac users have chosen to wrap up a few Unix commands in a shell script (with or without a nice Aqua interface) and call it a backup program. Under Tiger, Apple's included command-line tools (such as cp and tar) have the capability of copying files with both data forks and resource forks intact; under Panther, Apple's ditto tool serves this purpose (see the Glossary for info on data and resource forks). Third-party tools, such as rsync, can do the same, and with proper use, these tools can also maintain the correct creator, type, owner, and permissions settings.
If you're handy with Unix and want to attempt such an undertaking yourself strictly for fun or as a programming exercise, more power to you. But if your motivation is to save money, I urge you to reconsider. The complex issues one must address in designing backup and restoration routinesparticularly for proper additive incremental archiveswill take many hours to work out in even a rudimentary way. Even if you think your time is worth only a few dollars an hour, you'll save yourself both money and grief by purchasing a ready-made backup application.
But remember that such a strategy is less sophisticated than what most backup applications can offerand it comes without any technical support!
Of special note in this regard is EMC Insignia, developers of Retrospect. They charge $70 to speak to a technical support representative on the phonea seemingly outrageous fee. However, I've used technical support from Dantz (which was purchased by EMC) more than once, and I believe you get what you pay for. The technicians answer promptly, are highly trained, and continue working with youeven over multiple phone callsuntil the problem is solved (without charging you for each call). When I'm terrified that I might have just lost all my data and my software doesn't seem to be functioning correctly, I'm only too happy to pay $70 for the reassuring voice and advice of an expert who can help me get things working again.

Price

The price does not necessarily correlate to capabilities, but I urge you not to skimp when it comes to backup software just to save a few dollars. After all, time is money. If you lose a day of income because your backup program makes you jump through too many hoops when restoring files, that's likely to be a bigger financial hit than the cost of better software.

Joe's Software Recommendations

Having reviewed the most important criteria for selecting backup software, I'd like to give you some specific recommendations. All things being equal, I recommend using a single program for both duplicates and archives. This strategy typically saves you both money and effort, ensures that you will not experience conflicts in schedules or requests for blank media, and generally makes for a less complicated backup system.

Combination (Duplication+Archiving) Software

The following applications offer both duplication and archiving features as I described them here, as well as scheduled backups:

• Backup Simplicity
• Data Backup
• Déjà Vu
• Personal Backup X
• Retrospect Desktop
• Retrospect Express
• RsyncX
• Synchronize Pro X
• Synk Pro
• Tri-Backup

In a pinch, any one of these could potentially do the trick. That's not to say they're equivalent, thoughor even adequate for most user's requirements.

• If you back up to CDs or DVDs, you want software that can automatically split large files to span media and does multisession or packet recordingmaking Retrospect the only good option.
• If you back up to a hard disk, I strongly recommend both compression and encryption; and you shouldn't be forced to create and manage your own disk images to get them. This consideration leaves Data Backup, Retrospect, Synk Pro, and Tri-Backup as candidates.
• If ease of restoration is a significant concern to youand it should bechoose an application that offers snapshots, enabling you to restore all the files from a given point in time in one fell swoop. Your choices once again include Data Backup, Retrospect, and Tri-Backup. RsyncX also qualifies here; even though it doesn't offer snapshots as I define them, it doesn't truly need them, because each incremental archive effectively functions as its own snapshot. RsyncX's method for storing archives makes restoration from an arbitrary point in time fairly easy.
• And finally, if you need to back up multiple computers to a single server, you'll be best served by an application that offers true client-server operationmeaning Retrospect Desktop or RsyncX.

Astute readers may have noticed that Retrospect popped up in each of those lists. Retrospect Desktop is the most expensive of the programs I cover here, at $129 (though you can frequently find it at a significant discount), but it's far and away the most full-featured Mac backup application. It's what most of the authors of the Take Control ebooks use.
Is Retrospect perfect? Certainly not. Some people feel it has a steep learning curve, making it intimidating for less technically inclined users.
Even so, if I had to recommend just one application from this group, it would be Retrospect Desktop. (If you happen to purchase a drive that includes a free copy of Retrospect Express, that's an equally good option unless you need to perform client-server network backups.) If $129 is too pricey, Data Backup would be my second choice, edging out Tri-Backup slightly in ease of use and reputation of the developer.

Duplication Software

The following applications (including some that bill themselves as "backup" or "synchronization" software) can create bootable backups but not additive incremental archives:

• BounceBack Professional
• Carbon Copy Cloner[1]

In order for Carbon Copy Cloner to update your duplicates incrementally, you must also install a program called psync. To do so, click the Preferences button in Carbon Copy Cloner and then click Install Psync. After doing so, select the checkboxes for Synchronize Source to Target and Delete Items Not on Source.

• Clone'X
• CopyCatX
• FoldersSynchronizer
• MimMac
• SilverKeeper
• QuickBack (part of SpeedTools Utilities)
• SuperDuper!
• Xupport

Although each of these applications has a different interface and a variety of additional features, as far as I'm concerned they're all more or less equally capable in terms of making a bootable backup of an entire hard disk. Most of these applications offer limited-time demos or trial versions, so if you're considering such an application, you can download a copy and make sure it meets your needs before making a purchase.
If I had to recommend just one program from this list, however, I'd give the nod to SuperDuper!in addition to a thorough feature set, it excels at giving plain-English explanations of what it's about to do, making a potentially troubling task much less nerve-wracking. It also preserves some metadata that some other utilities don't, making for the most exact copies you can get. Although the full version costs $28, you can use the free demo version to create one-off duplicates; buying a license unlocks features such as scheduling and incremental updates.
But if you happen to have another of these utilities (or prefer a different interface for some reason), any of them should do the job.

Archiving Software

The following applications offer additive incremental archives, but lack the capability to create bootable backups:

• Apple Backup 3 (but not earlier versions)
• Archive Assistant (part of StuffIt Deluxe 10.0)
• BackupSW
• BRU LE
• ChronoSync
• Dobry Backuper
• NTI Shadow
• SwitchBack
• SyncupX

Unlike the programs that offer only duplication features, these applications vary significantly in their capabilities.
As with the combination applications, desirable features for optical media backups include media spanning (offered by Apple Backup, Archive Assistant, BRU LE, and Dobry Backuper) and multisession recording (absent in all of these). Several of these applications, including Apple Backup and Dobry Backuper, require considerable scratch space (up to the size of one discCD or DVD), which reduces their usefulness for backing up almost-full volumes.
Compression is found in Apple Backup, Archive Assistant, BRU LE, BackupSW, Datum, and Dobry Backuper, but of these, only Archive Assistant offers encryption. Only BackupSW provides client-server operation (of a sort), and only Apple Backup provides snapshots.