<div>
If you want to get your hands dirty, rsync can do it all. Some people have made easy to use scripts exactly for this function<br />
<a href="https://github.com/jedda/Counterpart" rel="ugc">https://github.com/jedda/Counterpart</a><br />
<br />
This allows you to store the files anywhere you want &nbsp;(offsite linux server), then restore them to new apple hardware if you need to.
</div>


<div>
Counterpart looks interesting but I've never used it before.<br />
<br />
You can already do it with regular built in tools, but not with a live, running OS.<br />
<br />
rsync will only work if you've already created a bootable system to copy the files to. &nbsp;While you can copy running system files, it's not a good idea as they can become corrupt during the copy if something changes during the copy. &nbsp;You can copy configuration and user files easily with rsync.<br />
<br />
You can already duplicate the drive with built in tools. &nbsp;Boot into Recovery mode and use <b>Disk Utility</b> to backup your disk. &nbsp;You can also boot into single user mode and use <b>dd</b> on the command line. &nbsp;The reason to boot into Recovery or Single User mode is to mount the disk in read only format, so that you can properly copy files while they're not in use.
</div>


<div>
From the best Time Machine website I know<br />
<a href="http://pondini.org/TM/Clones.html" rel="ugc">http://pondini.org/TM/Clones.html</a><br />
<br />
Disadvantages of Time Machine<br />
<br />
&nbsp; &nbsp; •It’s not bootable. &nbsp;If your internal HD fails, you can't boot directly from your Time Machine backups. &nbsp;You must restore them, either to your repaired/replaced internal HD or an external disk. &nbsp; This is a fairly simple, but of course lengthy, procedure. &nbsp;You can also transfer the apps, user accounts, and data to another disk or Mac, via Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant. &nbsp;See How do I set up a new Mac from an old one, its backups, or a PC? for details.<br />
&nbsp; &nbsp; However, if you're running Lion 10.7.2 or above, and backing-up to a directly-connected external HD, there's probably a copy of your Recovery HD on the Time Machine drive, so if your internal HD fails, you can start from that. &nbsp;See Using the Recovery HD.<br />
&nbsp; &nbsp; •Time Machine doesn't keep its copies of changed/deleted items forever, and you're usually not notified when it deletes them.<br />
&nbsp; &nbsp; •It can back up to many network locations, but not from any.<br />
&nbsp; &nbsp; •Time Machine is relatively complex internally, and while it’s been around for a while, there are still some things it doesn’t do (like back up your photos while iPhoto is open).
</div>


<div>
You could probably make time machine disk bootable by installing a small bootable partition on the time machine disk and leaving a larger partition for all the time machine data files.<br />
<br />
You can then periodically rsync the system to the bootable partition. &nbsp;You can rsync all that to another disk for offsite backup. &nbsp;That way you can keep the system up to date and have a bootable backup.<br />
<br />
There's also rsnaphot, which works similarly to Time Machine but on the command line. &nbsp;You can install it through Homebrew and probably also MacPorts.
</div>


<div>
<div class="content wysiwyg-content">
We are going to be setting up a Mac Mini with 2TB of external storage connected via a thunderbolt enclosure. It will share data with the rest of the office (~5 people).<br />
<br />
We need a good technology for doing backups of the Mac Mini server, and I'm not sure what is the current best-of-breed software out there? thing to use. <br />
<br />
1) Backups must be automated and run continuously, or nightly, and send reports of their success<br />
2) Backups should be saved to external storage media (e.g. an external hard disk)<br />
3) It should be possible to rotate the backup media so that we can keep an offsite copy<br />
4) The backup needs to be a complete system image backup of the entire Mac Mini, so the whole thing can be restored in the event of a hardware failure<br />
<br />
Is there some de-factor gold standard product typically used for Macs for this purpose? I'm tempted to use Time Machine but I imagine there must be better commercial software out there.
</div>
</div>


We are going to be setting up a Mac Mini with 2TB of external storage connected via a thunderbolt enclosure. It will share data with the rest of the office (~5 people).

We need a good technology for doing backups of the Mac Mini server, and I'm not sure what is the current best-of-breed software out there? thing to use. 

1) Backups must be automated and run continuously, or nightly, and send reports of their success
2) Backups should be saved to external storage media (e.g. an external hard disk)
3) It should be possible to rotate the backup media so that we can keep an offsite copy
4) The backup needs to be a complete system image backup of the entire Mac Mini, so the whole thing can be restored in the event of a hardware failure

Is there some de-factor gold standard product typically used for Macs for this purpose? I'm tempted to use Time Machine but I imagine there must be better commercial software out there.

Good Apple server backup solutions?

The term "Backup" means the methods and processes involved to copy computer data (system data as well as application data) to media other than the ones where the data originally live (disk, tape, optical, cloud). "Restore" in turn means the methods and processes involved in data recovery, i. e., bringing back copied computer data to their original location. Backup/Restore primarily serves as a means of protection against data loss, be it due to disaster, corruption or sabotage. It can also be used for recovering data from an earlier point in time and even for cloning machines or applications. There is a wide variety of backup/restore software available, from expensive commercial products to free or open source tools.

Storage Software

Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, is a technology consisting of computer components and recording media used to retain digital data. In addition to local storage devices like CD and DVD readers, hard drives and flash drives, solid state drives can hold enormous amounts of data in a very small device. Cloud services and other new forms of remote storage also add to the capacity of devices and their ability to access more data without building additional data storage into a device.

Storage

Apple's early computers ran on a variety of operating systems, including a Pascal version and one based on CP/M, before releasing its ProDOS with the advent of its 16-bit computer. With the release of the Lisa, which had its own OS, Apple and computing entered the graphical age; it was followed by the Macintosh, which offered a series of "System" operating systems. Other Mac operating systems included PowerPC until Apple acquired NeXT and folded it into the Mac OS. Current operating systems for Apple devices are Mac OS-X and iOS.