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10.2.2 Can't see Firewire as destination media


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Mac OS 10.2.2

 

 

 

Restrospect 5.0.238

 

Driver Update 3.1.105

 

 

 

I have a backup set (Removable Media) with a Firewire Drive as the destination, that I can't use in OSX anymore. I also have 6 Firewire disks mounted, and it doesn't see any of them as valid backup media.

 

 

 

It does see them as source (meaning I can back the firewire disks up - just not use them as destination media).

 

 

 

I did use this disk to back up in OSX (Not sure now if it was 10.2.x, or 10.1.5). There error I get now is "Please insert disk 1-iBook BU", which is already mounted, but it just can't see it. The same dialog box also says "No removable media found."

 

 

 

This sounds like a Driver Update issue to me.

 

 

 

Anyone else having this trouble?

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Technically, the OS should never see a hard drive as a removable drive. Retrospect was able to backup to it as a removable disk only because the formatting of the drive made it appear as a removable to the OS. OS X is better able to distinguish between hard drives and removables.

 

 

 

The correct way to backup to a hard drive is with a File backup set. Please see the following link on backing up to hard drives:

 

 

 

http://www.dantz.com/index.php3?SCREEN=kbase&ACTION=KBASE&id=27501

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Sorry, I can't get to that link at the moment. I'll try later.

 

 

 

Can a file span multiple drives now? If so, then that might work, if not......

 

 

 

I'm talking about backing up multiple drives, currently at least (2) 100G, and (2) 160G, in the same set. Older versions could all see FW drives as backup media, so why should we move backwards? I gave up my tape drive, in favor of backing up (VERY reliably, & quickly) to FW drives. I currently span 6 Firewire drives (destination media) in my current backup set, and this is over a years worth of backing up. I don't want to go backward, and lose capabilites.

 

 

 

I'd say if Retrospect is having trouble with removable media in OSX, then lift the requirement for the drive to be "removable", and allow ANY drive to be a destination device. Why not? That should be simple enough for the Dantz programmers, and allow us to maintain our existing backup sets, and also allow for great future use.

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In reply to:

Can a file span multiple drives now?


No. That functionality is not available in the Windows product.

 

 

 

In reply to:

Older versions could all see FW drives as backup media, so why should we move backwards?


The drive was being _incorrectly_ reported by the Operating System to be a removable disk drive. This was never a feature in Retrospect and cannot be considered moving backward. In many cases, backing up in this method prevented users from having restorable data. A hard disk is not a removable disk and should not be treated as such.

 

 

 

We are looking at ways to span multiple hard drives. This functionality was recently introduced on the Windows product - but is not currently available in the Macintosh product, and there is currently no time estimate as to when or if it will be available.

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>>>>>

 

The drive was being _incorrectly_ reported by the Operating System to be a removable disk drive. This was never a feature in Retrospect and cannot be considered moving backward.

 

<<<<

 

 

 

Re: moving backward: Well, in some sense, maybe not, but I never saw any warnings NOT to use Firewire as destination media, and since it worked, very well in my case, it was my sole basis for buying Retrospect 5. A bit presumptuous on my part, I suppose, but hey, there it was, and it worked like a charm! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>>>>>

 

In many cases, backing up in this method prevented users from having restorable data.

 

<<<<<

 

 

 

I've never had anything but excellent results (not arguing whether others may have encountered problems). It's been MUCH better, for me, than ANY tape mechanism I've used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>>>>>

 

A hard disk is not a removable disk and should not be treated as such.

 

<<<<<

 

 

 

I swap Firewire drives between several computers several times a day without rebooting. So, regardless how the operating system reports it, Firewire is removable, and the devices are explicity advertised with this theory in mind, with all the "hot patching", "No reboot required", etc.. Unmount the disk, and unplug it. That's still removable, any way you slice it. At any rate, I'll say that this is a choice users should be allowed to make. In my case, I want to continue to back up to firewire, and as far as I can tell, the only reason the existing Retrospect software prevents me from doing so, is that OSX no longer sees the drive as removable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>>>>>

 

We are looking at ways to span multiple hard drives. This functionality was recently introduced on the Windows product - but is not currently available in the Macintosh product, and there is currently no time estimate as to when or if it will be available.

 

<<<<<

 

 

 

Well, the easy suggestion has been made. Lift the requirement that a drive be removable, and we can continue to use it as before, right away. If there is some concern for using disks this way, then by all means put up several dialog "Are you sure?" boxes.

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