SilverKeeper: The Quintessential Free Backup Utility?

SilverKeeper is a freeware backup utility from hardware specialist LaCie. It doesn't have as deep a range of features and options as some other backup utilities, but for basic backups and folder synchronization, it gets the job done - and in fine style.

SilverKeeper can be used with Mac OS X 10.2.8, 10.3.1-10.3.9, and 10.4, as well as Mac OS 9.2.2, which makes it a good choice in backup software for low-end Mac users as well as folks with the latest hardware. And the price is certainly right.

Don't discount SilverKeeper because it's freeware. It's actually a very capable little application. SilverKeeper will backup, compare, or synchronize folders on Mac computers. It can copy or compare folders of any writeable device that is visible as a volume mounted on the desktop, including hard drives, Zip drives, DVD-RAM drives - almost any internal or external Macintosh disk or flash device connected to the IDE, SCSI, USB, or FireWire busses. The only requirement is that the drives must have at least one mounted, writeable volume.

SilverKeeper uses the Finder to perform copy operations, so backups are always readable files that can be used as-is on another computer without resorting to a special restore application. No special application software is necessary to read backup files.

On Friday, LaCie released a SilverKeeper version 1.1.3, a minor update to correct issues with Tiger (Mac OS X 10.4) that includes the following changes:

1. Correct timeout error -50
2. Correct "Date Not Set" error when backing up locked files
3. Additional checks to assure proper creation of bootable backup
4. Added timeout for dialog prompting user input when file is newer on the destination, when compared to the source. Dialog will close after waiting 60 seconds, and continue; file will be copied from source to destination after timeout

I like the aesthetics of SilverKeeper's simple, compact user interface, although, it does have some file size and label character limitations that you should check out before using this solution. It is simple and intuitive to use, and it may be all you ever need in a backup application if you're happy to forego automation.

SilverKeeper will copy, compare, synchronize, or restore files and directories from a source directory to a destination directory. It will ease backups from one hard drive to another.

Optimized for hard drives, SilverKeeper is also compatible with network drives and removable drives such as Zip and DVD-RAM discs. Compatible drives may be connected to the IDE, SCSI, USB, or FireWire busses of Macintosh computers. The only requirement is that the drives must have at least one mounted, writeable volume.

SilverKeeper is not directly compatible with tape drives, or CD-R/RW and DVD-R/RW drives.

SilverKeeper can also make a bootable backup of your internal boot drive. Proceed as follows.

1. If your external drive is considerably larger than your internal boot drive, it would be best to partition your external drive:

• make one partition on the external drive the same size as your internal drive
• the remainder of the drive can be left as one additional large partition, or you can make several partitions. For example a second partition can be dedicated to your music files, and another partition can be dedicated to your video files.
• the first partition that is the same size as your internal boot drive will be dedicated to a complete system backup

2. Format each of the partitions as Mac OS Extended using Apple Disk Utility (OS X) or LaCie's Silverlining (OS 9); Note: Silverlining password protected partitions cannot be used in OS X. You can't make a bootable backup to an external drive that is formatted as UFS, NTFS, or FAT32. You also can not make a bootable backup if the destination is a volume on a file server.

3. To make a complete System backup ("cloning"):

• reboot your system and be sure no other applications are running
• format and erase the destination volume. A complete System backup works best if the destination is completely empty. Format and erase assures that the destination is truly empty, and contains no hidden files that can affect a successful clone.
• set the source by dragging the icon for your Boot drive to the SilverKeeper Source window
• set the destination by dragging the icon for your external volume that will contain the clone to the destination window
• save the SilverKeeper settings; if you have not already unlocked SilverKeeper and provided the admin password to authenticate, be sure to do so and save this setting, too.
• click on Go to start the clone process

Performing Backups

With SilverKeeper's Exclusions tab, after you have defined the Source for SilverKeeper, you can choose files and folders within the Source that you do not want to copy during the backup operation.

There is also the SilverKeeper "noRemove" folder on the destination disk. Any file or folder in this "magic" folder will not be removed during Backup if they have been removed from the Source.

SilverKeeper does not directly support backing up to a CD or a DVD using a burner, but you can indirectly do this in several steps using a CD or DVD that is supported by the Disk Burning support within OS X. You can determine if your drive is supported by the status given for your drive in the Apple System Profiler. It will state if Disc Burning is supported for your drive. You can insert a blank CD-R or DVD-R disc into your drive and let the Finder use it as a writeable volume. Once mounted and named, the disk will appear on your desktop as a writeable volume which can be used as a destination for SilverKeeper

It should be noted that SilverKeeper cannot span a large backup across multiple discs, so you must size your backup folders manually. If your drive is not supported by Apple Disc Burning, you can use Toast (if you have it available) to create a disk image that can be manually burned to a disk.

More detail and Q&A can be found on the SilverKeeper web page.

System requirements:

• SilverKeeper requires OS X 10.2.8 or OS 9.2.2 or later. This includes compatibility with Panther OS X 10.3.9 and Tiger OS X 10.4.
• Mac OS 9 users should be sure to have CarbonLib 1.6 installed (link). It is recommended that you update to 9.2.2.

SilverKeeper is freeware provided by LaCie, Ltd.