Arq backup service11/25/2023 ![]() The search results for checking backups doesn’t provide enough information to choose among different versions. However, when you search, the only information shows is the date and time of the backup of which the result is part, and the backup source isn’t identified, either. If you browse through a given backup set from a destination, Arq labels folders and files changed, added, or deleted since the last backup, and labels all files with the last modified date, whether they were modified or not. IDGīrowsing backups works better than searching for files, but you can’t make multiple selections, among other awkwardness. In search results, Arq only shows a file path, like /Users/Home/billg/Documents/dog1.jpg instead of a more friendly icon-based hierarchy, and it doesn’t reveal from which backup each file or folder comes in the list. With Arq, you either drill down through a source to a folder to a given date-and-time backup, and then browse a folder and file hierarchy, or you can search across all backups. ![]() Restoring files is a little chunkier than backing up, and more sophisticated software often has better options to assemble a set of items to retrieve. In the simplest setup, you follow these steps: Arq is not a cloner: you’ll want to use Time Machine, SuperDuper, Carbon Carbon Cloner, or the cloning mode in ChronoSync for that purpose. I’d say Time Machine is even simpler, but Time Machine offers effectively no options, and Apple’s built-in archiver is meant to offer a complete restoration of a disk as well as the ability to select older versions of modified files. You can dig in a little deeper to exclude certain directories or kinds of files or customize a backup schedule and other parameters by destination. For straightforward backups with a history of revisions, Arq requires just selecting folders and one or more destinations. (Arq also comes in a native Windows version, which I didn’t test, but has feature parity.) A basic backup with accessible optionsĪrq is closest to Backblaze, or even Apple’s long-ago Backups app, in terms of reducing complexity and focusing on documents. I ran Arq through its paces with several cloud storage services, local storage, and networked storage. While ChronoSync can archive to cloud services, it currently works only with those that charge for data transferred and data stored. Arq can also back up to Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, which some people may already be paying for, and which don’t charge for moving data in and out. Amazon’s data hosting costs a flat $60 a year for unlimited storage, making it competitive with Backblaze, CrashPlan, and other hosted services. The affordably priced backup software ($50) is native, more reliable and easier to use than CrashPlan, more focused on backups and simpler than ChronoSync, and has a unique twist: it can back up data to Amazon’s consumer-focused Amazon Cloud Drive service. I’ve spent many hours with it and have mastered it, but it’s too high a burden for more casual users.Īrq comes in-and stands out. ChronoSync is a fantastic option, but so deeply and comprehensively fleshed out, I’m afraid that it requires a relatively high amount of sophistication to use it well. And it uses a proprietary format for archiving. The software is funky and inconsistent, as I’ve found on two different Macs (though it runs fine on others in my family’s network). However, CrashPlan’s home flavor relies on Java after promises years ago to migrate to native software as the firm has done for its business customers.
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