Rsync Your Mac OS/X Data

Scenario # 1 - All data is accessible from the desktop

Assuming your user name is WhatsYourFace you could just type this command in to the terminal window.

rsync -r -u -v /Users/WhatsYourFace/* /Volumes/Backup/WhatsYourFace

If you don't know your WhatsYourFace you can find out usually by simply opening a terminal window and using the pwd command:

pwd
/Users/WhatsYourFace/

and then you know that you are user WhatsYourFace and you are in the directory /Users/WhatsYourFace/.

Rsync Your Mac OS/X Data to a Local Drive With a Three Line Script

Things get a bit more complicated when backing up from more than one point. That is when a simple script can be created to do the job. Here is a simple case of backing up from two data points with a file that I named RsyncToBackupDrive.csh:

#!/bin/csh
rsync -r -u -v /Stuff/* /Volumes/Backup/Stuff
rsync -r -u -v /Users/WhatsYourFace/* /Volumes/Backup/WhatsYourFace

Explanation:
Line #1 - tells unix that it is a cshell script that is executed by the program /bin/csh
Line # 2 sycronizes the default hard drive's Stuff folder with the backup volume named Backup.rsync -r -u -v /Stuff/*
Line #3 Finally, the last line sycronizes the default hard drive's /Users/WhatsYourFace/ folder with the backup volume named backup - this is the main kahoona. It backs up all your e-mail, itunes and just about anything else important to you.

Notice that your default system drive doesn't need the /Volumes designator. You can verify the paths by going to the terminal window and using the following commands.
ls -laF
cd
pwd

"ls -laF" lists the contents of directories for you
"cd" changes directories
"pwd", as explained above tells you where you are.

So there you have it. Easy as pi.

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Page Updated March 30, 2006