I am currently trying to use dd
to backup and copy the Backups.db folder (which contains all Time Machine Backups for Mac OS) in my external hard drive. The issue is that my hard drive does not only contain the Backups.db folder, rather it also contains other folders and files at the top level. If I use dd
on the device, it will copy the other folders and files as well. I need to use something like dd
because of the hard links present in the Backups.db folder, which makes something like cp
or tar
not work.
At this point, should I copy out the other top level folders so that the external drive only contains the Backups.db folder? Or is there a more efficient way for this? I am asking as I know dd
can only be used on devices, after unmounting.
cp
andtar
(installed via homebrew) can preserve hardlinks and permissions. – OrangeDog Oct 25 '20 at 19:47dd
is known as disk destroyer. be very careful with it. – qwr Oct 25 '20 at 23:04