10.4: Create simple backups with SSH and Spotlight
Oct 26, '05 06:02:00AM • Contributed by: JAPrufrock
Oct 26, '05 06:02:00AM • Contributed by: JAPrufrock
This only works in 10.4, and requires that you have adequate space on an accessible SSH-capable machine (Linux, Unix or OS X, maybe Windows if you know how to set up SSH on it ... but I don't).
This script will use passwordless ssh and Spotlight to create backups of your key files. There are several things done here that seem clunky, especially with Spotlight. There are some great metadata tags that would be useful -- except that I have seen states in my own system where metadata are not properly generated at file creation time. I therefore went with the most basic tags possible (the ones that will be created).
No ".*" files are backed up, by the way -- Spotlight does not index them, and they are not, therefore, noticed. For help with the passwordless ssh, see the following:
- See this hint or this hint here on macosxhints.
- Dave Aaldering's Tutorial
- SSH Keychain (may help with management)

