We are a family of four with two adults, two children, and three computers all of which need to be backed up (not the children, so much).

Each computer has at least two accounts, one for an adult and one or two for the kids.
I plan to get an external drive that will be used for our back up files--I guess this can be something like Apple's Time Capsule (is this an NAS drive?) or one that can be attached to one of the computers and accessed by all through the network.

Would I need QRecall running on each computer and then on each user's account (as many as six copies) to back up everything to this external drive?

If I understand correctly, I can use one license for all our back up needs, but that creates one database for each user (or more in this case?). To make the most efficient use of the space on the hard drive, how many licenses would you recommend?

Thanks.
Mark

Mark Gerber wrote:I plan to get an external drive that will be used for our back up files--I guess this can be something like Apple's Time Capsule (is this an NAS drive?) or one that can be attached to one of the computers and accessed by all through the network.

Yes, the Time Capsule is a type of NAS drive. A NAS drive or a drive on one system that you share would be equivalent.

Would I need QRecall running on each computer and then on each user's account (as many as six copies) to back up everything to this external drive?

That's not necessary. If you install QRecall in an administrative account on each computer and then pre-authorizing it to use administrative privileges, it will be able to capture all of the files for all of the users on that system.

If I understand correctly, I can use one license for all our back up needs, but that creates one database for each user (or more in this case?).

Reusing the same identity key for each system, create a separate archive for each system. The one installed copy of QRecall on each system would capture everything on that machine to its own archive.

To make the most efficient use of the space on the hard drive, how many licenses would you recommend?

To take full advantage of QRecall's ability to merge duplicate data (multiple copies of the operating system, applications, music, ...) you need to capture all three systems to a single archive. That would require three identity keys, so that QRecall can keep the files from all three systems separate in the archive.

I'd suggest you just start with a single identity key, capture the three systems to three different archives, and see how it goes. If you start to run out of disk space you can always turn on compression and/or buy additional licenses to share a single archive later.

Thank you, James. I purchased a license and now just need to get that drive.

Will QRecall play nice with itself or do I need to make sure the schedules for each of the computers don't overlap? I'd guess that's less a concern when it's writing to three different archives, but what about if I choose to add licenses so they are writing to one?

Mark Gerber wrote:Will QRecall play nice with itself or do I need to make sure the schedules for each of the computers don't overlap? I'd guess that's less a concern when it's writing to three different archives, but what about if I choose to add licenses so they are writing to one?

Using separate archives simultaneously is no problem. You may encounter some slow down as multiple systems vie for drive and network bandwidth.

QRecall will arbitrate between multiple actions or systems trying to use a single archive at once. The other scheduled actions will simply wait until the first one is done.