Security: Maintenance
This article is a collection of material from different sources. I take neither credit nor blame for the ideas--only for putting them together. It is a work in progress and will be updated from time to time
As soon a security is mentioned in relation to a computer most of us think of viruses. Even though there is no known virus for Mac OS X, apart from a relatively weak trojan called Oompa Loompa, as soon as we hear the word virus, we load up our computers with anti-virus software, sometimes to the detriment of our macs.
Mac OS X comes with a number of excellent built in security features, about which most of us mac users know little and use less. So rather than talking about viruses or anti-virus software, let us think of Maintenance, safe practices and OS Hardening as the best line of defence in Mac OS Security.
Maintenance
The first line of defense in terms of protecting our valuable data is good maintenance. When your computer crashes it may already be too late. Gulliver, a poster in Apple Discussions, says
*Repair Disk Permissions before and after installing new software, including software updates.
*If you have to force-shutdown or force-restart your computer run fsck at the next restart. For directions on how to do this procedure see Using Disk Utility and fsck for file system maintenance in Mac OS X. This may not be necessary if your hard disk drive is Journaled.
*Backup Regularly
Dr. Smoke says, in his chapter on Backup and Recovery in the X Lab linked below,
Although Dr. Smoke highly recommends backup software Retropect, I have found it a bit difficult to use, and most of the time I rely on Carbon Copy Cloner, Super Duper, Deja Vu, and, of course, Apple's own Disk Utility bundled with OS X software. If you have Retrospect and can use it effectively, it is a good software package. However, using a cloner is better than no backup at all.
Further Reading on Backups: Mac OS X data backup FAQ
*Run Unix Maintenance or CRON cleaning regularly. Software like MacJanitor and Cocktail are easy to use and allow you to run scripts daily, weekly, or monthly. I use Macaroni which automates the entire process for less than $10.
*Directory Repair and Maintenance. I use Tech Tool Pro at least monthly to run hardware diagnostics, do directory maintenance and optimization. Many users prefer Disk Warrior for Directory Maintenance. Both are excellent tools.
There is some debate around the need to run defragmentation software. Here is what Apple says about it.
Further resources:
Panther Maintenance Tips
OS X Routine Maintenance and Generic Troubleshooting
Prevent Mac Disasters
See also
Security: Safe Practices
Security: OS Hardening
As soon a security is mentioned in relation to a computer most of us think of viruses. Even though there is no known virus for Mac OS X, apart from a relatively weak trojan called Oompa Loompa, as soon as we hear the word virus, we load up our computers with anti-virus software, sometimes to the detriment of our macs.
Mac OS X comes with a number of excellent built in security features, about which most of us mac users know little and use less. So rather than talking about viruses or anti-virus software, let us think of Maintenance, safe practices and OS Hardening as the best line of defence in Mac OS Security.
Maintenance
The first line of defense in terms of protecting our valuable data is good maintenance. When your computer crashes it may already be too late. Gulliver, a poster in Apple Discussions, says
Most installation and update problems seem to be caused by issues that existed already before the update and became worse, or appeared first after the update/installation. There is consensus that one should never run an upgrade on a system that already has problems.Here are some maintainance practices that can help you avoid a number of issues:
*Repair Disk Permissions before and after installing new software, including software updates.
*If you have to force-shutdown or force-restart your computer run fsck at the next restart. For directions on how to do this procedure see Using Disk Utility and fsck for file system maintenance in Mac OS X. This may not be necessary if your hard disk drive is Journaled.
*Backup Regularly
Dr. Smoke says, in his chapter on Backup and Recovery in the X Lab linked below,
Unfortunately, too many folks never realize the value of a comprehensive backup and recovery solution until after disaster has struck. Of course, by then, it's too late. We believe that using a personal computer without a comprehensive backup and recovery solution is like driving without auto insurance.Backup and Recovery.
Although Dr. Smoke highly recommends backup software Retropect, I have found it a bit difficult to use, and most of the time I rely on Carbon Copy Cloner, Super Duper, Deja Vu, and, of course, Apple's own Disk Utility bundled with OS X software. If you have Retrospect and can use it effectively, it is a good software package. However, using a cloner is better than no backup at all.
Further Reading on Backups: Mac OS X data backup FAQ
*Run Unix Maintenance or CRON cleaning regularly. Software like MacJanitor and Cocktail are easy to use and allow you to run scripts daily, weekly, or monthly. I use Macaroni which automates the entire process for less than $10.
*Directory Repair and Maintenance. I use Tech Tool Pro at least monthly to run hardware diagnostics, do directory maintenance and optimization. Many users prefer Disk Warrior for Directory Maintenance. Both are excellent tools.
There is some debate around the need to run defragmentation software. Here is what Apple says about it.
Further resources:
Panther Maintenance Tips
OS X Routine Maintenance and Generic Troubleshooting
Prevent Mac Disasters
See also
Security: Safe Practices
Security: OS Hardening
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