Script to automatically remote old Mac OSX Time Machine Backups older than a specified number of days

tmcleanup.md

Prerequisites

• gfind (via brew install findutils)
• Time Machine drive mounted on your computer (or you can change path from standard /Volume/Time\ Machine\ Backups/Backups.backup.db/
• Admin/sudo access in the OSX terminal

Script

• Be sure to set the correct machine name. You can check the actual folder things are going into by looking in the backup location.
• By default, it erases all backups older than 30 days. Adjust as desired.

Example

Clean all backups older than 30 days:

sudo ./tmcleanup.sh /Volumes/Time\ Machine\ Backups/Backups.backupdb my_computer_name 30

Clean 50% of backups older than 30 days:

sudo ./tmcleanup_50percent.sh /Volumes/Time\ Machine\ Backups/Backups.backupdb my_computer_name 30

tmcleanup.sh

#!/bin/bash
#
# Pre-requesite is that GNU linux findutils package is installed (brew install findutils) for gfind
# Should be possible to just use find but I have not tested it (should just omit -daystart)
#
# USEAGE:
#   ./tmcleanup.sh BACKUP_LOCATION MACHINE_NAME DAY_AGE
#
# EXAMPLE:
#   ./tmcleanup.sh /Volumes/Time\ Machine\ Backups/Backups.backupdb my_computer_name 30
#

if [ "$#" -ne 3 ] ; then
    echo "USEAGE:" 
	echo "  $0 BACKUP_LOCATION MACHINE_NAME DAY_AGE"
	echo "EXAMPLE:"
	echo "  $0 /Volumes/Time\ Machine\ Backups/Backups.backupdb my_computer_name 30"
	exit
fi


BACKUP_LOCATION=$1
MACHINE_NAME=$2
DAY_AGE=$3

if [ ! -d "${BACKUP_LOCATION}" ]; then
	echo "${BACKUP_LOCATION} is currently not accessible. Please connect your Time Machine disk or change the path."
	exit
fi

echo "*-* Removing old Time Machine Backups for ${MACHINE_NAME} older than ${DAY_AGE} days *-*"
# Get a list of all the 
result=$(gfind "${BACKUP_LOCATION}"/"${MACHINE_NAME}"/ -daystart -maxdepth 1 -mindepth 1 -mmin +$((60*24*${DAY_AGE})))

echo "$result"

if [ -n "$result" ]; then
	while read -r line; do
		START_TIME=$(date +%s)
		tmutil delete "$line"
		END_TIME=$(date +%s)
		echo "Elapsed time: $(($END_TIME - $START_TIME)) secs."
	done <<< "$result"

	echo "Run hdiutil compact /path/to/timemachine/sparsebundle if necessary"

	echo "Finished!"
else
	echo "Did not find any Time Machine Backups older than ${DAY_AGE} days old."
fi

tmcleanup_50percent.sh

#!/bin/bash
#
# Pre-requesite is that GNU linux findutils package is installed (brew install findutils) for gfind
# Should be possible to just use find but I have not tested it (should just omit -daystart)
#
# USEAGE:
#   ./tmcleanup_50percent.sh BACKUP_LOCATION MACHINE_NAME DAY_AGE
#
# EXAMPLE:
#   ./tmcleanup_50percent.sh /Volumes/Time\ Machine\ Backups/Backups.backupdb my_computer_name 30
#

if [ "$#" -ne 3 ] ; then
    echo "USEAGE:" 
	echo "  $0 BACKUP_LOCATION MACHINE_NAME DAY_AGE"
	echo "EXAMPLE:"
	echo "  $0 /Volumes/Time\ Machine\ Backups/Backups.backupdb my_computer_name 30"
	exit
fi


BACKUP_LOCATION=$1
MACHINE_NAME=$2
DAY_AGE=$3

if [ ! -d "${BACKUP_LOCATION}" ]; then
	echo "${BACKUP_LOCATION} is currently not accessible. Please connect your Time Machine disk or change the path."
	exit
fi

echo "*-* Removing old Time Machine Backups for ${MACHINE_NAME} older than ${DAY_AGE} days *-*"
# Get a list of all the 
result=$(gfind "${BACKUP_LOCATION}"/"${MACHINE_NAME}"/ -daystart -maxdepth 1 -mindepth 1 -mmin +$((60*24*${DAY_AGE})))

echo "$result"

if [ -n "$result" ]; then
	while read -r line1 && read -r line2; do
		START_TIME=$(date +%s)
		tmutil delete "$line1"
		END_TIME=$(date +%s)
		echo "Elapsed time: $(($END_TIME - $START_TIME)) secs."
	done <<< "$result"

	echo "Run hdiutil compact /path/to/timemachine/sparsebundle if necessary"

	echo "Finished!"
else
	echo "Did not find any Time Machine Backups older than ${DAY_AGE} days old."
fi