Merge multiple Time Machine backup disk images

Solution 1:

This is a really bad idea. How many files exist in one snapshot? Since you have hard links to contend with and protective permissions that prohibit most write operations, I would presume most attempts to construct a working hybrid will fail.

The failure modes likely are:

• insufficient iops to get the job done in months to longer timeframe.
• insufficient sophistication handling the unpublished checksum handling of when a backup has been tampered with or just failed to be successful.

I would love for someone to prove me wrong, but please make a backup copy of your backups if your main goal is actually preserving their viability. It’s likely you will be able to recover data from any tampered backup, but less likely you’ll be able to continue using a merged backup to make new backups. If that happens you now have another set and are further forked.