Mac died / TimeMachine fail. Restore from DTTG back to Mac?

So what is the best process to get my 8 databases about 57gb back to my mac. I added the local sync location on mac, deleted in DTTG and tried to add another, now I have no local option in the DTTG app.

I try to do a cloudkit and says Error CKErrorDomain 2 message. Then thought well will serve from the phone and get a warning that purging older contents was disabled as a server needs data to serve.

If I can extract the databases from the phone archive and attach in DT then let me know the option because I have the phone backup just not the location where the dbs are located.

how to proceed?

In case anyone also needs assistance. What I did but would rather have another method. I set up a WebDav store on my Synology NAS. This seems to work so far actually quite well and probably better than the timemachine backups as on my NAS.

It seems that you’re mixing „backup“ and „sync“. They are quite different beasts and not interchangeable.

You must have a backup in addition to a working sync! As has been discussed and explained ad nauseam here.

2 Likes

Supplementing @chrillek’s sage advice, see the section “A Word about Backups” on page 19 of the 3.8.6 version of the outstanding “DEVONthink Manual” for more than a few words about backup and syncs. Only less than page, but not to be missed.

2 Likes

Well, yes and no. I had sync on my mac as the server. It died and now only have the files on my ipad and iphone. I am trying to get them back on my mac for the sync server.

My backup solution was my TimeMachine (failure). So now my backup will be my Synology NAS and my Sync is now WebDAV server.

So if that fails, you’re back at square one. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!

@Blanc and others have detailed their backup strategy here in the forum, which I found very helpful.

2 Likes

Bonjour is another option for DTTG > Mac sync; no sync datastore required

I see multiple baskets; sync’d databases on the Mac, iPhone, iPad and local backup
I’d add an offsite backup via the cloud (3-2-1)

1 Like

I have a redundant NAS that my primary NAS backups to but I am looking at using the Amazon Glacier to replace. I have code and lots of research on my NAS that I cant loose and 8 drives for redundancy and failsafe.

Restoring from a sync database is a very valid strategy to recover a damaged database (if the database hasn’t been synchronised when damaged) or a new install. I do so and then when I delete local databases because lack of disk space.

However, that don’t mean you don’t must have valid backups. After some Time Machine issues, lastly I’m doing specific DT backups in a external disk with CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner): you have current databases in the disk, and can mount old snapshots if needed.

As summary:

  • Can I restore from a Sync database?: ADDED: Yes, but only if it has been made with DT and not DTTG only.
  • Do I rely on Sync store as backup?: Absolutely NO.
3 Likes

Another caution on this recovery method
The DTTG database isn’t an exact duplicate of the DT database
For example, custom metadata is missing

4 Likes

Yes, you are right. I’m going to modify original message with this concern.

1 Like