Remote workflow example

DEVONthink Tips
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I don’t know if anyone else is using this tech but I’ve been working on this system for a few months and thought it might be of interest. As I use it it’s just a one person system but for anyone looking for a cross platform way to use DT or to give access to others to Devonthink dbs, I could see a way to do it using remote access systems. Security would be an issue of course. YMMV!

Background:
COVID led a lot of the TV/Film world to use new technologies to allow WFH. There were tons of variations on a theme but one that’s become popular in my neck of the woods is remote control of editing systems at professional facilities by editors working from home on more basic systems with a good reliable internet connection. I have the most experience with Jump Desktop Connect, but have used others for different gigs.

Getting to the DevonThink part of this…
I move between two offices and working from home and was tired of lugging my laptop back and forth. To remedy that I acquired a very basic MacMini and set it up in one office. (M1 refurb, 256GB HD, 8GB RAM), just putting work stuff on it.
I leave my laptop (MBPRo M2max, 1TB HD, 64GB RAM) at home or the lesser used office. Hardwired to internet, with has all my active DT databases on it. Connected to SSDs for video storage.
On the MacMini I have three DT dbs - last season’s show, this season, and a third for a consulting gig.
I use Jump to connect to connect from the MacMini to the laptop where I can do all the big lifting if required, video editing, graphics. I can also manage the DT dbs for all the other shows and personal work that might be needed (financial, timesheets, expense reports etc). This way I don’t tax the MacMini’s RAM or local storage. I can even dig stuff out of old archived DT dbs that might be useful for current work if required. Devonthink syncs it all via Dropbox. Also everything syncs to an iPhone and an iPad (each have more DT dbs than the MacMini but less than the laptop)
It’s a pretty good system for me

  • reduced the wear and tear of lugging around a super expensive laptop (yeah yeah, I know)
  • easy sync with DT so everything is at hand
  • every database has it’s own indexed folder on Dropbox so I can drop anything into one of those folders and it gets imported right to the db where I will see it when I get to that job site.
  • When I work on editing systems in pro facilities I sign into Dropbox on the web and can dump stuff into these folders and when I get back to my systems it’s there.
  • when I have to go on to a set I can pack up the laptop and it’s all there in Devonthink.
  • RELATIVELY cheap MacMini made this possible.

I am still working out some kinks in this set up but it’s pretty handy so far.

2 Likes
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While not for the same purpose as yours, I used Nulana’s Remotix for some years before it was purchased by Acronis and rebranded with the dreadful name Acronis Cyber Protect Connect :roll_eyes: Still a good product IMHO, though there’s still no native mobile client (unsurprisingly).

Devonthink syncs it all via Dropbox.

So you’re indexing Dropbox folders but also using a Dropbox sync location?

It’s a pretty good system for me

That’s a good outcome and a nice feeling :slight_smile:

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Yes. Now that I have two locations and an immobile desktop, I had to move on from Bonjour-only to sync my ostensibly portable devices.

The indexed Dropbox folders are really just one step up from dumping things into the Global Inbox. I can put things right into the specific databases inbox even from a Windows edit system that only has me logged into Dropbox in a browser.
I find that easier than throwing everything into the Global Inbox and filing from there. It’s so easy to set up for a new database, and for new seasons of an existing show I leave the folder where it is but index it into the new database instead of the old one.

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I’m still working through your details, but my first “beyond Bonjour” thought is implementing a cloud sync - iCloud (CloudKit)
Works well, except for the cross-platform and multi-user part; I use a Google Dive folder

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I am using Dropbox as my cloud sync. It’s solid.