I’ve moved my external drive from my MBP to Mac Mini-M1 both are running DT3. The DT3 database is on the external drive with other indexed files within it. I’ve network smb protocol connected the MBP to the M1 external volume so both have access to this external drive & files. After I enabled Bonjour on the M1 and synced the MBP database I was not asked where to save it on the MBP. In looking at the MBP database “Show in Finder” it shows the DT3 database to be the very same as the M1’s on its external drive. Both the MBP & M1 seem to be using/pointing to the same DT3 database on the external drive.
Is this correct? This seems save space on my MBP but not sure if it will cause problems? If not how do I get the MBP to ask where to save it’s own copy of the database?
(I really do not want all the files & indexed copied onto the MBP because of its limited space. It says it should do this if I am reading the very helpful Kissell’s TCoDT3 manual beginning at p209 correctly?)
Did you use the database after moving it to the external drive on both computers? Then DEVONthink still remembers its location and automatically opens it and a synchronization is not necessary as both computers use the same database. Important is only that the database can’t be opened on both computers at the same time, otherwise this might cause data loss.
However, databases stored on network volumes (especially wireless ones) are discouraged as both the performance and reliability might suffer. Instead it’s recommended to have only the files/folders on the NAS whereas the database which indexes these files/folders is located on the computer. In this scenario a synchronization is necessary but the database can be also opened on both computers concurrently.
Thank you, this is something I don’t want to worry about happening.
Creating a new Local Sync Store: I’ve created a new M1 location, a Local Sync Store on a separate external drive2 that is accessible & opened on the MBP Location. On the M1 I have unchecked the Bonjour Options…>Enable incoming connections, and on the MBP unchecked the Locations>Local Network (Offline now) which was through the Bonjour. After a while the M1 Local Sync Store showed the Local database onto the MBP as “Not yet synchronized, upload database.”
I don’t want to delete the M1 database in this process - on the MBP DT3 do I delete the database that is on the same external drive as the M1 and then sync it by checking it on the Local Sync Store>database?
Question2: About the Location: Local Sync Store - {filename}.dtcloud that is on a separate external drive2 does it copy all files including the indexed files?
If so am wondering if all is lost except this on external drive2 with the Local Sync Store file could it rebuild the databases synced within it?
(I realize this shouldn’t be the main backup process but a possible benefit of using a Local Sync Store (vs Bonjour) on an alternate drive than where the M1 & MBP have their databases.)
A screenshot of the sync locations on both computers would be helpful. In addition, Bonjour is not required by local sync stores and doesn’t affect it.
It does if the sync location option to synchronize the contents of indexed files is enabled. But this should never be your only backup.