Synchronising databases on two machines (Chronosync)

DEVONthink Tips
1

I’ve done a search and this has been discussed in a few threads, but I couldn’t find a resolution of the problems of syncing two machines. I use Chronosync, and it works nicely for me. Here are the key points…

  1. I use bidirectional sync for everything, but would never edit a DT database on one machine and then on the other machine without first synchronising them. This gets around the “opaque database” issue. So… NEVER work on a database on two machines at once.

  2. Make sure that the “Dissect Packages” option is ticked in Chronosync. This will circumvent having the WHOLE .dtBase package copied every time you sync. My database is 1.7GB and growing (and I’ve only been using DT for a week or so). Full instructions below.

  3. If you move a referenced file and then synchronise, the reference on the destination machine will still point to the old location, and so will be broken. I believe that if you equivalently move the file on the destination machine BEFORE syncing, all should be well (because Chronosync won’t copy from the source machine and thereby lose the locally-unique HFS+ file id), but I haven’t tested this yet (I’m away from my desktop). There’s a script here that you can use to find broken references: devon-technologies.com/phpBB … php?t=4073

I’m hoping to find an elegant solution to (3) one day :slight_smile:

Hope this is useful to someone…

-Rick

In Chronosync General preferences, tick “Display all files”, “Show package contents” and “Dissect packages”. This will only apply to NEW Synchronizer Documents; gets me every time, I tick a pref and it has no effect on the Synchronizer Document I’ve already created!

In the Synchronizer Document containing the .dtBase file, go to Options and tick “Dissect packages”. Go to Analyze and tick “Display: All” and then “Pkgs”.

Now it should just sync the changed files within the package (haven’t tested it because I’m away from my desktop and am writing this on my laptop; Chronosync displays the contents of the package as if it were a folder, so I’m 99% sure this will work).

2

If this works this would be brilliant. Please repost when you have tested (sorry will let you do this first :slight_smile:

If so, this will solve issue number 1 - way to long to synch, still leaves issue #2 for me though - how to get DTPro to automatically synch my indexed databases - any takers?

thanks

carl

3

Just tested it. I added one PDF to a DT database. Chronosync just synced that file, all of the .database files and Settings.plist. The database files amount to 221MB, so it’s still a big saving over 1.7GB.

If your .dtBase file was mostly text, rtfs and docs, then I suspect Chronosync would have to sync the whole lot (because it can’t see inside the .database files). However, if like me you have lots of PDF files in there, at least they won’t be synced every time.

Another approach is to index rather than import the PDF files. I’m new to DT and just dragged everything in there :slight_smile:

-Rick

4

Thanks rickevetsz. I have a database or two I am going to leave as import, but my large ones I have decided to index for the backup reason as well as the ability to edit the file and move things around and so on.

I just wish there was a way to have DTPro automatically synch my indexes whenever I opened an indexed database. I am fairly new as well. If I do not get anything back on the auro synch of indexed databases I guess it will need to be logged for system enhancement - perhaps v2

5

Gee, I’ve been using Chronosync for a long time to do exactly this, just as you describe except I wasn’t smart enough to think of the dissect packages option.

Thanks for the improvement!

Chronosync rocks.