Chronosync -backup Mac via network?

[macstatic]

I've been using Chronosync for years as a backup solution (in addition to Time Machine, on a separate drive) and it's worked great all along. This has been to a Firewire 4-bay drive rack and more recently to a USB-3 dual-dock solution from OWC.

Now I got this idea that I could back up another Mac in the same house (i.e. connected to the same LAN router) to a hard drive inserted into the abovementioned dock using Chronosync, like this:

Both Macs already have their own Chronosync license, but would I need to buy ChronoAgent in addition to this (and two licenses?) or can I do what I ask already with just the Chronosync software?

 

[gilby101]

You should get ChronoAgent for Mac#2.
I use that configuration to synchronise folders from Mac#2 to Mac#1. Mac#1 has Chronosync and Mac#2 has ChronoAgent. Advantages (that I use) of using ChronoAgent are 1) it takes care of permission issues (including mapping Mac#2's usernames to those of Mac#1 (and vice versa) and 2) much faster than file sharing.

ChronoAgent is pretty cheap and I have never had to pay upgrade pricing in over 10 years of use.

In my scenario, I manage Chronosync activities for Mac#1, hence best to have ChronoAgent on Mac#2. But could be the other way round with ChronoAgent on Mac#1 with backup/sync between #2 and #1 managed from Chronosync on Mac#2. Very flexible.

And I hope that at least one of the Macs has an ethernet connection to the router. Both on WiFi would be a bottleneck.

 

[macstatic]

Sounds great and something that can work for me!
Sorry, I forgot to say that both Macs are connected via Ethernet and not Wifi.

So Mac #2 won't be using ChronoSync at all, but ChronoAgent replaces its use (when backing up via a network)?
(I do have Chronosync installed on Mac #2, and use it for the occasional external drive backup).

I love that Chronosync can recognize a particular backup drive's name, so when I make it available (mount it) the backup process will start automatically -can the same behaviour be had when backing up across a network with ChronoAgent? And is setting up a new task in ChronoAgent similar to that of ChronoSync, or do I have to relearn the whole backup process?

 

[gilby101]

So Mac #2 won't be using ChronoSync at all, but ChronoAgent replaces its use (when backing up via a network)?

Yes. Just get Chronoagent running on Mac#2. Config lives in system Settings/Preferences. It starts up automatically on system startup.

so when I make it available (mount it) the backup process will start automatically -can the same behaviour be had when backing up across a network with ChronoAgent? And is setting up a new task in ChronoAgent similar to that of ChronoSync, or do I have to relearn the whole backup process?

Try it. You define the backup/sync tasks in Chronosync on Mac#1. It is very similar to configuring and running a local only task. The only real extra is the ability to define username and group transformations - i.e. map Mac#2UserA to Mac#1UserB.

 

[macstatic]

You're right! I forgot that it's possibly to try it out before buying.
Thanks also for clearing up things. I'm going to download ChronoAgent now and run it in trial mode to see it in action.

 

[macstatic]

A little update (after having used it for several weeks):

Thanks to your explanation I got a general understanding of how it all worked and was able to try it out even without reading the manual.
It's been working very well, but with some minor mistakes underway which I believe have now been fixed (no fault of Chronosync/ChronoAgent, but my experience with Chronosync is that it has so many options that you need to go through several backups and do adjustments to its settings). It looks to work very well now, and I think this has been a great investment.
Actually I bought a second ChronoAgent license after the first one as I want to back up another Mac the same way (one license covers one Mac, but if you have many you can buy a 5-license pack and save some money if you need that many, as far as I can remember).

Here's a quick summary on how this all works:
The ChronoAgent software is installed on the Mac which needs to be backed up. Using its System Preference you can configure various options. As far as I remember I didn't do much apart from assigning a username/password (for allowing access). I don't think I messed around with the other options.

Then, on the Mac with the backup drive attached (in my case I have a USB-dock for removing/inserting standard 3.5" SATA drives) you have to have Chronosync installed. It's from this computer you decide when to perform the backups (as long as the other Mac is power on of course!) and how it's done (which files to back up etc.).

As someone who's used Chronosync for years I set up a backup document the exact same way as I've always done with locally attached drives, the only difference being that I selected the source drive as one attached via ChronoAgent on the other computer (don't mind the error message in red -it only tells that the backup drive has been ejected and therefore no longer available) as opposed to a hard drive inside the same Mac:

And to make it even more convenient I've set up its Scheduler like this:

This way, whenever I insert the backup drive into my drive dock (it recognizes its name) and the other Mac is switched on, the backup procedure will start up. So once configured I can forget about all the details and just remember to physically make the backup drive available. Perfect for doing backups (which so many people forget or set aside all together because they find it too cumbersome or complicated).

 

[haralds]

Chronoagent is the way to go. I have it on all my Macs and wish that they had a version for my Synology NAS. Have to use rsync with it or just SMB access.