There are two steps to get ChronoSync up and running; Connect and Set Up. This tip explains various methods to connect a Mac directly to another Mac, another computer, external drive, or an external drive on another computer. For the most part you would only connect directly to another computer when a network is not available or if you needed to copy files faster than the network connection provided.
If you are synchronizing between two computers, you only need to install ChronoSync on one of them. You need to establish a source and destination. The source is the Mac where ChronoSync is installed and the destination is the Mac you connect/mount. You can make either one the Left or Right Target in the ChronoSync Setup panel.
Mac to Mac
FireWire
You can connect two Macs directly with a FireWire cable.
- Connect a FireWire cable to the FireWire ports on the computers you want to connect.
- From the Source Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Network.
- Select FireWire in the network connection services list.
- Now you can mount the destination Mac using ChronoAgent or File Sharing.
For more information go to Apple Help and search the topic "Use IP over Firewire".
Warning: There is another method called Target Disk Mode which allows you to connect two Macs using a FireWire cable. We strongly recommend against using TDM with ChronoSync because this method can lead to file permission changes on your destination Mac.
Ethernet
You can connect two Macs directly with a ethernet cable.
- Connect an ethernet cable to the ethernet ports on the computers you want to connect.
- From the Source Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Network.
- Select Ethernet in the network connection services list.
- Now you can mount the destination Mac using ChronoAgent or File Sharing.
For more information go to Apple Help and search the topic "Connect two computers using Ethernet".
Wireless
You can connect two Macs directly wirelessly without a network.
- From the destination Mac choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Network.
- Select Wi-Fi in the network connection services list.
- Turn Wi-Fi on and check "Show Wi-Fi status in the menu bar".
- Choose "Create Network" from the wireless menu bar and click the "Create" button.
- From the Source Mac, you can mount the destination Mac using ChronoAgent or File Sharing by selecting the network that was created.
USB
You can NOT connect two Macs with a USB cable. However, you can use a USB to ethernet adapter on both Macs. You would only use this method if it was the only choice available.
Thunderbolt
The only way to connect two Macs using a Thunderbolt cable is to use Target Disk Mode. We strongly recommend against using TDM with ChronoSync because this method can lead to file permission changes on your destination Mac.
Mac to PC
Ethernet
You can connect a Mac to a Windows computer directly with an ethernet cable. For more information go to Apple Help and search the topic "Connect your Mac directly to a Windows computer".
Mac to External Drive
Firewire - USB - Thunderbolt
You can connect external drives to your Mac using Firewire, USB, or Thunderbolt cables.
All you need to do is plug in the external drive and the drive will mount. For more information read the tip "External Drives".
Mac to another computer with an external drive
You can connect to external drives that are connected to other computers. To do this:
- Mount the destination computer using any of the above methods.
- Once you connect to the destination computer any external drive on the destination computer will also be available.
Set Up
Once you make your connection, you can select the drive or folder within as a target in ChronoSync. Choose Setup on the Tips page to get a complete listing of ChronoSync Setup tips.
That's it! The flexibility and ease of using ChronoSync has so many advantages. If you have any problems while using our products, contact us by using our support form. If you wish to share a tip with us, post it on our comment form. Happy Syncing!