Network Connections.

This tip explains various methods to connect a Mac over a wired or wireless network to another Mac, another computer, Network Area Storage drive, or an external drive on another computer. Additionally you can access any internal or external drives connected to any computer you connect to. Once you connect and set up ChronoSync, your Mac will automatically connect every time a sync or backup is run.

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.

ChronoAgent

If you are connecting your Mac to another Mac, ChronoAgent is the best method.

ChronoAgent is a utility that runs on the destination Mac and communicates directly with ChronoSync. ChronoAgent gives you full access to both Macs and can copy anything. No restrictions. You can even maintain a bootable drive over a network with ChronoAgent. Apple doesn't even offer that. Additionally, ChronoAgent synchronizes files faster, encrypts file transfers, and can automatically backup a Mac when it joins a network.

File Sharing

File Sharing is a service built into the OS that allows you to connect to other computers. The following steps explain how to mount another Mac, PC, or NAS to your Mac through File Sharing:

  1. Turn on File Sharing on the destination Mac or PC. You can share your entire HD or just specific folders. However the only way to gain full access to a destination Mac is to use ChronoAgent.

  2. On the Mac, go to Sharing under System Preferences. On a PC, right-click the folder’s icon and choose Properties. NAS sharing needs to be set up via another computer.

  3. On the source Mac, choose "Preferences..." under the Finder menu. You should see "Show these items on the desktop". Check "Connected servers" so that you can see the any hard drives you mount right on your Desktop. (This is an optional step, but it's very helpful.)

    4. connected servers

  4. From Finder, under the Go menu. choose "Connect to server..." and click on the "Browse" button. Or you can go directly to a Finder window sidebar under "Shared".

    connect to servershared devices



    Note: If you can’t locate the computer after clicking the "Browse" button or in the sidebar, you may be able to connect to it using the “Connect to Server...” dialog found under Finder's Go menu. Contact us for further instructions.

  5. Select the computer you want and click on the "Connect As..." button. Connect as the Registered User of the same user you are syncing to. You need to enter the name and password of the destination computer or NAS.

    connect as



    Note: When mounting another Mac, if you select another Mac without entering your name and password then you are only mounting as a guest and will only have limited access.

  6. Once you log in, a folder for the hard drive and a folder for the User will appear. Double click on the User folder and now you have mounted the User from the other Mac. It will appear directly on your desktop as a volume too.

    user folder



    When mounting a PC or NAS all the available folders should appear that you have access to. You will need to enter a name and password for the destination device you are mounting.

  7. Once you mount a volume of another computer or NAS you can select it, or a folder inside it, as a target in ChronoSync's Setup panel. To do this, drag the volume, or a folder in the volume, into the target area. Or you can use the "Choose" button.

    8. targets



  8. In the target area, click the "Options..." button. Next, check "Attempt to mount server" and "Login as" and enter the name and password of the destination computer.

    Another option is to NOT check "Login as" and add the name and password of the destination to your keychain. If you do not add it to your keychain then you will have to enter your name and password every time a sync is run. Furthermore, scheduled syncs and backups will not run since the destination computer can not be mounted.

    server mounting options



    Note: For security reasons you may not want others to mount the destination computer from your Mac. If this is the case, then password protect your Synchronizer document from the File menu by choosing "Access Restriction...".

  9. Now run a test by performing the following steps:
    • Save the Synchronizer document.
    • Dismount the volume.
    • Open the Synchronizer document.
    • The destination computer will be automatically mounted.

Network Address

If you know the address for a shared computer or server on your network, you can use it to connect to the computer or server. You can connect to Mac and Windows computers with file sharing turned on, as well as servers that use AFP, SMB/CIF, NFS, and FTP. From the Finder, you can connect to FTP servers only with read-only access. To copy files to an FTP server, use an FTP program. Contact us for further instructions.

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!