Econ Technologies, Inc.

ChronoSync 12.0 and ChronoAgent 12.0 Released

Frank — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 19:45:42 +0000

We are pleased to announce the release of ChronoSync 12.0 and ChronoAgent 12.0!

There have been quite a few changes made to ChronoSync and ChronoAgent. Below, we have highlighted just a few of the major features that were added.

ChronoSync 12.0

New Scheduling Options

Simple Interval: Monthly (Day of week)

This is a variation of Monthly but, instead of a specific day of the month, you indicate a specific day of the week such as “2nd Tuesday”.

Adanced Interval: Yearly

Allows you to specify specific months of the year to run your tasks so that you can schedule tasks like quarterly syncs.

Event Triggered: When Invoked by Remote User

This is a big new feature whereby remote ChronoAgent users can trigger a sync task. It’s only available if one or both targets are connecting to ChronoAgent v12 or later. Choose the the target, and hence the remote agent, that you would like to be able to trigger this sync task from. The “Trigger with name” field is what the ChronoAgent user will see in their ChronoAgent Monitor system menu, under the “Request ChronoSync Task” sub-menu.

When the ChronoAgent user chooses the name from the “Request ChronoSync Task” sub-menu, a push notification is sent to the ChronoSync computer where this scheduled item was created. This will trigger the sync task to execute.

Scheduled Validations

All scheduled synchronization tasks can optionally perform a Validation operation in conjunction, or in place of a Synchronization. Scheduled container tasks do not provide this option. This is controlled from the “Operation” pop-up menu in the top portion of the Scheduled Task Editor.

Scheduled Task Manager Enhancements

Improved Task Status

The information displayed in the Status column now includes the next run date/time or event that will trigger the scheduled task.

The information displayed is quite detailed. For instance, the “iCloud Trigger Test” in the above screenshot is a live-trigger scheduled item, and it shows that it is looking for changes beneath the “Screenshots” folder. Every event-triggered scheduled item has it’s own unique description. Time-based scheduled items will simply show the next run date & time.

Column Sorting

You can sort the contents of the Scheduled Tasks Manager by clicking on a column heading. Clicking again on the same column heading will invert the sort order. Thus to arrange the entries by the order in which they will be next run, click the Status column heading. To display this in reverse order, click Status again. An up or down triangle is displayed in the column heading to show the current sort order.

Organizer Window Enhancements

Arrange Tasks by "Next Scheduled Run"

The Organizer’s list of tasks can now be arranged by “Next Scheduled Run”, which will show scheduled items first and in chronological order based on their next scheduled time to execute. Event-based scheduled tasks will appear after the time-based ones.

Synchronizer Enhancements

Two-Pass Synchronizer

The two-pass synchronizer, previously only employed for Trial Synchronizations, can now optionally be enabled in the “Special File/ Folder Handling” pane on the “Options” panel.

Enabling the two-pass synchronizer will (theoretically) provide a more accurate progress bar since it will scan the entire sync tree first before starting to copy files. Progress will still be indeterminate while scanning, so it’s only after the second pass is entered that a meaningful progress is displayed.
In addition to better progress calculation, the “Perform deletions first” option is available when using the two-pass synchronizer. This can be useful for freeing up space on your destination target before new files are actually copied.

Less Visual Enhancements

Other, less “flashy”, enhancements include significant iCloud and File Provider optimizations, new Scheduler preferences, new log window features, new Readiness Tests, and full compatibility with macOS 26 (Tahoe).

There have also been quite a few bug fixes and performance enhancements. These changes set the stage for future enhancements to your favorite sync and backup application!

And much more ...

For a more comprehensive discussion of all the functionality changes, please review the What’s New in v12.0 document located in the ChronoSync DMG. Additionally, a complete list of changes can be found in the release notes.

ChronoAgent 12.0

Numerous Behind-the-Scenes Changes

There have been quite a few architectural changes that control how ChronoAgent functions behind the scenes. Use of deprecated APIs has been reduced and there have also been quite a few bug fixes and performance enhancements.

See the release notes for a complete list of what has changed in this version.

The Difference Between “Verify” and “Validate”

Frank — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 10:47:09 +0000

ChronoSync offers two methods to check that your data is accurate. This article will explain some of the differences between the two methods.

Verify

The first method can be employed while you run your Sync Task. The feature is ‘Verify Copied Data’. This is found on the ‘Options Panel’ of your Sync Task, in the ‘Special File/Folder Handling’ section.

When you enable this feature, each file that is copied while running the Sync Task is double-checked for accuracy. What happens is after a file is copied, it is read-back and compared to the original. Any discrepancy results in an error.

Only files copied get checked. Any items identified as already ‘in-sync’ are not checked by this setting.

This feature is great if you are targeting a frequently changing folder. This ensures your backed up files are accurate because if an incomplete or changing file gets copied, an error will get reported. If you also turn on ‘Auto-retry before handling errors’, located on the same panel in the ‘Reporting and Error Handling’ settings, and a file generates an error, the file is automatically retried.

Enabling this feature roughly doubles the amount of time it takes to run a Sync Task.

Validate

The second method you can employ is the ‘Validate’ feature. This is found in the Sync Task toolbar and under the ‘Actions->Synchronize->Validate’ menu item.

This feature in ChronoSync allows you to compare file data, resource forks, and metadata between your two targets without modifying either target. It will identify and report any discrepancies without any risk to your source or backup data. Remember, no data is changed on either Target. This is a detailed analysis to determine if each item matches exactly on both targets.

There are many data and metadata items you can configure ‘Validate’ to check. You can easily check for missing items by only enabling ‘Orphan files’. Or enable just ‘Data forks’ to check the contents of each file. If you decide to check Data forks, know that this is a very lengthy process, and every file in the Sync Tree is compared. Comparing some metadata or checking for orphans can be much faster.

The Validator pre-sets the Validate options based upon your current Sync Task settings, so if you have ‘Preserve Extended Attributes’ disabled, that item will not initially be marked for comparison. But you can customize the settings on the Validate Panel to meet your needs.

The Validator also allows you to automatically mark mismatched items for sync so they are updated the next time you run the Sync Task.

Be sure to enable ‘Post more detailed information to log’ when ‘Validating’ so that any issues are recorded in the Sync Task Log.

Conclusion

In either case, using Verify or Validate, the files are compared using a bit-for-bit compare on local and NAS targets. ChronoAgent targets are compared by generating a hash of the contents of the local and ChronoAgent file, and comparing the hash.

So ‘Verify Copied Data’ works to validate file data as it is copied. It does not compare files that are already ‘in-sync’.

And ‘Validate’ can be run as a separate process to compare file data on every item in the Sync Tree without modifying the contents of either target.

How To Utilize File Providers

Frank — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 12:37:31 +0000

The File Provider mechanism was introduced by Apple in macOS 11 (Big Sur) and refined over subsequent OS releases. In macOS 13 (Ventura) it is the standard mechanism used by 3rd-parties to integrate their cloud storage services with macOS. Major services such as Box, DropBox, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive are implemented as file providers. Apple has made it clear that this is the only approved mechanism for offering this capability, so eventually all cloud storage services will be implemented as file provider extensions.

ChronoSync 11 supports these cloud services through the File Provider Extensions ‘Connection’.

To help customers utilize this feature, we have prepared several documents.

First, the ChronoSync 11 Download DMG includes a “What’s New” PDF that explains how to use this new feature.

Second, we have a Tech Note explaining issues with Apple’s File Provider Mechanism and the quirks you might encounter with each service.

And finally, a Guide to setting up a Sync Task that uses File Provider connections.

Each Cloud service has to add specific support for File Providers.

If you are using Dropbox, you might need to install an update to your Dropbox Service Software. Learn more about the Dropbox Cloud Service File Provider support at this web page: https://help.dropbox.com/installs/dropbox-for-macos-support

If you are using OneDrive, this web page discusses File Provider for OneDrive: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/save-disk-space-with-onedrive-files-on-demand-for-mac-529f6d53-e572-4922-a585-e7a318c135f0

If you are using Google Drive, this web page discusses File Provider for Google Drive: https://support.google.com/drive/answer/12178485?hl=en#zippy=%2Cconfirm-if-youre-using-file-provider

Note: Keep in mind that a ChronoSync Sync Task that backs up to a cloud service via the File Provider Extensions will wait for items to be copied to the cloud servers. This can result in periods of inactivity while ChronoSync waits for items to be processed. This feature ensures items are indeed stored in the cloud when your Sync Task completes and prevents filling the local hidden cloud service cache folder and possibly running out of disk space on your Startup Disk.

How To Sync Files Between 2 Macs

Frank — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 17:45:21 +0000

When syncing files between two Macs, we recommend using a ChronoSync to ChronoAgent connection. This offers a faster, more reliable, and more secure connection than using Apple’s built-in File Sharing. Follow these steps to set it up:

1. Decide which Mac will be the Primary Mac. This is the Mac you use the most, or the one where you want to control your backups. This is the Mac where you install ChronoSync.

2. Install ChronoAgent on your Secondary Mac. Setup ChronoAgent by following our Configuring ChronoAgent guide.

3. Create a ‘Connection Profile’ in ChronoSync. Launch ChronoSync and open the ‘ChronoSync->Settings->Connections’ panel. Use our Configure and Backup to a Remote ChronoAgent guide to set up a ChronoAgent Connection Profile.

4. Create a new Sync Task. You may want to check out our ChronoSync Quick Start Guide just to learn the basics of ChronoSync Sync Tasks.

5. Your Sync Task will use the Connection Profile you just created. Choose that newly created profile from the ‘Connect to:’ popup menu on the Setup Panel, in the Target Pane of your Sync Task.

6. The other target is the local volume on the ChronoSync Mac. When syncing to/from ChronoAgents, it is best to set the local volume Target’s ‘Connect to:’ popup to ‘Mounted Volumes(Admin Access)’.

It is best to learn by doing, so setup initially using a temporary folder with some test files, perhaps created on your Desktop and experiment with settings and options before targeting important files and data.

Those are the basics. If you want to test this out, the best thing to do is get ChronoSync and ChronoAgent, then activate the free 15-day trial license after launch. You can download the app installers at: https://www.econtechnologies.com/downloads/downloads.html

SmartScan Readiness Warning

Frank — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:11:57 +0000

SmartScan is a feature of ChronoSync that speeds up the overall scan time of any local internal or external, macOS-formatted volumes. It works by examining the macOS-maintained FSEvents Database. We have found that starting with the release of macOS Monterey, the FSEvents database doesn’t seem to be working the same way it has in the past.

To help our customers get the full advantage of SmartScan, we display a Readiness Warning to indicate that SmartScan is not working reliably when connecting to local targets with ‘Mounted Volumes’.

To get the full benefit of SmartScan, look in each ‘Target’ pane on the Setup Panel of your Sync Task. Change the ‘Connect to:’ popup menu from ‘Mounted Volumes’ to ‘Mounted Volumes(Admin Access)’. If both targets are internal/external macOS-formatted volumes, do it for both targets.

This will resolve the Readiness Warning. SmartScan will start working again after the next full run of your Sync Task.

Why Do I Need ChronoAgent?

Frank — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 23:58:32 +0000

Maybe you’ve heard of ChronoAgent but aren’t quite sure if you need it or how to use it.

Let’s start with a little about ChronoAgent. This is a utility typically installed on a Mac separate from your ChronoSync Mac. What it does is communicate directly with ChronoSync to backup and sync files between the two Macs. The two Macs can be separated by a few feet on a LAN or hundreds of miles across the Internet.

This connection offers a faster, more reliable, and more secure connection than using Apple’s built-in File Sharing.

ChronoAgent can also help you maintain backups for multiple Macs. While there are many different solutions, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, using ChronoAgent provides the most-cost effective solution. Additionally, this solution can easily scale up, no matter how many Macs you have. So this solution works just as well for a small household as it does for a large enterprise.

To help you understand all of this, check out our new guide on how to Backup Multiple Macs using ChronoAgent.

ChronoSync Express 1.4.0 Released

Frank — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 19:29:01 +0000

ChronoSync Express 1.4.0 is now available.

The most notable changes in this release pertain to adding features that were previously only available in ChronoSync Express’s big brother, Chronosync. Some of the changes are:

Hierarchial Task Groups – This allows you to more logically organize all your Sync and Container tasks.
Organizer Search – This allows you to find your tasks easier than ever before.
“Suspend on Battery Power” scheduler option – When enabled, this will prevent scheduled tasks from executing when the laptop is running on battery power.
Migrated away from several dozen deprecated APIs.
Completely replaced the file copy engine with the latest version from ChronoSync. This provides better handling of packages, dataless files, and data validation.
Completely replaced the low-level file I/O routines with the latest versions from ChronoSync. This provides better performance, and uses more modern APIs.

See the release notes for a complete list of what has changed in this version.

ChronoSync 11.0 and ChronoAgent 11.0 Released

Frank — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 12:00:44 +0000

We are pleased to announce the release of ChronoSync 11.0 and ChronoAgent 11.0!

There have been quite a few changes made to ChronoSync and ChronoAgent. Below, we have highlighted just a few of the major features that were added.

ChronoSync 11.0

New system requirement

ChronoSync now requires macOS 10.14 or later. For those that are running older versions of macOS, please visit our Archives page to download a compatible version of ChronoSync.

File Provider support

The File Provider mechanism was introduced by Apple in macOS 11 and refined over subsequent OS releases. In macOS 13 it has become the defacto standard mechanism for implementing integrated cloud storage services on macOS. Major vendors such as Box, DropBox, Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive are implemented as file provider extensions. Apple has made it clear that this is the only approved mechanism for offering this capability, so eventually all cloud storage services will be implemented as file providers.

ChronoSync v11 is explicitly aware of all file provider extensions installed on a system. It identifies each cloud “drive” as a separate volume that can be selected as a target volume.

To learn more about using File Providers in ChronoSync, take a look at our File Providers guide.

Task Groups

The ChronoSync Organizer window is the main user interface for creating and organizing Sync Task documents. Unfortunately, when you have a large number of sync tasks, they can become rather unmanageable. Enter “Task Groups”, a new feature that basically equates to Folders for Sync Tasks.

Creating a Task Group is a simple as clicking the new “{+}” command icon that appears at the bottom of the task list and then giving the new Task Group a name.

To learn more about using Task Groups, take a look at our Task Groups guide.

Task Search

In addition to task groups, ChronoSync v11 includes the ability to search for tasks based on name. At the upper right of the task list there’s a icon that can be clicked to invoke the search function. When activated, you can type any portion of the task name you are searching for and a filtered list of tasks will appear. The list is refined as you type. You can interact with the displayed tasks just as you normally would (i.e. you can invoke a sync operation, schedule it, delete it, etc.).

To learn more about using Task Search, take a look at our Task Search guide.

Battery Saver

If you’ve configured ChronoSync to perform scheduled synchronizations and backups on a laptop, a new setting allows you to disable the scheduler when you are running on battery power. When you reconnect to a power source, your scheduled tasks will run as they normally do. Thus you no longer have to worry about a battery consuming scheduled task kicking in when you’re on the go!

To access this setting, open the “Scheduler” pane in the ChronoSync Settings dialog:

Higher Performance Cloud Storage Transfers

The Amazon S3 and Google Cloud file managers now have a setting to control the size of some internal buffers used to communicate with these cloud services. The setting is called “Data exchange size” and it can be controlled in the connection profile editor for any Amazon S3 or Google Cloud connection profile you’ve created. Larger values help significantly with faster internet connections. Slower internet connections will see little benefit, so it is generally better to leave this setting disabled for internet connections less than 40 mbps.

More Robust SFTP

The SFTP file manager has been updated to use the latest version of the libssh2 library for communication with SFTP servers. In general, more cryptographic protocols and authentication mechanisms are supported, making it compatible with a wider variety of servers. There are also bug fixes and performance enhancements as well.

ChronoSync also adds a new setting to the SFTP connection profile to increase compatibility with some SFTP servers. It is called “Ignore attribute change errors” and, when ON, will enable synchronization and backups to continue when the SFTP server rejects ChronoSync’s attempts to update file metadata. Some servers simply won’t allow these kind of changes, so this setting lets you at least copy data to the SFTP server at the expense of accurate metadata.

Numerous Behind-the-Scenes Changes

There have been quite a few architectural changes that control how ChronoSync functions behind the scenes. For instance, ChronoSync v11 now uses the latest version of the OpenSSL libraries for secure network communication when connected to remote ChronoAgent or InterConneX devices. Use of deprecated APIs has been reduced and there have also been quite a few bug fixes and performance enhancements. These changes set the stage for future enhancements to your favorite sync and backup application!

And much more ...

For a more comprehensive discussion of all the functionality changes, please review the What’s New in v11.0 document located in the ChronoSync DMG. Additionally, a complete list of changes can be found in the release notes.

ChronoAgent 11.0

New system requirement

ChronoAgent now requires macOS 10.14 or later. For those that are running older versions of macOS, please visit our Archives page to download a compatible version of ChronoAgent.

Numerous Behind-the-Scenes Changes

There have been quite a few architectural changes that control how ChronoAgent functions behind the scenes. For instance, ChronoAgent v11 now uses the latest version of the OpenSSL libraries for secure network communication. Use of deprecated APIs has been reduced and there have also been quite a few bug fixes and performance enhancements.

See the release notes for a complete list of what has changed in this version.

ChronoSync 10.3.3 Released

Frank — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 19:18:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce the release of ChronoSync 10.3.3!

This release fixes a crashing issue that could potentially occur when creating a new Sync Task document.

That’s it. There are no other changes. Nada. Zero. Zilch.

Don’t believe us? Well then, check out our extensive release notes and see for yourself.

ChronoSync Express 1.3.9 Released

Frank — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 21:00:55 +0000

ChronoSync Express 1.3.9 is now available.

The most notable change in this release pertains to compatibility issues with ExFAT and other non-native filesystems on recent versions of macOS.

See the release notes for a complete list of what has changed in this version.