What's the best way to keep two computers synchronized?

I just got Lr4, which I use in addition to CS5.5 Design Premium, and I want to use Lr as the primary raw file manager and editor.
I keep my work and home computers synchronized via a 2TB external drive that fits in my pocket, and SmartSync Pro software. With this setup I just connect the drive and the software copies any new or modified files, leaving the rest untouched. So it's a very quick and painless process that allows me to work from either machine without missing a step.
This setup has served me well for a long time, but with Lightroom there's an added complication: the catalog.
So I need to know the most efficient way to transport catalog changes from one machine to the other, using the portable drive. The directory structure is identical between the two machines - but drive letters are not the same, so the files are technically not in the same location.
I see there is a menu item called Export as Catalog. Will that do it? And how will I import on the other machine? Import From Another Catalog?

D Fosse wrote:
OK; dumb question perhaps, but how do I move the catalog/previews? In preferences I only see where it's located, but no option to move it elsewhere?
You use your operating system to drag them to the external HD.
No need to create a new catalog and import.

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What is the best way to sync two computers

I have my work computer and my home computer and I would like my photos and work I do on one show up on the other and vice versa. What is the best way to accomplish this?
Thanks
Mike

Lightroom wasn't designed to do this.
The workaround that works the best from Lightroom's point of view is to put your catalog file and all photos on an external HD and move this external HD back and forth. Of course, the drawback is that you have to carry the external HD with you.
Some people have experimented with putting the catalog file in the cloud, and photos on a shared network drive, so both computers can access everything. This has certain disadvantages, particularly if you use the catalog on one computer before it has synchronized from the other computer; and you can search these forums for details.

What's the best way to keep two hard dives synced?

I've been looking at the best way to protect my data and I've learned a few things. My first thought was RAID but a bit more research showed RAID is not a fix-all. It has it's own problems and even if I use a RAID1 or RAID10 array (depending on the number of drives) a failure in one drive can actually set off another drive, killing multiple drives and still destroying my data. There are a few other issues I've seen, such as the way you need to manage a RAID system that don't overly appeal to me.
So what I'm thinking now is two separate hard drives that are synced in some manner. Both of these drives are going to be sitting on the back of my iMac at all times so there's no real worry about their needing to be connected to back up. The question is how best to do it?
So far my options are:
Chronosync: Software wise, I know this can sync across drives and as such has been something that interests me. However, I'm not sure how powerful it is and I'm still curious about how I would have to use it.
SuperDuper: Same thing as Chronosync, really, just a different piece of software.
Rsync: To be honest, this is the one that interests me the most. I need to look into it a bit more I'm starting to think this might be a great choice for me. With some caveats.
Basically, here are the things I'm going to use it for:
Two 3–4 TB HDDs or RAID0 arrays.
Storing of general project archives, images, documents, movies, music, that kind of thing.
Possibly for system backup with Time Machine.
Now, how I'd prefer it to work is:
I keep both hard drives plugged in via FireWire cables.
Ideally, whenever I edit, add or delete a file on one hard drive the change is immediately made to the other.
Once the syncing is set up I never touch it again, don't have to.
The only time I ever have to come back to it is if I'm swapping out one or both of the drives for larger ones.
All of this is controlled by some sort of GUI
I'm willing to accept terminal commands if I have to... But I'd really prefer not to. Also, if the syncing has to be done every hour or once a day or some other similar schedule I'm willing to accept that as well, though it's not preferred.
So that's what I'm looking at doing. I'd love to hear what you guys think.

True, it's not technically backup in the traditional sense. What I'm looking for is data protection and redundancy, which is a factor of backups. So in that sense it kind of is, but I see your point.
Anyway, the reason I'm avoiding RAID is because:
1. It can be a pain to manage.
2. It's horribly inflexible.
3. It's protection is limited.
4. It brings it's own set of hazards.
5. RAID arrays can be very expensive once they start getting complex.
I will likely end up going RAID partially in the end simply because I have a 2 TB external and it's filling fast. I can grab a 3 TB now but I've heard reliability issues so instead I'm thinking two 4TB (2x2TB) RAID0 arrays that I sync.
This gives me the benefit of RAID in a simple form, which bypasses the larger array complexities, while leaving me still fully protected and highly flexible. It also doesn't have the inherent risks of RAID because if one of the arrays goes down it will in no way effect the other.
Honestly, I'm not worried about file changes. At all. I'm the only one who's touching the files (well, not true, but everyone else only has read-access). I also tend to not delete things (which is why I have a 2 TB drive that's filling fast). Expansion is my main concern and RAID expansion can be a nightmare unless you go for some of the more expensive systems that are easier to manage. With ease of management comes a hefty price.

What is the best way to keep my personal files stored in iCloud separate from my work-related files?

What is the best way to keep my personal files stored in iCloud separate from my work-related files? It seems that I'm not allowed to link my iPad mini and my work iMac using two different accounts, so I'm wondering how to make my single personal account work for both, while keeping personal vs work files reasonably separated.
Thanks for any suggestions.

Is it possible for you to upgrade your account to iCloud Drive? That would mean, all Macs upgraded to Yosemite, and all mobile devices to iOS8?
See: iCloud Drive FAQ and iCloud: About using iWork for iOS and iCloud
In iCloud Drive you could create two separate custom folders, one for work documents and one for private documents and organize your documents there. Don't use the app specific folders (Keynote, Pages, Numbers, ...) , because you can only create one level of folders inside these folders.

I have a iMac Desktop and MacBook Pro laptop. I generate my work related files on both of these machines. What is the best way to keep the files in these machines synchronized?

I have a iMac Desktop and MacBook Pro laptop. I generate my work related files on both of these machines. After a few days or weeks, I have new files on some folders on either of the machines that is not on the other machine. What is the best way to keep the files in these machines synchronized?

How did you transfer the files to the iMac. If you exported the files out of the MB library using Kind = Current you should get the edited version. Any other option may not.
If you want to keep the two libraries "synced" any photos you want to move to the iMac should be added to an album, connect the two Mac with a LAN, Target Disk Mode, Transferring files between two computers using FireWire, with WiFi. and use the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager to copy that album from the MB library to iMac library. It will also copy the original and edited versions, keywords, titles, etc.
OT

What is the best way to keep the battery built-in last longer?

what is the best way to keep the battery built-in in macbook pro last longer???..
is it by plugged in as many times as we can..and discharge it to 80-90% a week..then charged it back?

My favorite tip for longer battery life: Uninstall Flash

What is the best way to keep your macbook pro in tip top condition. performance wise

What is the best way to keep the performance of a macbook pro in tip top shape. Over the years my computer seems to act like a pc with all of its hicups and lockups.
I am running mountain lion and this computer is approx 2 years old.
Not sure if there is some sort of software that will help with this or is there something else I can do.
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GAJ

How to maintain a Mac
1. Make redundant backups, keeping at least one off site at all times. One backup is not enough. Don’t back up your backups; all should be made directly from the original data. Don’t rely completely on any single backup method, such as Time Machine. If you get an indication that a backup has failed, don't ignore it.
2. Keep your software up to date. In the App Store or Software Update preference pane (depending on the OS version), you can configure automatic notifications of updates to OS X and other Mac App Store products. Some third-party applications from other sources have a similar feature, if you don’t mind letting them phone home. Otherwise you have to check yourself on a regular basis.
Keeping up to date is especially important for complex software that modifies the operating system, such as device drivers. Before installing any Apple update, you must check that all such modifications that you use are compatible. Incompatibility with third-party software is by far the most common cause of trouble with system updates.
3. Don't install crapware, such as “themes,” "haxies," “add-ons,” “toolbars,” “enhancers," “optimizers,” “accelerators,” "boosters," “extenders,” “cleaners,” "doctors," "tune-ups," “defragmenters,” “firewalls,” "barriers," “guardians,” “defenders,” “protectors,” most “plugins,” commercial "virus scanners,” "disk tools," or "utilities." With very few exceptions, such stuff is useless or worse than useless. Above all, avoid any software that purports to change the look and feel of the user interface.
It's not much of an exaggeration to say that the whole "utility" software industry for the Mac is a fraud on consumers. The most extreme examples are the "CleanMyMac" and “MacKeeper” scams, but there are many others.
As a rule, the only software you should install is that which directly enables you to do the things you use a computer for, and doesn't change the way other software works.
Safari extensions, and perhaps the equivalent for other web browsers, are a partial exception to the above rule. Most are safe, and they're easy to get rid of if they don't work. Some may cause the browser to crash or otherwise malfunction. Some are malicious. Use with caution, and install only well-known extensions from relatively trustworthy sources, such as the Safari Extensions Gallery.
Never install any third-party software unless you know how to uninstall it. Otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve. Do not rely on "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.
4. Don't install bad, conflicting, or unnecessary fonts. Whenever you install new fonts, use the validation feature of the built-in Font Book application to make sure the fonts aren't defective and don't conflict with each other or with others that you already have. See the built-in help and this support article for instructions. Deactivate or remove fonts that you don't really need to speed up application launching.
5. Avoid malware. Malware is malicious software that circulates on the Internet. This kind of attack on OS X was once so rare that it was hardly a concern, but malware is now increasingly common, and increasingly dangerous.
There is some built-in protection against downloading malware, but you can’t rely on it — the attackers are always at least one day ahead of the defense. You can’t rely on third-party protection either. What you can rely on is common-sense awareness — not paranoia, which only makes you more vulnerable.
Never install software from an untrustworthy or unknown source. If in doubt, do some research. Any website that prompts you to install a “codec” or “plugin” that comes from the same site, or an unknown site, is untrustworthy. Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must come directly from the developer's website. No intermediary is acceptable, and don’t trust links unless you know how to parse them. Any file that is automatically downloaded from the web, without your having requested it, should go straight into the Trash. A web page that tells you that your computer has a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with it, is a scam.
In OS X 10.7.5 or later, downloaded applications and Installer packages that have not been digitally signed by a developer registered with Apple are blocked from loading by default. The block can be overridden, but think carefully before you do so.
Because of recurring security issues in Java, it’s best to disable it in your web browsers, if it’s installed. Few websites have Java content nowadays, so you won’t be missing much. This action is mandatory if you’re running any version of OS X older than 10.6.8 with the latest Java update. Note: Java has nothing to do with JavaScript, despite the similar names. Don't install Java unless you're sure you need it. Most people don't.
6. Don't fill up your boot volume. A common mistake is adding more and more large files to your home folder until you start to get warnings that you're out of space, which may be followed in short order by a boot failure. This is more prone to happen on the newer Macs that come with an internal SSD instead of the traditional hard drive. The drive can be very nearly full before you become aware of the problem.
While it's not true that you should or must keep any particular percentage of space free, you should monitor your storage use and make sure you're not in immediate danger of using it up. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of free space on the startup volume for normal operation.
If storage space is running low, use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper to explore the volume and find out what's taking up the most space. Move seldom-used large files to secondary storage.
7. Relax, don’t do it. Besides the above, no routine maintenance is necessary or beneficial for the vast majority of users; specifically not “cleaning caches,” “zapping the PRAM,” "resetting the SMC," “rebuilding the directory,” "defragmenting the drive," “running periodic scripts,” “dumping logs,” "deleting temp files," “scanning for viruses,” "purging memory," "checking for bad blocks," "testing the hardware," or “repairing permissions.” Such measures are either completely pointless or are useful only for solving problems, not for prevention.
To use a Mac effectively, you have to free yourself from the Windows mindset that every computer needs regular downtime maintenance such as "defragging" and "registry cleaning." Those concepts do not apply to the Mac platform. A computing device is not something you should have to think about very much. It should be an almost transparent medium through which you communicate, work, and play. If you want a machine that is always whining for your attention like a neurotic dog, use a PC.
The very height of futility is running an expensive third-party application called “Disk Warrior” when nothing is wrong, or even when something is wrong and you have backups, which you must have. Disk Warrior is a data-salvage tool, not a maintenance tool, and you will never need it if your backups are adequate. Don’t waste money on it or anything like it.

What is the best way to keep your files organised

I would like to know what is the best way to keep your file organise when I am
Loading program's like numbers and pages from iPhone to MacBook i alway
Get double of the same work sheet

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Loading program's like numbers and pages from iPhone to MacBook i alway
Get double of the same work sheet

What is the best way to keep my retina screen clean?

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I use Windex Electronics Cleaner on the MBP displays. I spray some on a small microfiber cloth and wipe the display. Then I use a large microfiber cloth to dry it. When finished, the display looks like the day it came out of the box.
http://www.windex.com/en-US/Products/Pages/electronic-cleaner-and-wipes.aspx
DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH ORDINARY WINDEX WINDOW CLEANER!
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I just switched from pc to mac. what is the best way to keep Windows? Parallel or Boot camp?

I have just switched from pc to mac. What is the best way to keep Windows, Parallel of Boot camp?

Parallels should be able to handle that without any problems.
There is a version of both of those that will run on the Mac. So you might consider upgrading to that version instead of going with Windows on your Mac.
Allan

What is the best way to keep high res when saving "for web"

the files i'm saving for web so i can get them in jpg (or gif) format are coming out very pixelated. this is when i print the image.
what is the best way to save for web an image and keep the resolution good.
using for a business card template. avery template will let me attach images i want to the project. to do this.. i "get file from computer" and it drops the image in but real small... then you are supposed to enlarge it onto your work however you want. well when i enlarge this image file, it gets pixelated badly. i'm thinking it's the way i'm saving it. i do not adjust anything when i save. maybe i should. this is where i need guidance.
this is what avery template notes about the images i am allowed to use - When uploading the image, the maximum size allowed is 4 MB. You can only upload JPG and PNG images either as RGB or CMYK. so when you recommend things, can you please keep this in mind
thank you for oyur time.

Aida,
When you save with the default template using save for web it is generally a very low settings.
While in the save window you can define the pixel size of the image you want with quality as well as resolution too.
Refer to tv.adobe.com video save for web or Adobe help file for detailed instructions.
Mandhir

What is the best way to keep 7 days most current data in tabledata

Hi,
Can anybody help me to keep most recent 7 days data in a table? any data older than 7 days should be removed which cen be done once a day.
What is the best way to do this? partition, re_create table or anything else?
Thanks
George

Have you considered partitioning the table? You could then drop the oldest partition every day, which would be marginally quicker & easier than deleting the 10,000 rows. 100,000 rows is a pretty small table to partition, but it may be worth considering.
I wouldn't expect there to be a significant difference on query performance no matter how you set this up. You won't reset the high water mark, but that is only important when you are doing a full table scan and Oracle will reuse the space for the current day's data, so it's not like the high water mark will be constantly increasing.
Justin
Distributed Database Consulting, Inc.
http://www.ddbcinc.com/askDDBC

What is the best way to keep a MacBook Pro backed up?

I'm about to buy a MacBook Pro for my daughter who is about to start University. She will need to back up her work of course, so I'm wondering what is the best way to back up a MacBook?
At home I have my iMac which is backed up to a WD Studio II 2TB external HDD configured as a 1TB RAID 1 device. Time Machine handles the backing up for me. I don't backup the Applications folder.
The MacBook Pro will, most likely, be carted between University and DIGs most days. I wonder what the best options are for backing up. I think that, at the very least, she will be wanting to recharge each evening back at the Halls. So I imagine it would be in order for her to have an HDD there to back up to. I wonder though if it would be possible to get hold of some sort of 'docking station' for her to use. This would act partly as a reminder for her to plug her back up device in the first place rather than relying on her remembering to plug in the Firewire each time.
I've not seen any docks for sale and I don't recall seeing any in my local Apple Store. Can anyone recommend a device or suggest a better option?

I agree with the previous poster.... a dock may sound like a good idea, but then if she wants to backup anything up it will have to be back in the rooom with the dock. If you just got an external HDD with firewire support, she would plug the thing in and Time machine can be set for automatic backup and she could always bring the backup drive with her if she wanted to backup anything say at home.... A dock is more expensive and I think it's a waste.... Get a nice portable external drive or if you want to set her up with a network in her dorm room you could get a time machine capsule or use the same setup that you have.
There is a "dock" well actually it's more of a stand that they sell in the apple store. It's called the arc or something....

What is the best way off using two external harddrives with timemachine?

Hi,
I have already searched the board but I am still not sure what the best way is to backup to two harddisk.
Here is what I want to achieve:
I have two identical external firewire drives. One is always stored at my parents house. I swap drives once a week +(not perfect, should be everyday but much better than nothing).+
Before TimeMachine I have used SuperDuper which made incremental backups on both disks.
Due to my "method" I never have both drives at home. So it will not work to clone the external disks.
Can I now simply swap the drives and TimeMachine will backup again on disk 2, what it has already backupped to disk 1? Like "catching up" the now missing backups for the last week?
Should I give the disks the same names or should I choose "change disk" everytime?
I appreciate any suggestions and experiences.
Best Regards
Olaf

Hi Olaf,
Germany . . . hmmm, nice talking to you!
OK - We seem to have a lot in common. I used SuperDuper all the time too. Loved it. NEVER had a problem at all with it. Ever!
I use Carbon Copy Cloner now - it seems a bit erratic - sometimes fails, sometimes works, can't find the pattern.
But enough of that.
YES - Time Machine will do exactly what you want (or does for me, at least.)
I named the two drives the same name and bounced back and forth between them, Time Machining to each. Works PERFECTLY every time . . . BUT - you MUST go to TM preferences each time and click "change disk". Simply reclick the one it sees. This seems stupid - but it's worked every time for me so far. So this morning, I simple renamed one of the backup drives (from Finder). Simple renamed it.
Went directly to TM with the renamed disk - clicked "change disk" - he instantly "saw" the newly named disk - and it Time Machined perfectly to the "newly named" one. I didn't even have to re time machine the entire drive - it picked up perfectly and backed up only 50 meg, which is all I changed!
So Time Machine seems to work perfectly backing up to two hard drives, with either the same name, or different names - TM doesn't care. But you MUST simple click "change disk" each time.
Let me know how it works for you. It really does work for me!
Larry

What is the best way to keep a DR env in sync?

Hi there,
I am working on my first CQ5 implementation and am looking for advice on the best method to keep our Disaster Recovery (DR) env updated. Our DR env has 1 author and 1 publish server and the SLA is to update this env once a week.
Should we setup reverse replication from the Product Publish server to the DR Author server, and then automatic replication from DR Author -> DR Publish? Or is there a better way.
Thanks in advance for the advice.
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Also created http://www.wemblog.com/2012/10/how-to-manage-hot-backup-or-disaster.html hopefully will help.
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What's the best way to keep two computers synchronized?

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