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Mac OS X  |  System / Utilities  |  Backup / Sync / Recover  |  ChronoSync

ChronoSync

ChronoSync - 4.0.4

Synchronize and back up your files/folders.

All Time: (4.3)
This Version: Not rated (0.0)
Current Version: 4.0.4
Release Date: 2009-08-07
License: Shareware
Downloads (this version): 3,576
Downloads (all versions): 8,471
Price: $40.00

Feedback Summary:

This Version:
Overall Rating: Not rated (0.0) Features: Not rated (0.0) Support: Not rated (0.0)
Ease of Use: Not rated (0.0) Quality / Stability: Not rated (0.0) Price: Not rated (0.0)
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ChronoSync ReviewFINALLY! A Replacement For Retrospect! - Version: 4.0.4, 10/30/2009 08:19AM PST

rikdesign
Working in a small graphic design firm, I've found it very hard to manage the back up of large amounts of data from our 10 workstations to our central XServe and RAID. Our only viable solution has been Retrospect... which has always been suited more for tape back-ups, and has become almost impossible to use for disk-to-disk back-ups due to errors, crashes, hang-ups, etc.

The combination of ChronoSync and ChronoAgent was the solution I had been waiting for. The combination of these two programs has allowed me to duplicate the centralized functionality of Retrospect without the constant headaches.

I purchased the ChronoSync program and installed it on the server. Then I installed the Agent programs on each system. The result is like a very slimmed down (and much more reliable) version of Retrospect. All for a fraction of the cost!

It is backing up each system to our RAID MUCH faster than Retrospect and minus all of the hang-ups and errors and it still allows me to maintain centralized control of multiple system back ups.

If you are still saddled with Retrospect and have phased out tape backups... this may be the solution you've been looking for.
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ChronoSync ReviewNOT 10.6 savvy - Version: 4.0.4, 10/19/2009 10:32AM PST

man290663
I reformatted my system and updated to 10.6 the app works but only in DEMO mode accept the registration details under 10.6
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ChronoSync ReviewGreat For My Purposes - Version: 4.0.2, 9/8/2009 08:54AM PST

mcmacuser
I use an iMac at home and a laptop when travelling, so before and after each trip, I need to sync the machines. It works beautifully for this. The instructions can be a bit intimidating, but I haven't need to customize it much. I simply update several main folders (Docs, Desktop, etc.), and it works without a hitch. I haven't used it over a network, so I can't speak to that. But for my purposes, it's a dream.
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ChronoSync ReviewDoes what I want it to do very well - Version: 4.0.2, 4/23/2009 10:21AM PST

(2 of 2 users found this comment useful)

CauseyPike
I've used this program to do my backups for a while now. I see that others have problems over networks, but using this for local backups to a variety of disks has been basically trouble-free and very satisfactory. I had 3.3.6 and then moved to version 4, and it's not been a painful transition in any way.
I like some of the configuration options, such as automatic backups on drive mount, and the ability to set up automatic unmounting of drives once backups are completed. Granted it's mildly complicated when setting up options the first time, but the user guide and info made it reasonably straightforward, and questions I had about certain file types were answered rapidly by tech support. I use this in combination with Knox to manage encrypted disk images. Thus, I have an encrypted image on my backup disk, when this mounts ChronoSync runs a backup, and it all seems to work. It's nice running to an encrypted disk, as I feel that my data is more secure, given how easy it is for someone to steal a removable hard drive. (This is the main reason I use this rather than Time Machine). I like the control over versioning, and across a USB it's very fast.
I used to run my backups to a NAS drive, but this was always annoyingly slow, though not ChronoSync's fault as far as I could tell.
I can't comment on the network performance issues that some people have experienced, but for local backups this has been a reliable and trustworthy program, and I'm pleased with it's performance and customizability, as well as being able to find ways to configure encrypted backups. The tech support has been pretty good as well. I've tried a few different backup programs, and this is definitely my favourite.
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ChronoSync ReviewStill needs major work - Version: 4.0.2, 4/22/2009 04:06PM PST

(3 of 3 users found this comment useful)

DrTimHill
Probably this product works ok when syncing folders onto local drives. But when networks get involved it falls over flat on its face.

1. It gets horribly confused when mounting a remote share. As I type this I see a red warning "Cannot Locate Target" even though the target is mounted in Finder. If I setup its options to automatically connect to the target they simply dont work.

2. Performance is awful. Copy speeds seem to max out at 100Kbytes/sec (across a GB wired LAN!). The analysis phase is *slow* ... expect to wait 30+ minutes for medium sized sync operations.

3. Folder deletes on target dont work. This bug has been around since 3.x days. Tell CS to delete files/folders on the target and watch as it silently skips this. So you *cannot* reliably ask the product to mirror a folder tree.

Basically, it doesnt work. I'd advise *very* careful evaluation of your needs before using this product.

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ChronoSync ReviewSuperb if you put ChronoAgent on the remote machine, problems otherwise - Version: 4.0.1, 3/8/2009 12:02PM PST

(6 of 6 users found this comment useful)

dpdp
I am another longtime satisfied ChronoSync user who was having serious problems with version 4 - hangs and crashes. After going to the product website, I decided to install the add-on product ChronoAgent on my other machine (the one I do not run Chronosync on). This is advertised as allowing a direct (non-AFP) connection between the two machines, with greater speed.

The result for me is a tremendous speed increase in backups, and what seems to be total reliability. Without knowing any of the technical details, I am going to guess that ChronoSync 4 was developed with Chronoagent in mind, and that problems with standard AFP connections went uncorrected as a consequence.

So for ChronoSync 3 users, I strongly recommend installing ChronoAgent (at $10) if you upgrade to version 4. The result will be the familiar ChronoSync 3 reliability plus an enormous increase in file transfer speed. A real, noticeable improvement.

[I should also add that I found the instructions concerning the use of ChronoAgent quite confusing. You install Chronoagent on the machine you are *not* running ChronoSync on; set it up on that machine, following the instructions; then add a new "connection" using the Connections pane of the Chronosync Preferences on the machine *with* ChronoSync (the *other* machine). (You'll need the IP address, port number and other info from your ChronoAgent setup.) Then pick that connection as the location of the folder to be backed up in your ChronoSync document. ]

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ChronoSync Reviewdisappointed - Version: 4.0.1, 3/7/2009 04:26AM PST

(2 of 3 users found this comment useful)

OxyParadox
I would love to love Chronosync 4, but the day I installed it was the day countless problems have sprung up on all my machines. Econ lists the insane permutations it runs to determine whether a backup should take place, but in the end, I can't spend ten minutes watching a beachball turn. If I disable everything except file modification date, it still runs forever and forever. The interface went from intutive to counter (folders containing files that are going to be altered show a "--->", but only if the files to be changed are within that immediate folder! if they're in a sub-folder, there's no indicator).

The permissions issues that arrived with Mac OS X 10.5.6 have turned Chronosync into a dangerous user folder wrecker. If I sync two desktops together (and I couldn't decipher how to tell Chronosync not to sync surrounding folders), when I go on the other Mac, I can't write a Word document and save it to the desktop! I don't have "correct access permissions" to save my own file. The nightmare goes on from there, and I've even had to re-install the Mac OS twice to try and get around this mess.

Sadly, I'm abandoning ship and moving on... but where to? At present, it looks like Carbon
Copy Cloner is my best bet.
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ChronoSync ReviewSimply Horrible - Version: 4.0.1, 3/3/2009 06:42PM PST

(1 of 2 users found this comment useful)

jgat3942
I used the prior version for quite some time, and it was great. My view is that Econ Technologies took an elegant solution and made it unusable. I get error message after error message when trying to sync. This software is simply horrible, and I now need to find another solution that actually works.
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ChronoSync ReviewNot worth your money - Version: 4.0.1, 2/1/2009 02:21AM PST

(1 of 2 users found this comment useful)

PiotrGM
If ChronoSync 3.3.6 impressed with its speed and ease of use, its nimble flexibility and total reliability, ChronoSync 4.0.1 disappoints greatly. It is a slow and clumsy beast, and constantly chokes ("spinning beach ball," hurray!); it always asks for Keychain access - even when the option 'Always allow' is checked, ChronoSync repeatedly asks for permission to access Keychain! And without giving it that permission by clicking the appropriate button, it will not start. This is just one of the many bugs this version suffers from. But the most questionable flaw is its inability to automatically back up data, despite the schedule being properly set. No matter what I tried, ChronoSync 4.0.1 would not work in the background - it has to be activated manually, and manually only was I able to back up data. Perhaps it is my own fault, I do not know. But what I know is this: once version 3.3.6 was set according to my wishes, it worked perfectly (five stars, period). Version 4.0.1 deserves half a star, at best. Not worth your money. Hold on to the older version until the developer makes the programme usable. For now, it is not even a beta version.
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ChronoSync ReviewAs solid as ever - Version: 4.0.1, 1/24/2009 02:38PM PST

Hacky
Just another opinion to balance some of the negative ones that have sprung up. I have used various iterations of this product for several years and version 4 for several weeks. IMO this is the best syncing software by far. It has always done whatever I asked of it. The developer answers questions quickly. My only minor criticism is the manual could have been clearer about all of the options, but even this is better in the new version.
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