I am trying to sync 2 computers. I have my main Mac Studio syncing, though it continues to warn me that I am syncing with just one Mac and wasting resources. Attempting to sync a laptop causes sync errors that don’t appear to be able to be fixed.
So I figured I would disable sync on my main Mac. But when I do that, it warns me that if I disable it:
“Do you really want to disable syncing? If you ever want to re-enable syncing, you will need to replace the data on this Mac with data already uploaded to your account.”
So now I am 100% trapped. I have no idea what data is on the sync server. For all I know, there’s nothing there. I do not want to replace the data on my main Mac as that is where my listings/sold/etc, all live.
Since 2018 I have not been able to sync 2 Macs. In fact one Mac that does not run GS unless I need it to, still has 10+ months of sales and inventory that never made it to my main Mac in 2023. Nearly all of 2022 activity lives on a computer I can’t do anything with because there’s no way to move the sold history and such from that Mac to my main Mac.
But right now I am simply trying to setup a new install of GS on a laptop and since it will not complete the first sync and insists that another GS is syncing [no other GS was running during the attempted first sync], I am again stuck. And now the warning makes me believe that there is no way to disable sync on my main Mac since if I do, I will lose my listings, templates, sales history, etc.
FYI, on my laptop, I finally was able to start a new sync again [first time sync], about 12 hours after my first sync attempt. It fails at the same place, about 20-30% into the initial sync. How do I debug this? See screenshot from laptop. GS was not running on my main Mac. After I took this screen shot, I tried to do a sync again on the laptop, but GS stated another Mac was syncing [it was not - my main Mac GS was still not running].
Have to get lots of work done this weekend, so I don’t have much time to fiddle with this. But getting syncing actually work and not duplicate data or mess up my folders or orders or anything like that, would be amazing. Is there any way to backup the GS database? Where in the Library folder is it? I have used the Help menu to open the GS library folder up, but I don’t know where the database itself is located.
See screenshot of 2nd attempt at first sync on my laptop.
Creating a backup is a good idea if you work with synching. Please see FAQ #29 on the support page for instructions how to locate the GarageSale 9 database.
Maybe the Synch Logs give some clues. GarageSale creates logs of the synching activities and saves it in a “SynchLog.txt” file. Could you send us that “SynchLog.txt” file?
These are the required steps:
Open GarageSale.
From GarageSale’s Help select “Open Library Folder”
Locate the “SynchLog.txt” file there, compress (zip) it and post it here. If it’s larger than 10 MB please upload it to DropBox or send it via WeTransfer: http://www.wetransfer.com/
Also, do you use any kind of firewall, proxy server, VPN, or another tool that is blocking the connection, e.g. “Little Snitch”? It also might be a “network security” feature of your router, especially if you are using an “eero” router.
FAQ #29 is useful, but does not tell me where in the folder structure I can find the file itself or what its name is. Or is the entire folder the database? I have 2 GarageSale folders my ~/Library/Containers folder. See screenshot.
If I use the Help menu to open the Library, I get this:
I’d love to know where the .garagsale9 file is in this, as I would love to keep a backup. I keep GS running 24/7 [except when trying to sync my laptop], due to using the scheduling feature. If the database is the entire folder [or both GarageSale folders], would using rsync to make a daily backup be advised?
Your FAQ #30 says
“To make your GarageSale database available on another Mac, locate the database folder (see the above answer), and move the database to the corresponding location on the other Mac”
which to me is confusing. The database folder is GarageSale - okay, but where is the database in that folder. If the folder is the database, the wording is awkward with that answer as it seems to imply one has to find the database folder, then move the database in that folder to the other Mac. Should one, instead, move the entire database folder to the other Mac?
I do not use a VPN when doing the syncing, nor Little Snitch, but I do have AdGuard Home setup as my DNS [on a Raspberry Pi] and currently am planning on setting up my Edge Router Lite for use, but my Frontier Communications DSL modem serves as my router right now [I have the wireless radios turned off on the device, and the device says it is an NVG443B from I believe the company ARRIS.
Is there a port I need to poke a hole in to make syncing work? I have a remote site that has another GS install which I keep turned off as it is th one stuck with about 10 months of data that I could not migrate to my “new” main Mac back in 2023. I had issues syncing that Mac mini for a long time too, and the network config at that remote site is very complex. But if there are ways to make that sync, I would love to get the old order/sales history migrated from that Mac to my main one! But one step at a time.
