Syncing dual boot data: SL and Mavericks?

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Level 1

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Syncing dual boot data: SL and Mavericks?

Hello Happy New Year to Us All!

I am wondering what to do to best keep user data between SL and Mavericks synced? I have an old Macbook Pro with Snow Leopard and I want to dual boot SL and Mavericks. My computer is an 8 gb RAM mid '09 15" Macbookk Pro w/ new 256 gb SSD and w/ original 500gb HD now in optical bay.

I've partitioned the SSD in 2 equal size volumes, one for each OS boot. SL is now running on one of the partitions, and I could make a third partition on the SSD for one possible shared data volume. (I know the SSD needs to keep adequate free space). The HD is ready for one or more data volumes, backup volumes etc. (I also have several external drives.)

So I have read that you can store your Home Directory in any folder on any volume you want using Advanced Options in the Admin account in Accounts.

Can my Snow Leopard boot volume and the Mavericks boot volume share the same Home directory or somehow same user data on one data volume? I assumed the answer is no and that the data is packaged differently b/w SL and Mavericks but a lifehacker article made me wonder: http://lifehacker.com/5702815/the-complete-guide-to-sharing-your-data-across-mul tiple-operating-systems.

Also Level 9 Baltwo seems to have a lot of experience with this.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5481468?tstart=0

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3205290?answerId=15728093022#15728093022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3584140?answerId=17052849022#17052849022

But his posts on these threads indicate that he now uses separate data volumes. I wonder is that one for each of his separate OS boot volumes, and if so, why? Snyc advantages?

If this is the way to go, back to the main question: how to best sync the user data between SL and Mavericks?

--Simply figuring out which files to move by hand or get Carbon Copy Cloner to move? Learning to use Dropbox?

--SL workarounds for iCloud?

--Soho Organizer or Fruxx?

--a Snow Leopard Server?

--convert a user account to a network user account?

--other?

Thank you and I hope Baltwo and other will help me.

Stu

Posted on Dec 30, 2013 10:53 AM

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Answer 1

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baltwo

Level 9

62,362 points

Dec 30, 2013 3:15 PM in response to stu m

Can my Snow Leopard boot volume and the Mavericks boot volume share the same Home directory or somehow same user data on one data volume?

No, they can't share the same home directory. Different setups with preferences on different OSs. However, data can be shared if kept on a third data volume. I manually keep things like Mail (copy entire folder to each user's Library folder), Safari plist files, Quicken data files, and keychains manually synched. I don't do share music, photos, or movies, since Apple constantly changes how updated versions retain stuff in their libraries. Finally, I don't do. cloudy stuff, so don't have to deal with that nonsense.

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Answer 2

stu m Author

Level 1

15 points

Dec 31, 2013 7:49 AM in response to baltwo

However, data can be shared if kept on a third data volume.

Hi Baltwo, thank you. Is sharing user data on a third volume an effective way to keep SL generated data and Mavericks generated data consistent and usable by both? If only one OS is running at a time and therefore the shared data is only used by one OS at a time each change, any change, would seem to be saved sequentially. What are the pitfalls and risks doing it this way? Especially since,

Apple constantly changes how updated versions retain stuff in their libraries.

You, on the other hand, keep separate data volumes, one for each OS boot volume I think, I presume in order to keep OS boot volumes lean and all able to fit on a SSD?

I could do it this way too and spend most of my time in SL b/c it seems faster than Mavericks on my system. (I installed Mavericks last night and set up iCloud for first time). I could just use Mavericks when necessary, and manually sync Apple Mail like you described, Chrome bookmarks, and other things.

PS I thought there were a lot of things Mavericks would open up for me, like Airplay and Find My Phone w/ iCloud, but the former still won't work on my system and the latter works in SL, now that iCloud is set up.

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Answer 3

stu m Author

Level 1

15 points

Dec 31, 2013 9:25 AM in response to baltwo

As far as not heeding your advice about the cloudy stuff, sorry, no disrespect. I created a separate new apple id for iCloud, so hopefully that will avoid the nonsense of unintentional syncing of all devices. I don't think I'll be using iCloud to backup or sync anything anyway, and I'll keep it turned off most of the time probably. Maybe use for Itunes Match, Find Iphone, or other. Thank you for helping me.

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Answer 4

baltwo

Level 9

62,362 points

Dec 31, 2013 1:27 PM in response to stu m

stu m wrote:

However, data can be shared if kept on a third data volume.

Hi Baltwo, thank you. Is sharing user data on a third volume an effective way to keep SL generated data and Mavericks generated data consistent and usable by both? If only one OS is running at a time and therefore the shared data is only used by one OS at a time each change, any change, would seem to be saved sequentially. What are the pitfalls and risks doing it this way? You, on the other hand, keep separate data volumes, one for each OS boot volume I think, I presume in order to keep OS boot volumes lean and all able to fit on a SSD?

By sharing, all I do is keep one data volume and use either OS and their apps, not worrying about mucking anything up. The only thing I don't do is use common iTunes, iPhoto, and iMovie libraries, because that's not doable. Also, don't have any SSDs, since I don't thing desktop machines benefit from their use and I don't have any laptops. Can't address any cloudy stuff, since it doesn't provide any of value.

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Answer 5

stu m Author

Level 1

15 points

Jan 2, 2014 8:05 AM in response to baltwo

Thank you Baltwo for sharing the sharing.

So to share the third volume, I guess I copy all the folders except Music, Pictures, and Movies folders from the Home Folder, and except Mail in the Home Folder Library of my primary boot volume to the new third data volume? Do I just put them on the volume, or create folder structure?

And I'm wondering how to tell the SL boot volume's Home Folder to go to the third data volume for the moved folders. Same question for the Mavericks boot Home Folder. I guess at some point I delete the original Home Folder folders on the SL and Mavericks boot volumes, when?

Baltwo wrote:

I manually keep things like Mail (copy entire folder to each user's Library folder), Safari plist files, Quicken data files, and keychains manually synched.

In my case, my Mavericks boot volume has the same User and Admin account as the SL boot volume. Anyway, regarding copying the entire Mail folder, in your case, do you do all your emailing exclusively from your primary boot volume, and only sync one way, to the other OS boot volumes? 🙂

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Answer 6

baltwo

Level 9

62,362 points

Jan 2, 2014 11:47 AM in response to stu m

stu m wrote:

So to share the third volume, I guess I copy all the folders except Music, Pictures, and Movies folders from the Home Folder, and except Mail in the Home Folder Library of my primary boot volume to the new third data volume? Do I just put them on the volume, or create folder structure?

Put your data files onto the third volume, organized as you wish, delete them from the OS volumes, create aliases to them, and then copy those to your OS volumes. I put those onto the Desktop, sorted as you wish.

Baltwo wrote:

I manually keep things like Mail (copy entire folder to each user's Library folder), Safari plist files, Quicken data files, and keychains manually synched.

In my case, my Mavericks boot volume has the same User and Admin account as the SL boot volume. Anyway, regarding copying the entire Mail folder, in your case, do you do all your emailing exclusively from your primary boot volume, and only sync one way, to the other OS boot volumes? 🙂

All my boot volume accounts mimic each other. WRT to e-mails, I use Eudora almost exclusively while in Snow Leopard, and once every day or two, launch Mail and get the e-mails. Once a week or so, I copy the Mail folder to the other OS's users library before booting into them.

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Answer 7

stu m Author

Level 1

15 points

Jan 8, 2014 9:01 AM in response to baltwo

Hello baltwo, I got real busy with the new year, but I'm going to try to implement this soon. Thank you very much for the sharing.

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Answer 8

baltwo

Level 9

62,362 points

Jan 8, 2014 11:38 AM in response to stu m

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