Migration Assistant -- from Leopard to Tiger --- can it be done?
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From: Jack Shown on 17 Mar 2010 17:25 If I put a iMac G4 running 10.5 into Target Mode, can a iMac G5 runnning 10.4 actually use Migration Assistant with it? In the case described, the 10.4 G5 will mount the Target Mode disk (you see it on the Desktop) but Migration Assistant just won't recognize it. This is what Wikipedia says about it: If transferring from a older computer, Migration Assistant is run from the newer computer, with the older one connected to it by Ethernet cable, over a network, or by FireWire cable and running the older computer in Target Disk Mode. Of course, in my sitch, the older computer is the one in TDM, it just happens to have the newer OS. Can anyone shed any light on this? Thanks.
From: Jack Shown on 17 Mar 2010 18:35 On Mar 17, 2:57 pm, Michael Vilain <vil...(a)NOspamcop.net> wrote: > In article > <d05b20f0-e814-433b-8b11-646fda5c7...(a)z18g2000prh.googlegroups.com>, > Jack Shown <jacksh...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > If I put a iMac G4 running 10.5 into Target Mode, can a iMac G5 > > runnning 10.4 actually use Migration Assistant with it? In the case > > described, the 10.4 G5 will mount the Target Mode disk (you see it on > > the Desktop) but Migration Assistant just won't recognize it. > > > This is what Wikipedia says about it: > > > If transferring from a older computer, Migration Assistant is run > > from the newer computer, > > with the older one connected to it by Ethernet cable, over a > > network, or by FireWire cable > > and running the older computer in Target Disk Mode. > > > Of course, in my sitch, the older computer is the one in TDM, it just > > happens to have the newer OS. > > > Can anyone shed any light on this? Thanks. > > AFAIK, you can't go back. The only way I know of is to backup > everything on your Leopard system, then install Tiger from scratch, > using your disaster recover document outlining all the things installed > on it until you have the system back the way it was. Then restore the > user directory from your Leopard backup. > > If you don't have a detailed document outlining all the things you > installed on the Tiger system, all the mods to the system like setup for > the web-server, php, mysql, etc. NOW would be a good time to start > writing that document. > > A pain, but what are you going to do? Going from a newer version of the > OS to an older version wasn't in Apple's business plan, so you're on > your own. Hi Michael, Thanks for your reply. One thing I don't understand though -- why would it make any difference what OS is on the Target Mode disk? After all, the target mode machine does not even boot. And since it does not boot, the machine on the other end of the Firewire cable cannot even know what OS is on it. And why should it? That target mode disk is nothing more than an external firewire HD to the Mac running Migration Assistant. In any case, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But I would never go back to 10.4 -- I would just upgrade the 10.4 machine to 10.5. Seems pretty lame though. Cheers, Jack
From: Jim Gibson on 17 Mar 2010 19:56 In article <08125095-2bdc-4c31-b290-aea10d3f091c(a)a16g2000pre.googlegroups.com>, Jack Shown <jackshown(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On Mar 17, 2:57�pm, Michael Vilain <vil...(a)NOspamcop.net> wrote: > > In article > > <d05b20f0-e814-433b-8b11-646fda5c7...(a)z18g2000prh.googlegroups.com>, > > �Jack Shown <jacksh...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > If I put a iMac G4 running 10.5 into Target Mode, can a iMac G5 > > > runnning 10.4 actually use Migration Assistant with it? �In the case > > > described, the 10.4 G5 will mount the Target Mode disk (you see it on > > > the Desktop) but Migration Assistant just won't recognize it. > > > > > > AFAIK, you can't go back. �The only way I know of is to backup > > everything on your Leopard system, then install Tiger from scratch, > > using your disaster recover document outlining all the things installed > > on it until you have the system back the way it was. �Then restore the > > user directory from your Leopard backup. > > > Hi Michael, > > Thanks for your reply. One thing I don't understand though -- why > would it make any difference what OS is on the Target Mode disk? > After all, the target mode machine does not even boot. And since it > does not boot, the machine on the other end of the Firewire cable > cannot even know what OS is on it. And why should it? That target > mode disk is nothing more than an external firewire HD to the Mac > running Migration Assistant. Each version of the operating system has its own set of files and programs that are identified by version numbers. The version of the operating system is probably encoded in some file somewhere in the System folder. Migration Assistant will be trying to read the files from a newer version of the operating system, so it will encounter things that it does not know about. If MA was designed intelligently (and it was), it will first check the version number of the operating system to make sure that it will know how to transfer configuration data and, if necessary, convert it to what it needs if the content or format has changed between its OS and the OS on the target machine. > In any case, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But I would never > go back to 10.4 -- I would just upgrade the 10.4 machine to 10.5. I am not sure what the problem is, then. You should be able to upgrade the 10.4 system to 10.5 without using the Migration Assistant. MA is only used when you get a new machine and want to transfer your settings, applications, and user data from an old machine to the new one. > > Seems pretty lame though. You are asking the version 10.4 Migration Assistant to know about the 10.5 operating system. This can only happen if the 10.4 MA was updated after 10.5 came out to allow for the backwards conversion, and updated every time 10.5 gets a minor update (10.5.1, 10.5.2, etc.). Since only a miniscule percentage of people are going to want to do this, it is not cost-effective for Apple to maintain such "forwards-compatibility". Sorry. -- Jim Gibson
From: David Empson on 17 Mar 2010 20:15 Jack Shown <jackshown(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On Mar 17, 2:57 pm, Michael Vilain <vil...(a)NOspamcop.net> wrote: > > In article > > <d05b20f0-e814-433b-8b11-646fda5c7...(a)z18g2000prh.googlegroups.com>, > > Jack Shown <jacksh...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > If I put a iMac G4 running 10.5 into Target Mode, can a iMac G5 > > > runnning 10.4 actually use Migration Assistant with it? In the case > > > described, the 10.4 G5 will mount the Target Mode disk (you see it on > > > the Desktop) but Migration Assistant just won't recognize it. > > > > > This is what Wikipedia says about it: > > > > > If transferring from a older computer, Migration Assistant is run > > > from the newer computer, > > > with the older one connected to it by Ethernet cable, over a > > > network, or by FireWire cable > > > and running the older computer in Target Disk Mode. > > > > > Of course, in my sitch, the older computer is the one in TDM, it just > > > happens to have the newer OS. > > > > > Can anyone shed any light on this? Thanks. > > > > AFAIK, you can't go back. The only way I know of is to backup > > everything on your Leopard system, then install Tiger from scratch, > > using your disaster recover document outlining all the things installed > > on it until you have the system back the way it was. Then restore the > > user directory from your Leopard backup. > > > > If you don't have a detailed document outlining all the things you > > installed on the Tiger system, all the mods to the system like setup for > > the web-server, php, mysql, etc. NOW would be a good time to start > > writing that document. > > > > A pain, but what are you going to do? Going from a newer version of the > > OS to an older version wasn't in Apple's business plan, so you're on > > your own. > > Thanks for your reply. One thing I don't understand though -- why > would it make any difference what OS is on the Target Mode disk? Migration Assistant (or any other method) cannot be used to successfully transfer a user account from a newer major version of Mac OS X to an older one. The main reason for this is the Library folder inside the home folder. It contains a lot of files which are maintained automatically on behalf of the user, including preferences, caches, support files for applications, and databases used by several applications, notably Mail, iCal and Address Book. Newer versions of Mac OS X are able to convert any of these files or databases which were created by older versions of Mac OS X, because Apple included support for that conversion in the new system version. Older versions of Mac OS X cannot understand these files and databases if they were created by a newer version of Mac OS X, since the applications predate the new system and have no code to convert the files or databases back into the older format. A secondary issue is that the mechanisms used to keep track of user account details changes between system versions, and Migration Assistant is able to support converting those details from the older mechanism (e.g. NetInfo, which was used by 10.4 and earlier) into the newer one (e.g. Directory Services, which was used by 10.5 and later), but not the other way around. Documents created by the user are normally OK for going back to an older system, but applications are a mixed bag: - Applications supplied by Apple with the system (such as Mail, iChat, etc.) are written to support that system version only and won't work on an older major system version (usually not on a newer one either). - Some independently installed applications may have behaviour which depends on a particular system version, and they configure themselves according to the system version when they are installed or first launched, or they have different installers depending on the system version (e.g. Safari). These won't work if run on an older system. (Some of them might not run on a newer system either, unless they are updated to a later version which supports the newer system.) Again, they don't expect to go backwards in system versions. - Some independently installed applications are simply not compatible with the older system version (and this is far more common than the other way around). - The remaining independently installed applications would be fine if copied back to an older ystem. > After all, the target mode machine does not even boot. And since it > does not boot, the machine on the other end of the Firewire cable > cannot even know what OS is on it. And why should it? That target > mode disk is nothing more than an external firewire HD to the Mac > running Migration Assistant. Migration Assistant only copies from an active system, and it identifies the system version on the source drive. It will refuse to do a transfer if the source drive is a later major version of Mac OS X. > In any case, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But I would never > go back to 10.4 -- I would just upgrade the 10.4 machine to 10.5. In that case, upgrade the machine to 10.5 first, and then run Migration Assistant to transfer your data and user accounts. -- David Empson dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz
From: JF Mezei on 17 Mar 2010 23:20 Jack Shown wrote: > Thanks for your reply. One thing I don't understand though -- why > would it make any difference what OS is on the Target Mode disk? > After all, the target mode machine does not even boot. If you are using firewire with the target not booted, it may allow SOME types of transfers (transfering user files for instance). However, remember that user authorization and a ton of settings that were in the "netinfo" database in 10.4 are spread to various different places in 10.5. Migration utiklity would know how to move from 1~0.4 to 10.5, but not sure it can move all of the 10.5 settings onto 10.4's netinfo. So while the user files might be migrated, the user database with passwords probably won't. It might allow you to move the applications, but there might be some problems with some apps requiring 10.5. > And since it > does not boot, the machine on the other end of the Firewire cable > cannot even know what OS is on it. It can find out by lookingf at various files. > Seems pretty lame though. When you consider everything that changed from 10.4 to 10.5, it isn't that lame.
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