[grunt0300]

I will be transferring all the data from a 2010 MBP to a 2013 MBP. Would Migration Assistant be the best solution for me? I don't know if I have the right cables, if needed. Thanks for any help.

[Ed7789]

Is it the best, I don't know. I always rebuild my account from scratch when moving between devices.

However, as long as you have a WiFi or Ethernet connection between the devices - and that can be through your network switch/router, you have all you need, albeit it might be somewhat slower.

[imwjl]

I'm prone to use Time Machine backups more than network transfer. A 2010 to 2013 change won't get any issues pertaining to M1 compatibility.

[grunt0300]

What about using an ethernet cable? I understand that it should work much faster. I have the connection to plug the cable from one Mac to the other.

[Ed7789]

What about using an ethernet cable? I understand that it should work much faster. I have the connection to plug the cable from one Mac to the other.

You can use an Ethernet cable, but it is possible that you must go through your router/switch (so 2 Ethernet cables).
The reason for that is very simple, your router will provide the computers an IPv4 and/or IPv6 address to communicate with.

Also, Ethernet will be significantly faster than WiFi
The WiFi chip in the 2010 and 2013 MacBook Pro laptops is slower than a typical Ethernet port.

[grunt0300]

If you're talking about a thunderbolt1 plug with 2 ethernet female connecters, then I don't have one, and I don't know if they make one.

[grunt0300]

OK, running 1 ethernet cable between two Macs will allow me to transfer data. No need to get the router involved.

[Ed7789]

OK, running 1 ethernet cable between two Macs will allow me to transfer data. No need to get the router involved.

Good to know. I was not sure if that was going to work or not.

If you're talking about a thunderbolt1 plug with 2 ethernet female connecters, then I don't have one, and I don't know if they make one.

The 2010 MacBook Pro does not have any Thunderbolt ports, so I was not referring to that at all
What I had in mind is connecting 2 Ethernet cables through a device like this one:


This is my own network switch. There are multiple kinds, including the one in your home router

[grunt0300]

OK, just as a side note: My mid-2010 17" MBP has 1 ethernet port, 1 firewire port, 1 thunderbolt 1 port, and 3 USB-A ports, all on the left side of the case.

[Ed7789]

OK, just as a side note: My mid-2010 17" MBP has 1 ethernet port, 1 firewire port, 1 thunderbolt 1 port, and 3 USB-A ports, all on the left side of the case.

That's not a Thunderbolt 1 port. It's a Mini DisplayPort port.
The first MacBook Pro to have a Thunderbolt port was released in February 2011.
It's kind of confusing, but Thunderbolt reused the Mini DisplayPort connector.

​References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_(interface)
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT202488

[grunt0300]

You're right, I stand corrected. It's a Mini Display port. My thunderbolt 1 plug fits in perfectly, and works great.

[imwjl]

Good to know. I was not sure if that was going to work or not.



The 2010 MacBook Pro does not have any Thunderbolt ports, so I was not referring to that at all
What I had in mind is connecting 2 Ethernet cables through a device like this one:

[IMG=768x1024]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220115/0f34e69d24e1f0e4abb55468ba402456.jpg[/url]
This is my own network switch. There are multiple kinds, including the one in your home router

It's rare when a modestly priced or SOHO grade switch is high performance and I've found them to be problems staging systems so that's why I suggested a Time Machine drive earlier.

I might be overly cautious here mixing work experience with home computing experience. Your switch looks like it has PoE so it might be a newer or new enough generation to work fine.

[Up_And_Away]

“Data” meaning documents and pics etc (not a full backup) then connected to the same network or a plain old Ethernet cable connected peer to peer should do the trick. Peer to peer probably is fastest. (for peer to peer you’ll have to configure static addresses on each MacBook in the same subnet: 192.168.1.100/24 & 192.168.1.200/24 - for example).

[Ed7789]

It's rare when a modestly priced or SOHO grade switch is high performance and I've found them to be problems staging systems so that's why I suggested a Time Machine drive earlier.

Even if they are lower performance, it’s not going to matter that much. Migration Assistant is not known for its performance, but for its ease of use

I did use Time Machine to do a full system restore after having my MacBook Pro’s logic board replaced (automatic deletion of the on-board drive), and it took 15 hours for 200GB of data (on a consumer-grade 200$ router from 2015). Point is: Time Machine is not necessarily fast

I might be overly cautious here mixing work experience with home computing experience. Your switch looks like it has PoE so it might be a newer or new enough generation to work fine.

Yeah, my switch has PoE, but it is still considered as a SOHO switch.

[imwjl]

Even if they are lower performance, it’s not going to matter that much. Migration Assistant is not known for its performance, but for its ease of use

I did use Time Machine to do a full system restore after having my MacBook Pro’s logic board replaced (automatic deletion of the on-board drive), and it took 15 hours for 200GB of data (on a consumer-grade 200$ router from 2015). Point is: Time Machine is not necessarily fast


Yeah, my switch has PoE, but it is still considered as a SOHO switch.

It's probably fine but I wanted to bring it up because I replaced a modest SOHO grade switch and a lower cost business grade with a Cisco where we stage new systems and it made a difference. The per port buffers, memory and switching fabric are considerably more robust and must make a difference when images and files are large or many. Also, not everyone gets the basic TCP/IP config right and that can be a frustration they create not realizing it.

We give a lot of personal support to staff so I just relay what I know helps overall.