We have been using Sync for 3 years now and still, once every couple of months need to audit the system to make sure that files have not been randomly deleted. I frequently have designers and producers come to my office and ask if files were moved. Entire folders and the content are being deleted and we can not figure out what is causing it. We can sometimes narrow it down to the machine that caused it, but not why they are deleted. Generally, If caught early enough, I can recover the files from the Archive folder, but it requires hours of cross-referencing to make sure we have everything that was supposed to be there and the files that were supposed to be deleted are still deleted. In worst case scenarios, we have had to pull from our cloud storage on Drive to get it back.
Ultimately there have been three variables we have found, but have no idea if it is the real cause. And if it is, how to fix it.
1. Software versions are not all the same across the network: While we do our best to keep them all up to date, there are times where they may not be matched across every machine. This should not cause an issue with syncing, but generally when we are troubleshooting this issue, this is a common thing we find.
2. Machine has been offline for several days: When a machine is offline for more than a few days, it seems to cause confusion when it comes back online. Files that had not been synced seem to delete from other peers rather than downloading to the machine that needs updating.
3. External Drive Disconnection causes File Deletion: If a machine uses an external drive and that external drive is not fully synced it will cause the unsynced files to delete from peers if the drive is removed. This is typical with employees who use mobile workstations that they take with them at the end of the day.
BONUS ISSUE - Sync installed as Service doesn't always launch: We use machines that have users manages on a domain, every user needs access to the same media so we have set it up in a way that a Sync is running as a service in order to stay up to date no matter what user is logged in or if any user is logged in. This service does not always launch there is no visual indication of it running without loading the GUI or checking the system activity monitor. Because it can do this for days sometimes, it creates issue #2 from above.
What I need in order to continue using this service is to learn how to keep this system more stable and reliable without needing to babysit the processes and all of the machines every day. What are the steps I should take in order to achieve this? Thanks!