Re-Sync Previously Synced Folders?

[tevya]

I previously had Windows Live Mesh syncing folders for me. That got shut down a month or so ago and I've been unable to sync the folders further. The SyncApp is the solution to that. I'm just wondering, can it detect those previously synced files and just update those that are new/different? Or can it only do that with files it has synced?

I guess I'm just wondering if I need to delete all the files off one computer to avoid duplicates, etc? Then start the sync fresh? Or if it can benefit from what's already there?

[kos13]

I am not sure I got your question, but will try to clarify. Sync makes sure your both folders are same. If you delete file, it will be removed from other computer, if you change file - it will be changed on other computer.

If you shutdown Sync and make changes to the folder, it will make sure they are the same again. If you deleted file during Sync down - it will detect this and remove file on other computer.

[wscott]

I think he means if I have pair of folders on two different machines that are mostly the same and I add them to btsync, what will happen? Ideally both machines should get a union of the files in the two directories. But what about if two files with the same name are different from each other. And if two files are identical with btsync notice and not try to transfer them again.

[kos13]

If file has the same name, Sync will detect the latest file, based on modification time, and distribute it across computers. Identical files will stay in folders and differences will be transferred between computers.

So you will get a union of files.

[rstarkov]

It would be really nice to have a sync solution that allows me to specify how to perform the initial sync, for a change. I really don't understand why no sync tool ever does this.

9 out of 10 times I have an up-to-date folder on one computer and an out-of-date folder on another. With the scheme you guys chose, I have to nuke and resync the out-of-date folder, otherwise the up-to-date folder gets polluted with deleted files. Not good.

[GreatMarko]

9 out of 10 times I have an up-to-date folder on one computer and an out-of-date folder on another. With the scheme you guys chose, I have to nuke and resync the out-of-date folder, otherwise the up-to-date folder gets polluted with deleted files. Not good.

SyncApp allows you to do a "read only" sync - i.e. set your up-to-date folder as a "read only" sync - that way deleted files from other devices won't populate back your up-to-date-folder when you do your initial sync between devices!

[johnmarshall4]

SyncApp allows you to do a "read only" sync - i.e. set your up-to-date folder as a "read only" sync - that way deleted files from other devices won't populate back your up-to-date-folder when you do your initial sync between devices!

Yes but then the other device still contains the old deleted files. What would be needed is to do a one-way sync initially to make the remote device match the 'up-to-date' folder, then revert back to two-way sync. - I think this could be hard to explain from a UI / usability point of view though.

[mcleaver]

While SyncApp's in alpha I still make ample use of BeyondCompare and Hamachi to check folders. I have noticed that SyncApp sometimes seems to get confused if the system clocks are slightly different (15 seconds?). If I add folders that are already i sync. it still seems to want to copy everything.

[tevya]

Yeah I was asking what @wscott said. So it sounds like I need to delete everything on one machine (the one that's most out of date) and start fresh.

[dearnold]

I, too, am concerned about the first syncs with SyncApp and the process for dealing with out of date files. Is it feasible to have an option to prepend or append a version number or code to the file name of the file(s) determined to be older; e.g., filename(2), filename(3), filename(4). This would preserve them for the user to make the decision about keeping them or not. If the user just wanted to trash them all, a search for (*) in the filename would find them easily.

Automatic deletion at the beginning of a sync scares me!

[dearnold]

How does SyncApp handle file modification times that are different only because of time zone? For example, I will want to sync folders on a desktop PC that resides in California with one that resides in Wisconsin. How is it going to choose which one to keep on the initial sync? If the filenames are the same, the one in Wisconsin will have a later date/time because it's in the Central time zone.

[kos13]

It converts time to GMT and then compare it. So it compares time in the same timezone.

[rstarkov]

What would be needed is to do a one-way sync initially to make the remote device match the 'up-to-date' folder, then revert back to two-way sync. - I think this could be hard to explain from a UI / usability point of view though.

Exactly. Here's a UI idea: when you add a secret, offer an "Advanced" button. Pressing it would offer these choices:

(•) Merge this device with other devices

     Any files that exist only on this device, or only on other devices, will be copied to all devices

     The latest version of every file will be kept on all devices

( ) This device has the master copy of this folder

     Any files that don't exist on this folder will be deleted on all other devices

     Any newer files on other devices will be discarded

( ) This device has only out-of-date files

     Any files that only exist on this computer will be deleted

     Any newer versions of files on this computer will be discarded

I think the biggest difficulty here is not in UI, but in deciding how exactly it should work. If you choose that this one is the master device, when does that status end? Or, in the words of johnmarshall4, when exactly does it change from one-way to two-way?

I would also find a fourth option useful, one that doesn't sync files that only exist on this or on the other devices, or differ in version, until the user chooses how to resolve the conflict. But the above three would already be a huge help.

Until then, I sync folders using Beyond Compare, and only then feel confident to run BTSync on them.

[benguild]

Exactly. Here's a UI idea: when you add a secret, offer an "Advanced" button. Pressing it would offer these choices:

(•) Merge this device with other devices

     Any files that exist only on this device, or only on other devices, will be copied to all devices

     The latest version of every file will be kept on all devices

( ) This device has the master copy of this folder

     Any files that don't exist on this folder will be deleted on all other devices

     Any newer files on other devices will be discarded

( ) This device has only out-of-date files

     Any files that only exist on this computer will be deleted

     Any newer versions of files on this computer will be discarded

I think the biggest difficulty here is not in UI, but in deciding how exactly it should work. If you choose that this one is the master device, when does that status end? Or, in the words of johnmarshall4, when exactly does it change from one-way to two-way?

I would also find a fourth option useful, one that doesn't sync files that only exist on this or on the other devices, or differ in version, until the user chooses how to resolve the conflict. But the above three would already be a huge help.

Until then, I sync folders using Beyond Compare, and only then feel confident to run BTSync on them.

 

I agree that a solution like this would make sense