• Convenient file synchronization. Synchronization of folders and files over local network, SFTP, to the cloud

    Automatic synchronization Windows folders allows you to organize and maintain 2 identical directories. The files are copied to a neighboring computer via local network or to another company office By secure protocol SFTP (SSH) . When you add or change data in one folder, all changes will be reflected in the other.

    So, we assume that you have a main working directory at home or work, located on local or network machine, and there was a need to automatically copy (mirror, deliver) files from it to another location: to a flash drive, external hard drive(hard drive), via local network, to a remote server via FTP protocol or to the Yandex.Disk cloud.

    Folder synchronization is the process of periodically mirroring (mapping) source files to a destination. The source data and the destination directory will always be exactly the same in both quantity and size of data.

    This task is easily accomplished by a small, but very convenient program to synchronize folders and files Exiland Backup, allowing you to create 4 types backup copies , one of which is the ability to mirror data in Windows.

    Sync files on local network and via FTP(synchronize) is only a small part of the capabilities of Exiland Backup. Full list functions you can see on the version comparison page. In this article we will not dwell on them, but will only consider how to set up mirroring between computers. This function will help as system administrators, and home users.

    Exiland Backup - a simple solution for synchronizing files and folders

    The simple Exiland Backup utility allows you to automatically perform one-way synchronization of folders on a schedule (no more than once per minute). Quickly and thoroughly compares the contents of the source data with the target folder and brings them into compliance. This is especially convenient for periodically delivering files from one branch of an organization to another via FTP. Several directories can be specified as the source directory.

    ATTENTION. When adding, changing or deleting source files, all changes are also reflected in the final directory. If you delete data from the source, it will automatically be deleted from the destination. If you don't need to delete files from the destination folder, select the appropriate option.

    Exiland Backup provides various settings for smart synchronization of folders on the local network, on one computer, and in the cloud. For example, a program can copy both all data and selectively according to a given mask, attributes and specified subfolders.

    TO additional features can be attributed such as:

    • Maintain a detailed log showing which files were added, updated and deleted.
    • Possibility of sending the log by e-mail or notification to mobile phone in the form of SMS.
    • Flexible setup schedules.
    • Copying starts automatically when Windows starts, when you connect a flash drive or other removable device.
    • Running a job from command line(command line).

    Step-by-step setup wizard

    So, let's look at an example of how to configure Exiland Backup for mirroring.
    Suppose we need every 3 minutes from 8:00 to 21:00 synchronize "C:\Documents" with all subfolders with local computer, where the program is installed, on the remote machine "NAS-Server" in the shared folder "\\NAS-server\Backups\Documents".

    Launch the backup program. In the upper left corner of the main program window, click the create a new task button - a step-by-step wizard will appear.


    Step 1: Job Name

    Enter any name for the task, for example “Mirror of working documents” and click “Next”.

    Step 2: Backup Type

    Specify the type – “Synchronization” and click “Next”.


    Step 3: Initial Data

    Specify which source data you want to mirror. This can be the path to directories on a computer, flash drive, server or cloud.


    To do this, click “Add -> Local/network folders and files...”, specify the path to “C:\Documents” on your PC and click OK, after which a window for selecting folder options will appear.


    Here you can leave everything as default and immediately click OK.

    Step 4: Destination Folder to Sync

    Select the path to the final destination directory, in in this case"\\NAS-server\Backups\Documents", and also specify the login/password to enter network folder, if access to it is limited.

    If you need to mirror data to remote computer via FTP, then select FTP when setting up the destination folder.

    There can only be one final directory!



    Step 5: Schedule the task

    To specify the schedule for running the task, click the "Edit" button and in the window that appears, specify the schedule type "Daily", then select the time. Click "Edit" to the right of the "Time" field, then click the "Add" button, select "Periodically" and specify "Every 3 minutes" with at a given interval: from what time and until what time to repeat synchronization (in our example from 8:00 to 21:00). Ready. Click OK several times until all previously appeared windows are closed.



    Step 6: Notification

    Leave everything as default and click “Done”.

    The task has been created!
    For a customization proposal additional parameters For now, answer “No.” Later you can always return to the settings and change them.


    The program has an intuitive, well-thought-out interface and is recommended for synchronizing files between Windows servers, between different computers, as well as between branches or divisions of an organization via SFTP (SSH).

    Except paid versions Standard and Professional, there is also a free one, Free, which you can download to evaluate its capabilities on your files. If the program is suitable for solving your problems, you can purchase a Standard or Professional license and become a full registered user with all the benefits of the paid Standard and Professional versions, which are much more functional and include priority technical support, Personal account and a number of other advantages.

    I tried and worked with it for a long time different programs. Required to synchronize data from computers and external hard. First in manual version, as work progressed, the task became more complex, as did the number of synchronized folders and files and synchronization methods. Where did I start and what have I come to:
    1). Microsoft SyncToy 2.1.
    "+" - free, simple, quite convenient
    “-” - it dropped several times and started synchronizing the wrong thing and in the wrong direction (obviously it was due to the fact that the amount and volume of synchronized information increased). Once again, after such a glitch, I read and searched for a long time and eventually opted for home-written programs
    2) the simplest version of xStarter - by the way, it allows you to do a lot of things, again from written actions / scripts, etc. assemble it right away exe file, which can also be made into a service if desired. However, having suffered with rewriting, finishing, etc. (I just have a lot of “plans” for synchronizing directions and places of receipt, etc.), I switched to Allway Sync.
    By the way, dropbox, etc. didn't fit for the reason - I don't like it big brother and paranoia in myself
    3) Allway Sync.
    "+" - Everything is good, convenient, etc. What I especially liked was the synchronization between one source and several “receiving” locations. Works like a clock, BUT
    "-" - Doesn't work (at least when I worked with it) by threads, or rather one thread at a time, that is, there are, for example, several tasks: synchronize several different, unrelated folders from the hard drive on the computer to external hard, and in the end it runs it all in parallel, as a result, if everything had been in one thread, it would have ended much faster, it also led to catastrophic results, because of which we later had to abandon it, this will be written about later ; It glitched a couple of times, but it was not critical, it will become critical when the volume is large. And in the end, when I got to the point where there were about 150,000 files in one of the folders and the volume of the folder was not small, Allway Sync simply could not stand it when I launched it in automatic mode when connecting hard drive synchronization. I had to run the tasks manually and one by one. I really didn’t like it, but I endured it for exactly that moment until it stopped synchronizing just one folder. As a result, I switched to GoodSync.
    4) GoodSync. It took me a long time to get used to it, which after Allway Sync (which was understandable on an intuitive level) seemed terribly inconvenient, not informative, etc. Getting used to it took a long time, and not always successfully. I didn’t like that there was only one source and one destination. Allway Sync had multi-directional “multi-ended” tasks, and immediately had to split / duplicate tasks. One of the immediately noticed advantages was that now all tasks were completed in turn. For a long time I could not find (if not through the wizard to do tasks) a connection to a specific external hard drive. For some settings there is no normal description, and it is not always clear what they do. Some things still bother me, but precisely because it looks like I haven’t set it up myself yet, but I don’t want to waste time on tests, and they are absolutely not critical. Also a convenient thing to copy large quantity data when synchronization was not needed or was not used, but you need to copy it quickly and the data is almost the same. Over time, I got used to it and began to like it, it doesn’t make mistakes, it processes a number of files without problems and hasn’t made a mistake yet (for a couple of years), there is the possibility of “quick” analysis, md5 verification, copying attributes, etc. In general, my choice is GoodSync

    Thanks, I'll try. Today I tried GoodSync - it seems to be a similar program.
    But the strange thing is that it does not synchronize all the files from several thousand images; two dozen are not synchronized. GoodSync on the server does not see them on the client’s machine, although they are there.

    Click to expand...

    1) Question - maybe the filter is working? He is in general settings programs (common for all) and each task also has its own.
    2) Also, when comparing, if there is an antivirus, it also blocks files if it considers that they have a virus or are suspicious
    3) Set the "Copy blocked files" setting
    I have never had any problems with synchronization using GoodSync. But I had to figure out the settings. By the way, there is a fairly sane manual with a FAQ for this program. And why did you notice that he didn’t synchronize some of the data? And try turning on md5. It will take noticeably longer, but you will check it and plus this method is more reliable. At least I think I've seen something like this - when you open a photo, but it opens only halfway, because... "rotten". At least you will be protected from this during synchronization. And then we had a case - the database archive was backed up, but in the end the file turned out to be broken (because it was simply copied, or rather recorded incorrectly)

    Today my story will be dedicated to data synchronization programs between PCs and we will not be talking about cloud services, although some of the utilities provide such an opportunity. Those users who are interested in “clouds” like Dropbox, let them go to the article, and we will look at programs for creating local copies files and folders between user computers (on USB HDD, flash drives, on a local network, etc.) without resorting to a remote server. This solution is suitable for people who doubt the safety of their data on the cloud service and its servers, located in an unknown location. Let's remember one of the founders of Apple, Steve Wozniak, who prefers to store data locally on the device, ignoring iCloud. It is precisely such users that this article on data synchronization will be devoted to.

    GoodSync

    For example, the GoodSync utility is so universal that it can work both regular program for backup, and as an intermediary between the local PC and cloud services for synchronizing data, and also as a tool for working with files on two computers, making changes to the data if they were made on any of the 2 PCs. Accordingly, you will always work with the current file. The connection between the user’s computers is carried out directly, using the GoodSync Connect function, that is, without the use of cloud services.

    For the program to function properly, install it on those machines where you need data synchronization. To avoid confusion, each task has its own type - backup or synchronization. In the second case, changes in files from both computers or media used will be tracked. Other PCs with installed program GoodSync, your FTP server, computer from your home network or services with support WebDAV protocol, and the following cloud services: Google Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive, Windows Azure, Amazon S3 and Amazon Cloud Drive.

    Having decided on the data source and storage location, you can analyze the files in the folders that you selected directly in the GoodSync program window so that you don’t miss anything before synchronizing. If found identical files or similar ones, by comparing them, you can choose the direction (from where) to copy them.

    For those who like task automation, you can set up a data synchronization schedule with your PC. For example, before shutting down your PC or certain time. GoodSync is able to independently overwrite an old file with its new edition if necessary. If you have doubts about the correctness of file transfer over the network, the program allows you to compare checksums files.

    I think each of us asked the question “What is this Briefcase that appears in the Create menu and what is its purpose?” I also became interested in what a briefcase is for in Windows. At first glance, it may seem that Briefcase performs the same functions as a folder, but has a different icon, but this is far from true. The fact is that you cannot create files and folders directly in the Portfolio, but only copy them to the Briefcase and change them. You can create only in subcategories, i.e. in subfolders! And all this is due to the fact that the functionality of the portfolio is designed to perform synchronization between files and folders.

    In this article, let's find out why we need a briefcase in Windows and look at how it works.

    According to the help, Microsoft recommends using Briefcase in two situations, when syncing files and folders from a PC over a network and between a computer and a removable device. I would not use the portfolio for synchronization over the network, since it is much easier to give access to resources to a specific user and he will be able to work with documents over the network. But synchronization via removable device we'll look into it!

    As a rule, the need for synchronization arises if you work with the same documents on different computers. Therefore, you always need to have latest version files. Of course, you can copy and delete the entire folder in which your documents are located each time, so as not to have to figure out which files were changed. But if there are a lot of files, this can take a lot of time. In this situation, the Windows portfolio can help us out.

    Let's create a portfolio at the root USB flash drives(RMB\Create\Portfolio\Working documents)

    And we will copy into this Portfolio the files and folders that we are going to work with in the future on another computer. It is at the moment of copying documents and folders that a connection is created between them, thanks to which file versions will be compared.

    As I said earlier, we cannot create anything in the Portfolio, since there is simply no “Create” item in its menu.

    But, we can create files and folders inside folders

    All this is due to the fact that between the files and folders inside the Portfolio there is a connection with the files and folders from which they were copied. If we try to create a file, it simply will not have a connection, which means there will be no one to synchronize it with.

    After we have worked with documents on another computer (or simply with documents in our Windows Portfolio), we can perform synchronization (copy changed files and folders).

    To do this we can either right-click on the Portfolio and select “Update All”

    Or go to the portfolio and click “Update all objects” on the toolbar

    As you can see from the screenshot, since the last synchronization I have made changes to the Partnership file and created a file UUUUIIIIII in a subfolder. So, during the update process, the “Partnership” file will be replaced, the file UUUUIIIIII will be created and thus there will be identical files on both sides.

    To get more detailed information, you can right-click \ Details and if any non-standard situations arise (both files have been updated since the connection with the portfolio was created) make the right decision.

    Also, by going to (File (folder) properties \ Status) you can see information about which file (folder) it is associated with.

    And also update separate file, separate from the original and find the original to which the file or folder is attached.

    Thank you very much for sharing this material! :-) Our Training Center will not forget you!

    Synchronizing folders - File Synchronizer software handles this operation quickly and easily. This is one of the simplest and most understandable means free comparison and duplication of changes in Windows directories.

    For the program described below to work successfully, you must have operating system such important component like Microsoft .NET Framework.

    Synchronizing folders with File Synchronizer

    There is no need to describe the installation of this program into the system - everything is clear there without unnecessary words. Just a few steps without any " useful additions » — uncheck tricky boxes no reason.

    File Synchronizer starts straight to full screen mode . If you don’t like this type of program window, no one forbids you to change it to suit your loved one.

    Don't let the English interface scare you - everything is very simple and clear in this folder synchronizer. The algorithm of actions comes down to just a few clicks on the buttons.

    So, first you need to select the folders to synchronize in the left section and in the right. I created an empty directory on the disk under the name “Check” and now I am synchronizing it with my favorite album of the magnificent Italian singer Adriano Celentano.

    Let's go...



    First you need to analyze the contents of the selected folders...

    We received a filled catalog in the left section of the window and an empty one in the right. Click on the synchronization icon (which is in the middle) and you will receive a notification that the contents of the folders have been successfully synchronized...

    Just don’t faint - suddenly empty sections in the program mean that the folders no longer contain different files and are completely the same.

    You can make sure that everything is in order and your files are safe and sound by simply opening Windows Explorer. If you have a wonderful system extension installed file manager called Clover, like mine, it will be even more convenient and simpler...

    Let's delete the album image from the test folder...

    ...and let’s analyze again - File Synchronizer will immediately show the file that is missing in the “Check” directory...

    Click on the synchronization icon again and restoring justice…

    By the way, you can choose another option for the contents of folders - for example, clone it in the specified direction...

    I almost forgot - the direction of folder synchronization can be changed. Pay attention to the small triangles at the top and bottom of the main button...

    They help “compile” our folders to a common denominator in the right direction.

    Download File Synchronizer

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