Call For Help... Need something for automatic folder synchronization
I desperately need a program (free or otherwise) that will automatically synchronize specific folders on several different computer's NTFS hard drives across a local area network. Anything that relies on Windows File Sharing to be enabled or working on all the systems is not an option.
I am really hoping for something that will automatically perform this synchronization whenever changes are made to one of the files in the specified folders on any of the systems, or when a system is reconnected to the network. However I'll settle for something that does it automatically on a schedule or worse has to be used manually but LapLink and PCAnywhere are not acceptable.
Anyone have any ideas or recommendations? PLEASE!
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by usrbingeek at 2004-07-15 11:41 ET (GMT-5) | 5 Comments |
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The more typical solutions will require that you choose 1 of the machines to be the "server". All of the other machines, the clients, will submit any of their changed files to the server, and then check the server for changes it has received from other clients. So the server should be the 1 machine that has the most network connectivity.
As for the software to do this, I recommend CVS. Originally created for software developers, it is now also used by systems administrators who wish to maintain file changes across a network of machines. You can setup your server as a CVS server, and add a "module" - it's term for a unique share - for each different path on the filesystem you want to keep synchronized. Then you install CVS client software on each other machine, and schedule a batch script of some sort to execute the CVS commit/update commands on a regular basis, or if you want manually.
The hitch? You may have to learn something new.
I found two program names for this (sorry, but I can't open google right now): SyncBack and Foldershare. One of those two should help ya out.
I was actually going to recommend Syncback also since I use it, but I think it's a one way solution...
I heard Laplink is coming out with 12.0 version of Gold. I think that could solve your problem. Should be out the first week of August from what I've been told. Big changes over the last one and more features than ever before.
Well, I read that an instantly thought that a quick hack up of some batches and the FTP terminal client for Windows, but again that (for optimal results) needs a central server, which you can also get for free.
But yeah, I'd definately check out some of these other ideas first, and then this. ;-)