AASync FAQ (Mac version)

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ONLINE FAQ (Mac version) - these are common questions about AASync's operations. If you have errors or problems see Release Notes.

AASync is very similar to the sync panel in RBrowser. Is it the same thing?

I'm syncing my mac to another UNIX box and the sync fails, I get many failure messages.. why?

esktop.ini: 550 desktop.ini: The system cannot find the file specified. I lost my license string. How can I get it sent to me again?

Is AASync free software?

Are there any situations where use of AASync is not recommended?

If AASync terminates abnormally for any reason, can it possibly damage the source or the target folder?

Remote-to-Local sync using FTP is not detecting file changes every time. Why?

Can AASync be used as a system backup?

I set up a new sync op (pair). Theinitial sync took longer than expected, so in the middle of the sync operation another automated local sync operation changed the composition of the source folder. What can I do in this situation?

Can a sync operation be safely restarted after any kind of abnormal termination?

The sync engine chokes on my iWeb files when I upload to the server. Why?

Does AASync have to run for the scheduled synchronizations to start?

Can AASync handle a sync from a SAMBA mounted disk?

Does AASync have a limitation on the length or encoding of filenames?

I get a lot of 'File Not Found' messages while trasferring or syncing through FTP.. why?

AASync is very similar to the sync panel in RBrowser. Is it the same thing?

AASync is a much more complete synchronization program. AASync is for people who need the folder sync, with its specific features like unattended syncs and logging, etc...but not the other very advanced capabilities of RRBrowser to have access to UNIX hosts and FTP/SFTP servers.

I'm syncing my mac to another UNIX box and the sync fails, I get many failure messages.. why?

Depending on the files you sync and the protocol you use there are a large variety of errors you can get during the sync, especially the first time. Different UNIX systems have various levels of tolerance of certain filenames, character encodings, etc.. OSX is very permissive in filenames, for instance it allows very long file names with strange characters in them. Also, it is case preserving but NOT case sensitive. The other host you are syncing to may be much more limited. If you get errors, you should repeat the sync several times. If you keep getting failures always at a certain place, well, you may have to leave that folder out of the sync or try to change the source, or, if all fails and you cannot see what the incompatibility is, contact support with the error message, transcript, etc...

I lost my license string. How can I get it sent to me again?

We will resend the license to the address it was originally sent to..

Is AASync free software?

Yes, and No. The Local-to-Local sync is free, but the sync ops involving remote hosts will require a license.

Are there any situations where use of AASync is not recommended?

Yes, in cases where the source could change while the sync operation is in progress. AASync keeps running while it finds changes, and terminates only when it cannot find any changes. In these cases AASync may either runs forever, or returns with an error.

If AASync terminates abnormally for any reason, can it possibly damage the source or the target folder?

First off, the source folder's contents are NOT TOUCHED by AASync, so there is no chance that the source files could be damaged by AASync. Upon abnormal termination, the target folder may be in an undetermined state. Re-running AASync can solve this problem.

Remote-to-Local sync using FTP is not detecting file changes every time. Why?

FTP is a very poor protocol, and does not allow an error free comparison of files, due to the fact that FTP servers trash mod dates during upload, and allow no checksums. Due to these limitations, RtL sync in this case may not work correctly in some cases. With most FTP servers, mod date and size changes can be detected. One must test these servers before productions use, to make sure sync ops work as expected.

Can AASync be used as a system backup?

NO! AASync is *generic* backup program designed to be used on user folders, regular files, folders, links etc.. System folders (like /dev, /etc) contain special files that cannot be copied or moved. To do a system dump, one needs a special system backup program designed for that specific purpose.

I set up a new sync op (pair). Theinitial sync took longer than expected, so in the middle of the sync operation another automated local sync operation changed the composition of the source folder. What can I do in this situation?

This situation must always be avoided! You should not set up scheduled sync for very large source folders until you are certain that the destination folder has an identical copy and the manual sync process finishes without making any changes. Only after that you can have an idea how long the sync lasts, since that is size and network speed dependent!

Can a sync operation be safely restarted after any kind of abnormal termination?

Do not have to worry about restarting at all, AASync was designed to work fine after restarts. It might spews some errors during the first restart, but as long as it has a successful run, it restores the database. Just keep on running it until it has a successful pass without any changes.

The sync engine chokes on my iWeb files when I upload to the server. Why?

Many times iWeb publishes your pages with : and ! characters in the filenames. When you try to upload these to an FTP server, it fails because these characters are not allowed in the filenames on most FTP servers. Solution: be sure to edit the filenames and make sure these characters are not used in the names (contents can have anything).

Does AASync have to run for the scheduled synchronizations to start?

No, once the sync have been scheduled, AASync can be terminated. Your syncs will be performed and the log saved according to your settings, regardless of whether AASync is running.

Can AASync handle a sync from a SAMBA mounted disk?

AASync does not care how you mount a filesystem onto your local host. As long as it is available to read, AAsync can use it as a source for synchronization. If it is mounted read/write, then AASync can use it as a sync destination, regardless of the underlying protocol.

Does AASync have a limitation on the length or encoding of filenames?

No, AASync does no impose any limitations whatsoever. That having said, the destination host/file system's limitations do apply. For instance, if you sync onto an FTP host, you cannot have characters like '@' in the filenames.

I get a lot of 'File Not Found' messages while trasferring or syncing through FTP.. why?

Many times if the remote FTP server is windows, you have unreadable (hidden) files. These files do show up in the directory listing., but transferring them fails , hence the error message :"xxx.xx: 550 The system cannot find the file specified.". This is a normal response, it can be safely ignored.