© Copyright Robert Vasvari, 1993-2009.

Make a Sync..

Making a new sync definition is an easy and intuitive process. What do you need to sync a folder? Well, a source folder, a destination folder, and need to figure out what sync mode, exclusion or scheduling options you may want to use. Click "New" to bring up the Options panel and let's make s sync. Name your sync in the general tab, then move on to the Folders tab. Here you can define a Source->Destination(Target) folder pair. AASync can have local or remote folders for either source or destination, except that one of them must be local, as Remote-to-Remote sync is not supported.

• Define a local source or target: - Either drop a file from the Finder into the icon well, or click "Set Local Source (or Destination)" to bring up the file picker panel. Select a folder and click OK!
• Define a remote source or target: - Either drop a file from the Finder into the icon well, or click "Set Remote Source (or Destination)" to bring up the Remote Folder panel.

On this panel, enter the protocol, host, user, password and the full path of the remote folder. If you copied the path of a remote folder from another app try pasting it into the host/URL field. If it is a full URL (so it looks something like ftp://somehost/some/path), then the user and path fields do not have to be filled, since the URL contains them. If there is a username in the URL, fill the password field with the corresponding password if there is one. If there is no URL, then fill all fields with the definition of how to get to that remote folder, what protocol, host, the full path, and the username/password for the remote login. Do not forget to properly set the protocol button because most hosts accept only one protocol, either FTP or SFTP.
Use the Browse button to browse and find the remote folder path *after* you properly set the protocol and all the host/user/pass data. AASync will login using this data and let you browse the filesystem of the remote host, even create a new folder.

IMPORTANT: if your host uses character encoding other than UTF-8 (like some japanese hosts use SHIFT-JIS, for instance), be sure to find and set that encoding on the bottom of the Sync Definition Panel before you start browsing. Otherwise, the filenames may not appear correctly in the browser (disabled if encoded sync is used).

Once you are done browsing or enter a path, an OK click will close the login panel or the remote path browser, we are back at the Sync Definition Panel. The url that was just set will appear in a URL format. Source or target folder can be defined the same way.
One of the folders must be local, as Remote-to-Remote sync is not supported. Set various options (see below for explanation), then click "Save" to save the folder pair. At this point you are ready to run a sync operation.

Sync Modes

It is extremely important for the user to fully understand how the different modes work, to make sure whatever happens is exactly what the user expects. Different modes are optimal for different sync situations, so please read carefully and select the right one for each sync definition.

• Default Mode (with optional destination checking)

  This mode is recommended for most website maintenance and publishing operations. The files are transported as is, the sync engine will try to reproduce the files in the destination folder AS CLOSE to the original as possible. Please note that this sync process is subject to all limitations imposed by the source/destination hosts filesystem differences plus the limitations of the transport protocol (FTP or SFTP). These limitations are explained in more detail below. For backup purposes this default mode is NOT recommended, except for local backups to another filesystem of the same kind. In these cases filename conflicts are not likely.
  SUMMARY: this mode is recommended when you DO want to use the files in the destination in their original form (like when you publish your website).
  The "Always check destination" can be turned off for optimization, if you are sure your files are there on the destination, and do not want to have them checked every time. Changes in the source folder can be detected without actually checking the destination every time. Use this mode if you are sure the destination folder is not changed by somebody else, and you have tested the fact that changed files are actually uploaded without errors. We recommend that you keep this option checked. The main objective of a sync is not speed.. it is correctness.

• Encoded Mode with optional encryption.

  This is the primary backup sync mode. If your sync is for backup purposes, ie. you will NOT use these files in the destination folder, they are just there for safekeeping, use this mode. Encoded mode simply means that files are stored in the destination folder in an archived format, even their name is changed. Why we do this? The advantages are numerous over using the unencoded mode.
  • Eliminates the biggest problem that hinders most sync ops: the filename incompatibilities between the source and the destination.
  • No need to worry about character encoding of various systems, this mode does not have to translate filenames from one system's encoding to another's.
  • Total reproduction of file metadata. When you retrieve these files from the destination folder, the file's modification date, permissions etc will also be restored. This works on any remote system with any protocol. Do not have to worry about FTP's trashing of modification dates or illegal characters in filenames.
  • Want total security? Turn on encryption also. This only means that the files aren't just archived but their contents are also encrypted using industrial grade encryption with a password you supply, giving you total safety from the prying eyes in case somebody gets a hold of your files.
  • Esay retrieval of your encoded/encrypted data: just select the sync, right click then
  For this mode, the source folder MUST be local. Make encoded/encrypted backups of your private files over ftp or sftp to the local host or any internet storage. For details read here

• Mirror Mode

  BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS OPTION! Since it deletes files, it is generally not recommended, only after careful evaluation of whether or not it is necessary. The best use for the mirror mode is to publish an up-to-date version of a website for instance. In this case it makes sense to remove unnecessary files that have been deleted in the source. It also recommended that you use another sync definition in Default mode to to a different location to have an archive backup too. Mirror mode cannot be combined with the Encoded/Encrypted mode.

Exclusions and Scheduling:

Logging:

• No Logging - with this setting, AASync will not save any logs of the sync it performs. If you do not really care what AASync does in the background use this setting.
• Default This is the default setting. AASync will log sync events, such as new files changed files, deleted files etc. Will not show actual commands, returns or other debug info. Ths is the best setting if you want to be able to look back later when a particular file has appeared, changed, etc...
• Debug Logging Use this if there is a problem, unexpected error etc... Select the Tools/Show Debug Log menu to turn it on. The Console app will start up opening a file called aa_debug.log. This file will have the debugging info, commands/returns etc.. necessary. You may try to analyze it yourself, or send it to us with the problem description.

Other Options:

• Character Encoding Access to hosts with Non ASCII character sets (SHIFT JIS, etc..): In order to ensure that AASync will work properly with files whose names contain non-ascii characters, be sure to set the character set of the host properly in the Site Preferences for that host. What encoding to use? Ask the system administrator of the site...
• Preview Mode If this button os checked, the changes are detected and listed in the transcript, but no actions are performed, the state or either source or target are not changed at all. This option is NOT SAVED! You must turn it on before each sync op.

Global Firewall Options:

Normally, AASync will try SSL/TLS first on FTP sites, it it is not supported, the sync will use regular (non-secure) FTP. If this causes problems, it can be turned off on this panel. Same stands for Passive FTP, it is recommended that users try that first. Most users do not need to change the default settings here which are ON for both SSL and Passive FTP. NOTE: these settings are global, they will effect all FTP sites you connect to! Also, FTP-SSL sites do not use the firewall proxy settings!

For encrypted backups you can specify a default password that will be used for all encrypt/decrypt operations, unless you override it in the individual sync's options panel.

Success Or Failure.. Be sure not to change the source folder during the backup, or the sync may report a failure. In many cases permission problems will cause the sync to fail, especially in Local-to-Remote sync ops. Make sure the source of the sync is writable!