File synchronization

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File synchronization (or syncing) in computing is the process of ensuring that computer files in two or more locations are updated via certain rules.

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In one-way file synchronization, also called mirroring, updated files are copied from a source location to one or more target locations, but no files are copied back to the source location. In two-way file synchronization, updated files are copied in both directions, usually with the purpose of keeping the two locations identical to each other. In this article, the term synchronization refers exclusively to two-way file synchronization.

File synchronization is commonly used for home backups on external hard drives or updating for transport on USB flash drives. BitTorrent Sync, Dropbox, SKYSITE, Nextcloud, OneDrive, Google Drive and iCloud are prominent products. Some backup software also support real-time file sync. The automatic process prevents copying already identical files and thus can be faster and save much time versus a manual copy, and is less error prone. [1] However this suffers from the limit that the synchronized files must physically fit in the portable storage device. Synchronization software that only keeps a list of files and the changed files eliminates this problem (e.g. the "snapshot" feature in Beyond Compare or the "package" feature in Synchronize It!). It is especially useful for mobile workers, or others that work on multiple computers.

It is possible to synchronize multiple locations by synchronizing them one pair at a time. The Unison Manual [2] describes how to do this:

If you need to do this, the most reliable way to set things up is to organize the machines into a "star topology," with one machine designated as the "hub" and the rest as "spokes," and with each spoke machine synchronizing only with the hub. The big advantage of the star topology is that it eliminates the possibility of confusing "spurious conflicts" arising from the fact that a separate archive is maintained by Unison for every pair of hosts that it synchronizes.

Common features

Common features of file synchronization systems include:[ citation needed ]

Possible security concerns

Consumer-grade file synchronization solutions are popular, however for business use, they create a concern of allowing corporate information to sprawl to unmanaged devices and cloud services which are uncontrolled by the organization.[ citation needed ]

When using cloud services, data privacy risks can be mitigated by using a file synchronization solution that features end-to-end encryption instead of simple transport (HTTPS) or at-rest encryption.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">@MAX SyncUp</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">IDrive Inc.</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unison (software)</span>

Unison is a file synchronization tool for Windows and various Unix-like systems. It allows two replicas of a collection of files and directories to be stored on different hosts, modified separately, and then brought up to date by propagating the changes in each replica to the other. Syncing replicas directly Unison is independent of third-party providers.

References

  1. ↑ A. Tridgell (February 1999). "Efficient algorithms for sorting and synchronization" (PDF). PhD thesis. The Australian National University.
  2. ↑ Pierce, Benjamin (2009). "Unison File Synchronizer. User Manual and Reference Guide" . Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Why Should You Backup Your Mac to a Windows (OS based) Computer?". Wei-Soft. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
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