Author Topic: Super Flexible File Synchronizer Mini-Review (Read 165,342 times)

superboyac · « **Reply #75 on:** February 09, 2011, 03:31 AM »

You know, I complain sometimes about the interface of SFFS, but that darn thing can do everything! Super Flexible is an extremely accurate name. I just started using this feature I wasn't aware of which will monitor the USB ports, and detect when my files changed or when I stick my drive in, and it will run the profile. I was all set to find another third-party program to take care of that for me. And in typical SFFS fashion, the options are ALL covered:

That's what I'm talking about, baby! Don't give me command line switches and stuff. Buttons! Checkboxes! Dialogs! Drop-downs! Tabs! Color-pickers! Let's go!

tomos · « **Reply #76 on:** February 09, 2011, 08:50 AM »

Quote from: superboyac on February 09, 2011, 03:31 AM

That's what I'm talking about, baby! Don't give me command line switches and stuff.
Buttons! Checkboxes! Dialogs! Drop-downs! Tabs! Color-pickers! Let's go!

+1

tomos · « **Reply #77 on:** August 18, 2011, 03:25 PM »

With version 5.49/a I had a problem with the "Background Scheduler" on two different machines (XP & Win7). It didnt start with windows/login as it should. There has been updates since which may have resolved this, but apparently the best thing to do (for those not in the know) is to install the "Service Scheduler".
Details here
http://superflexible.com/docup.htm

superboyac · « **Reply #78 on:** August 18, 2011, 04:02 PM »

Quote from: tomos on August 18, 2011, 03:25 PM

With version 5.49/a I had a problem with the "Background Scheduler" on two different machines (XP & Win7). It didnt start with windows/login as it should. There has been updates since which may have resolved this, but apparently the best thing to do (for those not in the know) is to install the "Service Scheduler".
Details here
http://superflexible.com/docup.htm

Interesting. I know in the older versions, there was some complicated setup of the service installation vs background running, etc. In the newer version, it seemed to be simplified to a start/stop button in the application that worked much better than before, and the installer stopped asking the user if they wanted to install the service. I've had no problems with it since, but if I wanted to have the service running in a more dedicated manner, I'd use the service. I like being able to easily start stop it right now with the button.

tomos · « **Reply #79 on:** August 18, 2011, 07:47 PM »

Quote from: superboyac on August 18, 2011, 04:02 PM

Quote from: tomos on August 18, 2011, 03:25 PM
With version 5.49/a I had a problem with the "Background Scheduler" on two different machines (XP & Win7). It didnt start with windows/login as it should. There has been updates since which may have resolved this, but apparently the best thing to do (for those not in the know) is to install the "Service Scheduler".
Details here
http://superflexible.com/docup.htm
Interesting. I know in the older versions, there was some complicated setup of the service installation vs background running, etc. In the newer version, it seemed to be simplified to a start/stop button in the application that worked much better than before, and the installer stopped asking the user if they wanted to install the service. I've had no problems with it since, but if I wanted to have the service running in a more dedicated manner, I'd use the service. I like being able to easily start stop it right now with the button.

think we need a screenshot to clarify -

[attachimg=#]

You can still stop/start it AFAICS.**
After my experience I would highly recommend using the Service Scheduler (Tobias also recommended it over the "Background" one when I reported the problem). I'm just after installing it on Win7 but I cant remember was the service selected or not - didnt get installed anyways. You can install it by selecting it from the drop-down list (see mouse arrow) and then install options show.

** Edit/ no, it's not clear - if I click on "Stop Scheduler" it still says "service is running", as in the lower part of the screenshot.

superboyac · « **Reply #80 on:** August 18, 2011, 08:09 PM »

^^ Yes, I think you've nailed it. I remember this now. It was sort of confusing. I'm using the background scheduler because it's the easiest. But I am going to move things to a server soon and I'll probably go the service way for that. Thanks for digging that up!

tomos · « **Reply #81 on:** August 18, 2011, 08:31 PM »

Quote from: superboyac on August 18, 2011, 08:09 PM

^^ Yes, I think you've nailed it. I remember this now. It was sort of confusing. I'm using the background scheduler because it's the easiest. But I am going to move things to a server soon and I'll probably go the service way for that. Thanks for digging that up!

Read the link I gave above for more info re network backups

tomos · « **Reply #82 on:** November 23, 2011, 08:39 PM »

Per email

1) they considering new name - Syncovery (I personally think just SuperFlexible would be good...)
2) working on version #6
3) release of 5.6

Quote

we are going to rename the product! Please take a look at our poll regarding the designated new name, Syncovery:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/superflexible/surveys?id=2707004

Or feel free to send me your thoughts by email (http://www.superflexible.com/contact.htm).

Version 6 will contain lots of new features and improvements. Read all about it on this page: http://www.superflexible.com/v6.htm

While the new version 6 is in development, we are still updating version 5 frequently to fix any issues reported by customers. The result is that version 5.60 is one of the best and most stable releases ever.

The update is necessary especially if you use Google Docs or the box.net online storage service. Because cloud providers continuously work on their systems, compatibility updates are sometimes needed.

There's a huge discount on the Pro version for Macintosh for some more days available here:
http://www.themacbundles.com/

tomos · « **Reply #83 on:** June 30, 2012, 08:55 PM »

Seems SFFS 6 has just been released -
it *is* now called Syncovery.

I've had the software since version 3.xx and my upgrade price was
(current price) - (50% original price)
which was 25 euros in my case.

Seems nice and fair.

What's new here
http://www.syncovery.com/v6/

I havent installed it yet - kind of hoping for GUI improvements (or some way of helping a better overview/understanding of a job/profile settings).
BTW I dont think there's even *one* screenshot at the new site

maybe it's too new yet. Or maybe Tobias is a geek ;-)

superboyac · « **Reply #84 on:** July 01, 2012, 01:11 AM »

Quote from: tomos on June 30, 2012, 08:55 PM

BTW I dont think

COuld you post a screenshot for us if you have one? Or anyone else? Thanks.
I'll probably get the upgrade. It's one of the most useful tools I've ever had.

tomos · « **Reply #85 on:** July 01, 2012, 09:56 AM »

Just minor changes in the GUI, but things *are* clearer
(e.g. here it's clearer that there's more options related to Real Time Sync)

[attachimg=#]

edit/
install went well - I went with recommended settings, which kept the older ini file (custom location) and uninstalled SFFS.
You can customise the whole thing, and even keep both programmes.

cranioscopical · « **Reply #86 on:** July 01, 2012, 11:22 AM »

Quote from: tomos on June 30, 2012, 08:55 PM

Seems SFFS 6 has just been released -
it *is* now called Syncovery.

Thanks for the alert — it was news to me.

tomos · « **Reply #87 on:** July 01, 2012, 03:43 PM »

Quote from: cranioscopical on July 01, 2012, 11:22 AM

Quote from: tomos on June 30, 2012, 08:55 PM
Seems SFFS 6 has just been released -
it *is* now called Syncovery.

Thanks for the alert — it was news to me.

Yeah, I just accidentally came across it - I think it was just released this week, they probably havent sent notification yet (not to me at any rate).

superboyac · « **Reply #88 on:** July 01, 2012, 06:27 PM »

thanks tomos, appreciate it. I'm glad there's now a button for selecting the folders, finally!

tomos · « **Reply #89 on:** July 05, 2012, 01:20 PM »

just got the official mail today (re ugdate to version 6 / new name etc.)

Quote

[...]
Version 6 uses new registration codes and you can order your license or upgrade right now. Many customers will receive a free upgrade, if their license purchase was within the past two years.

The page for new orders is this one:
http://www.syncovery.com/purchase/

And the upgrading system is here:
http://www.syncovery.com/upgrade/

This upgrading URL is used for both free and payed upgrades.

The list of new features can be seen here:
http://www.syncovery.com/v6/

Free upgrade if you bought within the last two years

J-Mac · « **Reply #90 on:** August 21, 2012, 04:02 AM »

Darn - I never did get any notification about this; I just noticed it over in the Genie BU Manager thread!

Weird - I just clicked on Check for Updates in SFFS 5.68a and it downloaded and installed SFFS 5.72... didn't even mention Syncovery, so I still wouldn’t know about it if not for your posts Tom.

Better go take a look. The UI you posted a screenshot of looks almost identical to the current! Tobias never has been into human factors!

Thanks!

Jim

tomos · « **Reply #91 on:** August 21, 2012, 01:36 PM »

hi Jim
you must have gotten lost off the mailing list! It's not really a major update in the sense of big changes - but very fair in the sense that there hasnt been a paid update for years, i mean in spite of the constant updating. (I seem to be having "inarticulate day" today.)

Here's a copy of the email:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Dear Subscribers,

a few days ago we released version 6 of Super Flexible File Synchronizer under the new product name SYNCOVERY. In addition, there's a completely new web site at http://www.syncovery.com. It will be much easier to find the information you are looking for on the new web site.

After one year of development, we are confident that the improvements will be great to have for all our users and customers. Version 6 uses new registration codes and you can order your license or upgrade right now. Many customers will receive a free upgrade, if their license purchase was within the past two years.

The page for new orders is this one:
http://www.syncovery.com/purchase/

And the upgrading system is here:
http://www.syncovery.com/upgrade/

This upgrading URL is used for both free and payed upgrades.

The list of new features can be seen here:
http://www.syncovery.com/v6/

To facilitate the migration for our corporate users, version 6 for Windows is also available under the old product name on http://www.superflexible.com. It will be updated for a short while but eventually be phased out. For the Mac version, this step does not seem necessary.

Super Flexible File Synchronizer and Syncovery can be installed side-by-side as two entirely independent products.

For those customers who are using the ExtremeSync Remote Service, please note that you need to replace it with the new Syncovery Remote Service and update all clients and servers at once, unless you want to keep both Remote Services running during the transition period.

tomos · « **Reply #92 on:** August 21, 2012, 08:40 PM »

(J-Macs quote copied from another thread)

Quote from: J-Mac on August 21, 2012, 04:48 PM

Tom, can you explain the "synthetic backup" to me? I hadn't created any new profiles since they added that "feature", so I never even looked at it. To be honest I never knew it was there! Tobias doesn’t announce anything when updates are released - you have to discover updates by manually checking. And the Help file doesn’t even contain the word "synthetic" in it.

have a look at Block Level Copying here or in the spoiler. (It seems I have been using it incorrectly at times

)

Block Level Copying

Block Level Copying

Syncovery can detect which parts of a larger file have changed, and copy only the changed blocks rather than the complete file. This feature works similar to Rsync (but it’s not the same).

Copying only the changed blocks can save bandwidth and time, especially over a slow connection. When copying between local disks or in a LAN environment, it can save bandwidth too, but may not always save much copying time, because the source file has to be read in its entirety every time in order to determine the changed blocks.

Only block-oriented file types are eligible for block-level copying. These include database files such as SQL or Outlook PST, as well as drive images and virtual hard disk images (VMs). Stream-based files, on the other hand, will usually cause all blocks to be changed whenever they are modified (for example text documents, spreadsheets, zip files, and photos). Thus block-level copying won’t be able to save much bandwidth with stream-based files.

In Syncovery, block-level copying is called “Partial File Updating”. In many cases, you need to choose only this one checkmark, which is on the Special settings category in the profiles (in Advanced Mode).

The program needs to have fast access to at least one of the sides of the synchronization. The other side may be a low-bandwidth connection. If you are using an Internet Protocol, please note that only SSH/SFTP supports block-level updating directly. The other protocols can only be used with Synthetic Backup (see further down below).

Partial File Updating can work in three different ways:

Mode 1: With Database:
- Source access must be fast
- Destination may be slow
- MD5 checksums are stored in database
- Destination files must not be modified by any other profile, person, or tool
- Destination must be accessed via LAN, VPN, or SSH/SFTP

Mode 2: With Remote Service
[...]

Mode 3: Synthetic Backup:
- similar to Mode 1, plus:
- adds Zip compression, versioning, and filename encoding
- can work locally or with any Internet Protocol for the destination side
- the changed blocks are uploaded in a new, separate zip file every time
- all older zip files must stay on the backup storage, but can be thinned out
- all connection types and Internet Protocols are supported

Mode 1: Slow Destination
In this mode, the speed-up is available when you copy files from a location to which you have fast access (preferably your own hard disk). The destination can be a slow connection, but it must be a normal file system (either LAN or VPN) or SSH/SFTP. For other connections, you can use Synthetic Backup.

Instructions for Mode 1
In your profile, make the following checkmark: Use Partial File Updating, which is on the Special tab sheet when editing the profile in Advanced Mode. The next time you run the profile, a database is created on your hard drive where information needed for the speed-up is stored. The second time you run the profile, you should notice the speed-up.

Mode 2
[...]

Mode 3: Synthetic Backup
This feature is intended for backing up from a local storage to any type of backup storage. The backup can be local or online.

Choose “Synthetic Backup” on the tab sheet Versioning->Synthetic Backup. This will automatically place these additional checkmarks:
- Use Partial File Updating (under Special)
- Filename Encoding (under Versioning)
- Zip Each File Individually (under Zip/Encryption)

Find out more on Synthetic Backup on this page.

at the end there he says Find out more on Synthetic Backup on this page but there is no link...

superboyac · « **Reply #93 on:** August 21, 2012, 09:05 PM »

I'm also curious about this new synthetic backup thing. If people say it's good, I'll use it. But I get nervous messing with my backup schemes.

J-Mac · « **Reply #94 on:** August 22, 2012, 03:46 AM »

Oh... Well... That makes it perfectly clear. Tobias needs to get someone who can do technical writing that is more understandable.

Thank you.

Jim

tomos · « **Reply #95 on:** August 22, 2012, 09:18 AM »

Quote from: J-Mac on August 22, 2012, 03:46 AM

Oh... Well... That makes it perfectly clear. Tobias needs to get someone who can do technical writing that is more understandable.

a summary would be good.

Try this:

It is a combination of Partial File Updating with versioning, where everything is zipped up.

-
I'm using it now for example with my newly installed virtual OS:

the initial backup was compressed from 6.5 to 3.5 GB.
after my second backup, log says:
Transfer amount saved due to partial file updating : 4.7GB
the original folder is now 8.33 GB; the new backup folder size is 6.14 GB

So original folders of 6.5 + 8.33 = 14.88 GB
Backup of the above = 6.14 GB

as to how well it works, I cant say. I will do a test restore when I have time, and report back. As I've said elsewhere, I trust SFFS a lot, but with all the options there are occasionally possibilities of user error.

J-Mac · « **Reply #96 on:** August 22, 2012, 03:44 PM »

Tom,

My concern with this is it sounds a lot like what regular backup programs call "incremental backup", but on a file by file/versioning basis. regular backup programs offer this on the entire backup job. I've never liked it because you need a series of backups in order to be able to restore. And if one of those becomes corrupted - which is more common than you would think - then nothing can be restored. I always used "Full" backups when I used regular backup programs, and kept two or three full backups, rolling one outr as another was completed. Incremental backups could save time and disk space but each incremental piece requiring all of the rest of them staying non-corrupted made them too risky IMO.

This "synthetic" mode sounds like it could be similar. Maybe not. Guess I'll read up more on it but to be honest I'll probably stick with full file versioning for the files that need it.

Thanks!

Jim

tomos · « **Reply #97 on:** August 22, 2012, 04:13 PM »

Yes Jim -
the whole Partial file updating thing is like an extremist version of incremental

tomos · « **Reply #98 on:** October 07, 2013, 01:46 PM »

Got email notification today -
Amazon S3 no longer works with Syncovery/SFFS Version 5.
Solutions included though:

ATTENTION! Amazon S3 has stopped working with older versions of Super Flexible File Synchronizer last week! If you still have version 5 or older, you need to update your OpenSSL libraries in the Superflexible program folder:

http://www.syncovery.com/release/openssl.zip

Alternatively, you can upgrade to Syncovery version 6. Check your upgrade status on our web site:

http://www.syncovery.com/upgrade/

tomos · « **Reply #99 on:** November 17, 2014, 05:40 PM »

Syncovery (SFFS) has been upgraded to Version 7 -
as usual, very generous with upgrade pricing: if you paid for version 6, then #7 is free

https://www.syncovery.com/syncovery7/

What's New

What’s new in Syncovery 7

Available as native 64-bit and 32-bit versions (for Windows only). The Mac version remains 32-bit but runs fine on all Intel Macs, including the latest Mac OS 10.10.
All Internet connections with security now use TLS by default and avoid the vulnerable SSL v2 and v3 (especially due to the POODLE vulnerability). You can go back to the older protocols if necessary.
Editable colors and predefined color sets for the Profile Overview and Sync Preview
New Profile Overview setting: “Show Scheduled Profiles Only”
All libraries updated, i.e. new code for many features such as Zipping, FTP, SFTP, HTTP, as well as all other Internet Protocols
Includes latest OpenSSL libraries v1.0.1j on Windows, and SSL is now compatible with all known SMTP servers. On Mac, OpenSSL is part of MacOS, so Apple determines which version to include.
Simultaneous file deletions, renames, moves etc. (similar to files being copied in parallel, it will also be possible to have them be deleted in parallel to save time)
Multithreaded reading of folders in all cases except where a file list cache or a remote lister or one of the new cloud DLLs is used.
New Performance tab sheet on Program Settings dialog, as well as a threading option on the Files tab sheet in each profile.
Syncovery can now detect your Internet connection and run jobs only when a specific connection is active. See the Program Settings dialog, tab sheet “Startup”. The detection works based on the reverse DNS names which Syncovery gets by querying https://www.syncovery.com/whoami.php. You can click this link yourself to see which DNS name your Internet connection has.
File copying up to 100 files in parallel per job is allowed although not recommended. Folder scanning up to 500 threads, but performance may degrade substantially if using more than 50 threads.
Multithreaded multipart upload to Amazon S3 in order to maximize bandwidth usage. You can specify the number of threads on the Program Settings dialog, tab sheet “Cloud”. This setting will also be used for uploads to Glacier and Azure.
Support for MTP devices. You can now sync with any smartphone or camera including Android devices and iPhones. See the new “Device…” buttons below the left and right-hand paths when editing a profile in Advanced Mode.
Support for Windows Event Log and SugarSync cloud storage. Windows Events can be configured on the Program Settings dialog. Containers (buckets/vaults) can be chosen via a Browse dialog for Amazon S3, Glacier, Microsoft Azure, and SugarSync.
Support for Email as Internet Protocol that can be used for syncing, i.e. you can send and receive files via email using a Syncovery profile. All of the new cloud services are now compiled into the main exe files, so that fewer DLLs are required, and the Setup program is now smaller than version 6.
A button “Alternate Data Streams” has been added to the Special tab sheet, which will show a dialog allowing to choose whether Alternate Data Streams should be copied along with the files or not (Windows only). Stripping them from the files may have the advantage that Windows forgets that a file was copied over the network and removes the security prompt when opening it. However, in other cases, Alternate Data Streams may contain valuable information. The default is to copy them along with the main data in the file.
Folders for deleted files can now be relative to the base folder, and you can also use a separate Deleted folder in each subfolder. Examples are shown on the “Folder for deleted files” dialog.
When synchronizing with a server or any network folder, a configuration file can now be imported at the beginning of the sync. That way, members of work groups can be forced to all use the same profile settings. Please see SyncoveryV7serversidesettingsimport.pdf for details.

Planned features (planned for version #7)

Intended new features after the initial release of v7.00

Native support for Sharepoint / Office 365 / OneDrive for Business
Improve support for each cloud service to make the best use of its features.
Real-time two-way syncs and downloads with some cloud services.
Speed up reading of folders (“building the file list”) thru code optimizations as well as multi-threading for all situations including file list cache and remote lister.
Filename Encryption
Support for Additional Encryption Algorithms
Support for Additional Compression Formats other than ZIP
Allow the Monitoring Tool to monitor other Syncovery installations outside of the LAN by communicating via an Internet server.

Installation (there's now an x64 version)

Installation Questions

Syncovery V7 can be installed on top of an existing version and will use the same configuration and database files.
The 32-bit version 7 will replace an existing V6 unless you specify a separate installation folder.
The 64-bit version will automatically be installed into a new folder and can be used side-by-side with any 32-bit version.
You can always go back to version 6 without any issues, because all configuration and database files are 100% comptible.