Sunday 14 September 2008

File and Folder Sync - One Free and One Not

There are many different folder/file synchronization utilities out there.

For our data mirrors, we use Beyond Compare by Scooter Software.

Why? Because the utility is absolutely awesome in its simplicity and ability to be scripted. It just works and has done so for as many years as we have been working with the product. It is also handy for comparing before and after changes to various files including their contents, before/after coding comparisons, and more.

Microsoft recently released the newest version of their file sync product called SyncToy (link to download site).

Now, we have not played with the newest version yet, but one of the winning features Beyond Compare has over SyncToy v1.x was the ability to sync Terabytes worth of data.

Yes, you heard right: We said Terabytes.

Ever try running a sync using SyncToy on a folder/file grouping of 100GB or more? By and large, it would run for an hour or two and subsequently choke. We would then be left with a plethora of the little tracking files SycnToy uses everywhere it touched. Cleanup after a choke was a chore.

The above link is to the new SyncToy v2 download. Microsoft also has a forum for SyncToy to provide feedback, find usage tips, and bug reports.

There are many other utilities out there too, but these two always seem to rise to the top of them due to their ease of use for the specific areas we apply them in.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

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