Syncin feeling

[expat]

I use Allway Sync to synchronise files between PCs, and it works just great. But now I want to start doing a kind of sync that I can't see how to do with it. Does anyone know, or know a program that will do this?

Requirement: sync new or changed files between 2 (or 3) USB drives in separate places, using say a USB stick to carry between them. The particular point is that there is far too much data on the drives for it to fit on the portable USB stick, although the amount of new and changed data in any exchange will fit on the portable device.

[voodooflux]

I started using this at the weekend to sync some directories. Worked well for me, so might be worth a look.

Here's some more info in it.

[expat]

I started using this at the weekend to sync some directories. Worked well for me, so might be worth a look.

Here's some more info in it.

Thanks but it does not seem to me that it would do what I want.

Maybe I wasn't clear. What I have is:

1. large disk sitting in spare bedroom, with many Gb of files on it.
2. other large disk sitting in other country where I work, starting off with the same data.
3. small storage device that I carry between the two places.

I will modify and add files occasionally to the big disks (not always the same one), but I will never carry either of the big disks to the place where I keep the other.

Only the small device (e.g. a USB stick) will be carried from one place to the other. This device will be far too small to carry all the data, but big enough to carry all the changed data.

Question: can I sync the big disks using the small memory stick?

Answer 1: DOS XCOPY. Can't we do better than that?

[s2budd]

I still use a DOS Xcopy batch script.
It is simple and it works for me.
I have run into the issue of the USB device is not large enough but each time I just buy a larger USB thingy. Now I have a USB 16gb stick and a 250gb hard disk for the everything sync situation.

[voodooflux]

Thanks but it does not seem to me that it would do what I want.

Maybe I wasn't clear. What I have is:

1. large disk sitting in spare bedroom, with many Gb of files on it.
2. other large disk sitting in other country where I work, starting off with the same data.
3. small storage device that I carry between the two places.

I will modify and add files occasionally to the big disks (not always the same one), but I will never carry either of the big disks to the place where I keep the other.

Only the small device (e.g. a USB stick) will be carried from one place to the other. This device will be far too small to carry all the data, but big enough to carry all the changed data.

Question: can I sync the big disks using the small memory stick?

Answer 1: DOS XCOPY. Can't we do better than that?

Given that fuller explanation it would indeed appear that SyncToy won't fulfill your requirements. It won't be able to handle the extraction of files to the USB stick (assuming that the extraction is done based on the file timestamp). It would allow you to merge the USB stick contents back with one of the hard drives, but I assume you're after a single utility.

[expat]

Given that fuller explanation it would indeed appear that SyncToy won't fulfill your requirements. It won't be able to handle the extraction of files to the USB stick (assuming that the extraction is done based on the file timestamp). It would allow you to merge the USB stick contents back with one of the hard drives, but I assume you're after a single utility.

Right. That's what I'm after, something that can sync 2 drives without them seeing each other (and without using a third large drive as a shuttle). After all, my current sync program Allway Sync does work great for syncing drives that are both present, as I said.

I suppose the idea then is to use good old XCOPY to populate the USB stick with only new or changed files, then sync that unidirectionally into the other drive. Won't handle deletes but I'm OK with that. And have to make sure system clock is OK in both systems, but that's probably true for any sync operation.

Looks like nobody else has this requirement?