File Sharing Review - Part I
Thus begins my multi-part review of various file sharing applications and services. These reviews will interest you if you have a want to share files between a laptop and a desktop, if you want to share files between computers on your home or small office, or between groups of people over the Internet for whatever reason. Most are free but there are some commercial ones included as well.
I have an atypical home office network, and as time has gone by I have explored many different types of file sharing applications, and still use some. Perhaps I should consider eliminating them in favour of the one perfect product that fills all of my needs, but as of yet there is no one perfect solution, at least for me. Each of the products fill a niche. They are also known by the terms file synchronization, replication or mirroring, but they work in different ways and have different advantages.
Good Old FTP
File Transfer Protocol, or simply FTP, is one of the oldest and simplest ways to share files. It requires a server application and any number of client applications to access it. Most commercial FTP clients such as SmartFTP are relatively easy to set up and use. FTP settings, such as source and destination folders, can be saved so that each subsequent session is fairly easy to perform over and over. They also allow limited scripting, so file transfers can be automatically performed on files based on such properties as file size, date, or time.
Windows File & Printer Sharing
Microsoft Windows versions have historically included something called "File and Printer Sharing" which allows you to share a folder with other workstations on your network. This has always had a problem with security and performance issues on the network. I generally stay away from this solution, except in limited circumstances.
2BrightSparks SyncBackSE
My first file-sharing task was to quickly and easily synchronize and backup files from my main workstation and laptop to my Windows Server. I was looking for a free solution, so neither FTP nor Windows File Sharing were up to the task. I discovered a freeware version of 2BrightSparks' SyncBackSE, and began using it almost immediately.
SyncBack Freeware can use either FTP or a Windows network share to make the connection, but I found it to be much easier to configure and maintain using FTP. It can do a straight copying of files, or it can even synchronize the files to make sure the newest copy of the file is saved at the destination. I have been using the freeware version to back up a folder full of files to my server as a quick backup for over a year with no problems. The most important feature for me in this case is that it is incredibly fast, it backs up tens and hundreds of megabytes of data in seconds. It is great for when you need to synchronize often-used folders full of files. You can set each one of these up in a "profile". Click here to see a screenshot of the types of profiles you can have it do. Highly recommended.
Microsoft FolderShare
In November of 2005, Microsoft acquired FolderShare from ByteTaxi. The service is going to be included in Windows Live, but it is not yet listed on the Windows Live Ideas web site where they hilight their newest beta products.
I came across FolderShare because I was looking for a product that would do more than just copy the newest version of a file to another computer. I have a handful of files that I use and update on a daily basis, and I wanted the newest version available on my laptop as well as any workstation in the office without any intervention. I also wanted a copy of the latest files available on my laptop even if I was not connected to my home network. This was a demanding requirement to be sure, but SyncBack Freeware required a connection so it was not a solution. I found that FolderShare seemed to fit the bill.
FolderShare works by invitation. You invite other members or your own computers to share a folder securely. (For those with some technical knowledge: All peer-to-peer communication between these computers are authenticated via RSA and encrypted via AES over SSL.)
Once you install the FolderShare client on each of your computers, you will see a small "F" icon on your taskbar. When you open it, you can see a list of your "Libraries" which are actually regular Windows folders, and which computers are sharing them. In this first screenshot, you can see two workstations and a laptop connected, and set to automatically sync the contents of the folder. There are other options available, such as being able to access the files using a web browser over the web.
If one of the computers disconnects from the network or Internet (screenshot 2), that computer will still have access to the latest version of the files. In other words, as long as Toshiba or WK3 do not edit the files, WK1 will have a local up-to-date copy of any files. If I edit those files on WK1, then reconnect to the network, FolderShare will automatically update the files back onto the other computers, all without any intervention on my part.
It is this ability to re-synchronize files that sets FolderShare apart from the previous solutions. There were a few times however, when FolderShare did not seem to be able to connect, and I had to manually shut down the application and restart it myself. A reconnect button would have been useful.
In the upcoming File Sharing Review - Part II, I will be looking at some other file sharing and file syncing products.
I have an atypical home office network, and as time has gone by I have explored many different types of file sharing applications, and still use some. Perhaps I should consider eliminating them in favour of the one perfect product that fills all of my needs, but as of yet there is no one perfect solution, at least for me. Each of the products fill a niche. They are also known by the terms file synchronization, replication or mirroring, but they work in different ways and have different advantages.
Good Old FTP
File Transfer Protocol, or simply FTP, is one of the oldest and simplest ways to share files. It requires a server application and any number of client applications to access it. Most commercial FTP clients such as SmartFTP are relatively easy to set up and use. FTP settings, such as source and destination folders, can be saved so that each subsequent session is fairly easy to perform over and over. They also allow limited scripting, so file transfers can be automatically performed on files based on such properties as file size, date, or time.
Windows File & Printer Sharing
Microsoft Windows versions have historically included something called "File and Printer Sharing" which allows you to share a folder with other workstations on your network. This has always had a problem with security and performance issues on the network. I generally stay away from this solution, except in limited circumstances.
2BrightSparks SyncBackSE
My first file-sharing task was to quickly and easily synchronize and backup files from my main workstation and laptop to my Windows Server. I was looking for a free solution, so neither FTP nor Windows File Sharing were up to the task. I discovered a freeware version of 2BrightSparks' SyncBackSE, and began using it almost immediately.
SyncBack Freeware can use either FTP or a Windows network share to make the connection, but I found it to be much easier to configure and maintain using FTP. It can do a straight copying of files, or it can even synchronize the files to make sure the newest copy of the file is saved at the destination. I have been using the freeware version to back up a folder full of files to my server as a quick backup for over a year with no problems. The most important feature for me in this case is that it is incredibly fast, it backs up tens and hundreds of megabytes of data in seconds. It is great for when you need to synchronize often-used folders full of files. You can set each one of these up in a "profile". Click here to see a screenshot of the types of profiles you can have it do. Highly recommended.
Microsoft FolderShare
In November of 2005, Microsoft acquired FolderShare from ByteTaxi. The service is going to be included in Windows Live, but it is not yet listed on the Windows Live Ideas web site where they hilight their newest beta products.
I came across FolderShare because I was looking for a product that would do more than just copy the newest version of a file to another computer. I have a handful of files that I use and update on a daily basis, and I wanted the newest version available on my laptop as well as any workstation in the office without any intervention. I also wanted a copy of the latest files available on my laptop even if I was not connected to my home network. This was a demanding requirement to be sure, but SyncBack Freeware required a connection so it was not a solution. I found that FolderShare seemed to fit the bill.
FolderShare works by invitation. You invite other members or your own computers to share a folder securely. (For those with some technical knowledge: All peer-to-peer communication between these computers are authenticated via RSA and encrypted via AES over SSL.)
Once you install the FolderShare client on each of your computers, you will see a small "F" icon on your taskbar. When you open it, you can see a list of your "Libraries" which are actually regular Windows folders, and which computers are sharing them. In this first screenshot, you can see two workstations and a laptop connected, and set to automatically sync the contents of the folder. There are other options available, such as being able to access the files using a web browser over the web.
If one of the computers disconnects from the network or Internet (screenshot 2), that computer will still have access to the latest version of the files. In other words, as long as Toshiba or WK3 do not edit the files, WK1 will have a local up-to-date copy of any files. If I edit those files on WK1, then reconnect to the network, FolderShare will automatically update the files back onto the other computers, all without any intervention on my part.
It is this ability to re-synchronize files that sets FolderShare apart from the previous solutions. There were a few times however, when FolderShare did not seem to be able to connect, and I had to manually shut down the application and restart it myself. A reconnect button would have been useful.
In the upcoming File Sharing Review - Part II, I will be looking at some other file sharing and file syncing products.
posted by Peter at
1:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home