Sync IT
Sync IT is used to automatically synchronize folders between different
computers and to make backups of folders. The synchronization is done with already existing networks, like the Internet. You can for example automatically synchronize a folder between your work computer and your computer at home through the Internet. Sync IT normally uses the port number 45326 which has to be opened for the program to be able to synchronize. If you synchronize locally on the same computer you do not need to open a port.
Quick start:
1. Press the “Browse” button and choose the folder you would like to synchronize
2. In “Remote IP:” type in the IP-address to the other computer 3. Toggle the check box “Start Listen”
4. Make the same procedure on the other computer 5. Press “Sync” to start the synchronization
or if you want to synchronize two folders on the same computer 1. Press the “Local Sync” check box
2. Press the “Browse” button under “Folder:” and choose a folder 3. Press the second “Browse” button under “2:nd Folder:” and choose
another folder
4. Press “Sync” to start the synchronization
Detailed description of program
For convenience in this manual I will referee to the two different computers in this way. This computer means the computer that you are currently working on and the other computer is a computer far away that you are synchronizing with.
To exit the program you have to right click the system tray icon and choose “Exit”. The “close” button on the top right corner of the frame will only hide the program.
Tab: Sync
1. Local IP: This is the IP-address of your computer. If you are also on a local network this might not be the IP-address you are looking for. Go to
www.whatismyip.org or any other similar website to find out your Internet address.
2. Last Con.: Stands for “Last Connection”. This shows the IP-address of the computer that you last synchronized with. If you last synchronized locally the
text “Local Host” will show.
3. Folder: Here you can type the folder you would like to synchronize on this computer. You can also press the button “Browse” to be able to choose a folder.
4. Browse: Press this button to be able to choose a folder on this computer that you would like to synchronize.
5. Remote IP: Here you can type the IP-address of the other
computer to synchronize with. It is only the computer that initiates the synchronization that needs to enter the IP to the other computer. The computer receiving a connection will automatically respond without this field being entered properly. 6. Local Sync: Toggle this check box if you want to synchronize two folders on the same computer. This is for example used to be able to make backups to an external hard drive etc. 7. Start Listen: When this check
box is on you will have opened a port (normally port number 45326) to be able to receive information through a network like the Internet. This must be on to be able to
synchronize with other computers. 8. Sync: Start the synchronization process by pressing this button. Your configurations will also be saved when you press the button. 9. Cancel: Abort a synchronization by pressing this button.
10. 2:nd Folder: Type in the second folder you would like to synchronize with on the same computer. You can also press the “Browse” button to choose a folder.
Status panel
11. Connection message: Shows information about the connection. If a port is opened, if there is a problem with the connection to the other computer, if a connection is established, etc.
12. Status message: During a synchronization this label shows what is currently going on. If a file is being send, received, if a folder is created, if something is deleted, or if the program is gathering information to complete the synchronization. After a synchronization is done, and if it was successful this label will print out ether “Folders are synced” to indicate that the two folders now are equal, or it will print out “Sync session done” to indicate that the synchronization was successful but the folders are not equal. This could be because of the state of the “Sync Mode” (see Tab: Config).
13. Progress bar: Shows the progress of the synchronization. The numbers indicate the amount of files and folders that have been sent or received and the total number of files to be sent or received.
System tray icon
The system tray icon will flash whenever a synchronization process is on. When you have the mouse over the system tray icon you will see the time of the last synchronization and if the folders became equal on that
synchronization or not.
14. Double clicking the system tray icon will hide or show the program. Right click the system tray icon to open the menu.
15. Hide/Show: Hides or shows the program to the user. 16. Sync: Starts the synchronization process.
17. Cancel: Aborts a synchronization.
18. Exit: Exits the program. This is the only way to quit the program.
Tab: Config
19. Sync Mode: Here you can choose how you would like to synchronize. “Dual-Way Sync” means that the computer that initiates the synchronization first sends it's files to the other computer and later receives files from the other computer. If “Allow Delete” is on (see section below) “Dual-Way Sync” can result in different finish states of the folders depending on which computer initiates the synchronization. In “Local Sync” the program first sends files from the first folder to the second, and then the opposite way. “Out-Going Sync” means that this computer will only send files to the other computer and tell the other computer which files to delete. It will never make any changes on this computer. In “Local Sync” the first folder will work like this computer.
“In-Coming Sync” means the opposite from “Out-Going Sync”, changes will only be made on this computer and not on the other. Every time you start a
synchronization the “Sync Mode” will be sent to the other computer so that both match. For example, if you start a synchronization on “Out-Going Sync” the other computer will automatically set itself to “In-Coming Sync”.
20. Send Port: This is the port number you send to. The port number is
normally 45326. The other computer must be listening on this port number for the synchronization to work.
21.Listen Port: This is the port number this computer is listening on. This port number is also normally 45326. Incoming
connections must be addressed to this port. This field can only be changed if “Start Listen” is off. 22. Auto Sync: When this option is on the program will automatically synchronize in intervals of a given time.
23. Hours: Here you can choose how many hours you want to have between every synchronization. 24. Minutes: Here you can choose how many minutes you want to have between every
synchronization.
25. Allow Delete: Files will only be able to be deleted on this computer if this option is on. If this option is off it could mean that files are sent back to the other computer that first deleted the files. This depends on the “Sync Mode”. 26. Warning (Delete): When this option is turned on another window will pop up every time the program should delete a file on this computer. On this window you can choose or confirm exactly which files you would like to delete and which ones you would like to keep. The files you keep will also be sent to the other computer in for example “Dual-Way Sync”. You should not have this option on on the other computer. This is because the synchronization process will halt here and wait for the user to make a choice.
27. Include Hidden Files: When this check box is on, all hidden files and folders in the folder to be synchronized will also be included in the synchronization process. When you synchronize, the state of this option will be sent to the other computer so that both have the same configuration. It is recommended to turn this option on when you synchronize between different operating
system. This is because different operating systems have different ways to mark that a file is hidden. In Unix systems a file is hidden if the filename starts with a dot. In Windows system a file is hidden if it is marked as such in the filesystem.
28. Save Config: When you press this button all your configurations will be saved to a configuration file. Your configurations will also automatically be saved every time a synchronization is started and every time the program is terminated.
Delete menu
This window will only pop up if the “Warning (Delete)” check box is on. It will show all files that the program wants to delete to synchronize the folders. 29. Select all: Selects or deselects all shown files for deletion.
30. Tree area: Here you can select exactly which files you want to delete. 31. A folder without a check box can not be deleted this time.
32. Delete: Will delete the marked files.
33. Delete None: Will not delete any file, even if files are selected. 34. Close button: Will not delete any file, even if files are selected.
Tab: Log
35. Text area: Shows the date and time of different events. You get detailed information about files that have been send, received, deleted and folders that have been created. In a local synchronization a sent file means that a file has been copied from the first folder to the second and a received file means that a file has been copied form the second folder to the first. This “Text area” will also show any problems, like problems with the connection to the other computer etc.
36. Save Log History: When this check box is on the log will be saved between the times you start the Sync IT program. Otherwise the log file will be cleared between the times the program is started.
37. Clear Log: This will clear the “Text area” and the log file.
Tab: Credits
38. Sync IT button: This will take you to the Sync IT homepage. The page address is
http://web.it.kth.se/~cmasus.
39. Open Manual: Will ether open a local copy of this manual or it will open this manual in a web browser. The manual can be found
at_http://web.it.kth.se/~cmasus/m anual.pdf.