Chapter 23. File Synchronization

Table of Contents

23.1. Available Data Synchronization Software
23.2. Determining Factors for Selecting a Program
23.3. Introduction to Unison
23.4. Introduction to CVS
23.5. Introduction to Subversion
23.6. Introduction to rsync
23.7. Introduction to mailsync

Abstract

Today, many people use several computers — one computer at home, one or several computers at the workplace, and possibly a laptop or PDA on the road. Many files are needed on all these computers. You may want to be able work with all computers and modify the files and subsequently have the latest version of the data available on all computers.

23.1. Available Data Synchronization Software

Data synchronization is no problem for computers that are permanently linked by means of a fast network. In this case, use a network file system like NFS and store the files on a server, enabling all hosts to access the same data via the network. This approach is impossible if the network connection is poor or not permanent. When you are on the road with a laptop, copies of all needed files must be on the local hard disk. However, it is then necessary to synchronize modified files. When you modify a file on one computer, make sure a copy of the file is updated on all other computers. For occasional copies, this can be done manually with scp or rsync. However, if many files are involved, the procedure can be complicated and requires great care to avoid errors, such as overwriting a new file with an old file.

[Warning]Risk of Data Loss

Before you start managing your data with a synchronization system, you should be well acquainted with the program used and test its functionality. A backup is indispensable for important files.

The time-consuming and error-prone task of manually synchronizing data can be avoided by using one of the programs that use various methods to automate this job. The following summaries are merely intended to convey a general understanding of how these programs work and how they can be used. If you plan to use them, read the program documentation.

23.1.1. Unison

Unison is not a network file system. Rather, the files are simply saved and edited locally. The program Unison can be executed manually to synchronize files. When the synchronization is performed for the first time, a database is created on the two hosts, containing check sums, time stamps, and permissions of the selected files. The next time it is executed, Unison can recognize which files were changed and propose transmission from or to the other host. Usually all suggestions can be accepted.

23.1.2. CVS

CVS, which is mostly used for managing program source versions, offers the possibility to keep copies of the files on multiple computers. Accordingly, it is also suitable for data synchronization.

CVS maintains a central repository on the server in which the files and changes to files are saved. Changes that are performed locally are committed to the repository and can be retrieved from other computers by means of an update. Both procedures must be initiated by the user.

CVS is very resilient to errors when changes occur on several computers. The changes are merged and, if changes took place in the same lines, a conflict is reported. When a conflict occurs, the database remains in a consistent state. The conflict is only visible for resolution on the client host.

23.1.3. subversion

In contrast to the evolved CVS, subversion is a consistently designed project. subversion was developed to supersede CVS and to alleviate its technical shortcomings.

subversion has been improved in many respects to its predecessor. Due to its history, CVS only maintains files and is oblivious of directories. Directories also have a version history in subversion and can be copied and renamed just like files. It is also possible to add metadata to every file and to every directory. This metadata can be fully maintained with versioning. As opposed to CVS, subversion supports transparent network access over dedicated protocols, like WebDAV.

subversion was, in large part, assembled using already existing application packages. This is why the web server apache and the extension WebDAV are always run in conjunction with subversion.

23.1.4. mailsync

Unlike the synchronization tools covered in the previous sections, mailsync only synchronizes e-mails between mailboxes. The procedure can be applied to local mailbox files as well as to mailboxes on an IMAP server.

Based on the message ID contained in the e-mail header, the individual messages are either synchronized or deleted. Synchronization is possible between individual mailboxes and between mailbox hierarchies.

23.1.5. rsync

When no version control is needed but large directory structures need to be synchronized over slow network connections, the tool rsync offers well-developed mechanisms for transmitting only changes within files. This not only concerns text files, but also binary files. To detect the differences between files, rsync subdivides the files into blocks and computes checksums over them.

The effort put into the detection of the changes comes at a price. The systems to synchronize should be scaled generously for the usage of rsync. RAM is especially important.