sync local directory with ftp server directory?

[woofster]

Hello!

We use the filezilla ftp server on a couple of systems.

We have a couple local dirs which should be synchronized with the ftp server dirs each night.

Does filezilla client have that functionality?

(If not, how to do it? We do not want to unconditionally upload all that data....)

Thanks!!

[da chicken]

If this is the kind of thing you need to do, you should look into rsync instead of ftp. That does exactly what you need using delta transfers and can be scheduled and so on.

Because of the limitations of FTP, FileZilla can only look at two things: file size and file date. Date is preferred, but you must enable Preserve timestamps from the Transfer menu. You can then transfer the files once to make sure the times are correct. Now you can enable directory comparison on the View menu.

Other clients support non-RFC compliant extensions like XCRC, XMD5, and XSHA which can hash files to see if they're identical and such clients can do true directory synchronization. However, it's not RFC compliant and so will not be implemented into FileZilla. You'd need to find a client and a server that support the same type of checking, usually by buying a commercial server and client from the same vendor.

[ICOM]

I have not seen any Windows client with a GUI similar to FileZilla. We have the need to update large files on the server side, something rsync is perfectly suited to, but we need to do so on-demand, with each update being an urgent one-time thing, rather than wanting a scheduled sync, something FileZilla's FTP centric GUI is great at managing.

If FileZilla could support the rsync protocol, we'd be in heaven.

Are there any other windows clients out there that support this type of operation?

[woofster]

I agree that rsync is "the way to go"

However, after spending a couple of hours configuring the windows port of rsync (for client and server), I give up. Just waaaaaay tooo hairy.

So yes: rsync is the right solution for my need, and I want rsync.

But no: I cannot live with this hairball of rsync + ssh server and all the configing needed to make it work.


I am still looking for a solution.

Any commercial rsync implementations out there for windows?

[da chicken]

Of rsync specifically? Not that I know of. I'm guessing that a SAN is what people use when they need to have this kind of thing.

Cwrsync is one of the more popular rsync implementations on Windows, but you'll still be digging into configuration files.
http://www.itefix.no/i2/node/10650

Take a look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_synch ... n#Programs

I've used Unison before, but it's a bit wonky on Windows.

This one looks promising too but that requires shared folders (Samba shares):
http://sourceforge.net/projects/freefilesync/

Try:
http://www.2brightsparks.com/syncback/sbpro.html (Commercial)
http://directorysync.sourceforge.net/index.html
http://www.globalscape.com/wafs/ (Commercial and so expensive you have to ask for a price)

Not all of them do delta transfers.

[woofster]

Wow, thanks!

Perfect list.

My needs are really simple... unidirectional, just a few text files, with delta sync.


I spent some time with Cwrsync and it is just too much of a PITA. To tied into windows security, etc. I hated the way it always forced creation of a new dir to sync to, and would not 'just use' a dir I configured I speced. And then dealing with the SSH stuff to bypass a password..... ACK... just too much hair. (That is why I use filezilla ftp server and not @#$@#$ IIS FTP server... I can do IIS FTP, but it is just tooooo much hair for something simple!)

These options look of interest!

(My dream is a nice, simple, flat, rsync implementation that works just like filezilla ftp server! But I will take what I can find!)

[ICOM]

Our needs can best be summarized by "differential ftp". We can not supply all our uploaders (designers) with up to date mirrors of the production box for them to sync from. It's unnecessary, and the logistics to do so would be enormous. All we want is a way for them to update specific files on the remote server, without re-sending the unchanged parts (amounting to hundreds of Mb / day).

None of the links above point to a solution that would allow that, making this an ideal spot for FileZilla to step in.

[da chicken]

You'd have to develop specific commands and a new server-side implementation. As soon as you do that, you're doing non-RFC stuff.

Differential file transfer is beyond the scope of FTP. FileZilla is strictly RFC FTP, as the developer wishes to keep it that way.

[hgmichna]

Just got 3.2.1 and am very happy about the new synchronized browsing. This is a function that was sorely missing. Thanks a lot!

As to folder and folder tree synchronization, da chicken posted on 2008-09-16 (see above):

Because of the limitations of FTP, FileZilla can only look at two things: file size and file date. Date is preferred, but you must enable Preserve timestamps from the Transfer menu. You can then transfer the files once to make sure the times are correct. Now you can enable directory comparison on the View menu.

I would be very happy with a very simple synchronization based only on file length. As long as the limitations are clear, I see no problem with this. FileZilla just has to tell the user that it cannot determine whether a file differs if it has the same length.

However, FileZilla could easily do more. For example, it could update a file also if the times differ by more than 24 h. It does not matter if it copies a few files that are not actually different.

Another solution would be to keep a simple local table of file CRCs and record all changes and deletions. Then FileZilla could upload all local changes to the server. Of course this works only if nobody else changes files on the server, but that is the most frequent case, probably covers 90% of all FileZilla use cases. Again this is perfect, as long as the user knows the limitation.

The point is that there is a wide range of options between perfection and nothing. The total lack of any synchronization is painful.

[simoneast]

*Bump*

Bumping this thread from back in February because I think the post above by hgmichna has some great suggestions. Did anyone else have thoughts or comments on it?

[taersious]

This is a specific need I have (to sync dev web site with production web site after overhaul).
I am very interested in options.

[Lukas238]

What I like to see is an option to synchronize new or modified files to a FTP folder, but integrated into Windows Shell.

The shell option will search for a .INI file in the folder you choose, width the destination folder and the id of the already configured FTP account to use, or it will launch a wizard where you can choose the FTP account from the list of configured accounts, and write the destination directory.

The "sync" in fact will be an "upload new" and a "download new" option, based on the date (or file size).

[dcheze]

I have the same needs and I'm using freefilesync in parallel for network local disk synchronization but it is not able to synchronize on ftp server.
Any news from the developers roadmap about this subject would be welcome.

[sinel]

I would like also to propose - only synchronization that compare existence, names and sizes of files, optionally date.
Simple and very useful. There are open source comparison programs on local disk - why don't use a part of source to include in FileZilla. Or maybe option to use addons in FZ?

[fluor]

I bump this request as I prefer to have only ftp ports open for my syncing needs. I currently have a pictures folder I like to sync to my work PC once a month, and I really don't care that much for detecting changes like rsync can, as my primary need is just to get a backup of *most* pictures. A sync would be a very nice feature, even though it cannot guarantee a true sync based upon just date and size.

I'm currently stuck on manually syncing whenever I feel the need to, and would very much have a client that sync my pictures folder on a scripted schedule. Too bad there is only commercial products available for this today.