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Synchronize Laptops & Servers

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by emcabee

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Our small office now has 2 engineers carrying laptops. Both of these guys work on the same projects and both work in our office, in our customer's office, and off-site. They want to be able to "synchronize" the files on their laptops with our Windows 2000 server AND with our customer's Windows 2000 server.

Basically, they want to be able to come in to the office, hook up their laptops and swap files back and forth with the server while preserving the NEWEST files only.

Both engineers have a laptop, both are provided desktops in our office, and both are provided desktops at our customer's location. Both are now "trained" to save files only to the servers so sharing between desktops is no longer a problem. The problem is those darned laptops which they think are great. Both are work-aholics and work on projects at home on their laptops. One advantage is that they NEVER work on the same file at the same time.

I know there have to be programs that will do this, I just don'thave time to hunt them down right now.

6 replies

by lordinfidel

Why,

Normally you do this between 2 systems, not 3.

I would actually get rid of the desktops, you always want to work from 1 central location anyways.

2K does have offline folders natively. The problem is that it only works between 2 places. Not 3.

So you can't have server A have a file, then download it to wkstn A and then expect the file to synch with Server B.

But you can have a file from Server A on wkstn A and a file from server B on wkstn A, and by using offline folders each file would be synch'd with it's appropiate server.

by emcabee

What I was/am hoping for is a software package that can "look" at 2 folders that I specify and sync them based on choices that it gives me (date, new files, etc.)

by lordinfidel

Go on last modified date/newest date.

I have used Peer Synch and Replication exec for keeping files synch'd on our web farms.

But it is a little different then what you are talking about. That is straight file replication with a last write wins mentality.

What you are trying to achieve is actually quite complex. Especially if you have 5 different machines in the mix, each one theortically can have a version of the file.

As someone else said, you can use source control, the only problem their is you do not have a master repository, you have 2.

Like Visual Source Safe from MS, makes you check files in and out and gives you version control, etc. But everything is done thru visual interdev which means you need to be local to the machine for it to work.

The problem you are going to inevitably going to run into is if one of the programmers changes a file on the laptop and then changes the file on the desktop and then tries to synch up the file to the server that only one of the files will wind up correct.

So basiclly you will have to manually update the server anyways. Why not do a low cost method.

Copy the file to the location you are going to be working on. And on the server side, add a file extension to the file with the persons initials. Then when they copy the file back up, they can remove the old one.

by emcabee

Actually, the desktops don't factor in to this problem. Once the notebook updates the files on the server that it is connected to, the operator then uses those files while working at the desktop (and they won't give up all their desktops because they are MUCH faster than the laptops). Then when he gets ready to leave, he would "sync" the files to get the new ones onto the laptop to take home with him.

by tbragsda

This sort of stuff can get pricy quick. I have worked with several in the past. I may be able to dig them out of my brain when it has a chance to recover from the scotch I drank last night.

This link is to a shareware doc mgnt tool. Take a look
http://www.twocows.com/system/preview/240071.html

If its just two guys, and some files, have you considered just having them move the files to the LT when they leave, and back to the server when they come in? It would keep someone from altering the docs etc. You would have troubles with backups, but its a cheep method

by tbragsda

Thinking a little more about this, I think we could put toghter a batch that would attrib the files read only. So you would in effect, "check out" the file. Then on return, the file would be put to normal.

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