Sync laptops to NAS

[donte10]

I have a new small business client that has 3 laptops with Windows 7 Professional and a NAS device (Seagate BlackArmor) on their office network. The 3 laptops leave the office on a regular basis, if not daily. The client would like to be able to automatically sync a folder on the NAS with a folder on the laptops when on the office network. If they update the files when away from the network, they would sync up again when they return. Sort of like dropbox (which I currently use) .. but only syncing when on the local network? Can anyone suggest software that will do this? I'm looking for a clean solution with no scripting, if possible.

Currently they have been using Sync Center, which is a program within Windows 7, but said it didn't always work. (I haven't looked into it deeper yet. Each user has their own folder on the NAS that would need to be synced with their Documents folder. (So the folder on the NAS that would be synced is not shared between the 3 laptops). If there is a cleaner way to go about this please advice.

I'm also looking for the best solution to backup each computer to the NAS on a regular basis?

Cheers, Donte.

 

[4ycr]

try Genie9 they used to have a sync backup and it worked well, even told you how many files are out of sync

 

[Big Jim]

Do you need the software to be triggered automatically by connecting to the network ?

I do something similar at home with my laptop and desktop, I use syncback but it runs on a schedule not a trigger.

 

[donte10]

Do you need the software to be triggered automatically by connecting to the network ?

Either would be fine (scheduled or automatic network connection).

 

[ShinyTech]

Setup folder redirection to the NAS and turn on offline files. This will make it sync each time they are on the network and keep the files available on the laptops outside of the office.

 

[drjones]

Setup folder redirection to the NAS and turn on offline files. This will make it sync each time they are on the network and keep the files available on the laptops outside of the office.

1) I doubt this would work with a NAS as opposed to a windows server. The folder redirection I suppose would work as I believe you can redirect a folder anywhere you like, however I'm not sure how well the offline file would work (if at all) with a NAS vs. Windows Server.

2) I had a near disaster with offline files/folder redirection. Long story short, in migrating a big client from 2003 to 2008, we discovered that the offline file sync/redirect function had stopped working about two months prior to the migration.

There was absolutely no way at all to know; no errors on the server logs, no errors on the workstations, NOTHING. The ONLY way we discovered is when we went to connect the workstations to the new domain and their redirected folders - data on the server - were two months old.

They had been working on cached files on their laptops and for whatever reason, it did not sync to the server as it was supposed to.

We had to reconnect each workstation to the old server/domain, manually copy over their docs & desktop. If we hadn't caught this and a laptop had died/stolen/etc., we would obviously be in a bad way.

As I recall, in researching this issue at the time, there are many known issues with offline sync and Server 2008.

In any case, I'd avoid it like the plague.

At another client of mine where they use it, it's constantly popping up with vague errors and conflicts but no real information at all and a re-sync simply leaves the same errors/conflicts.

It's garbage, IMO.

 

[drjones]

I have a new small business client that has 3 laptops with Windows 7 Professional and a NAS device (Seagate BlackArmor) on their office network. The 3 laptops leave the office on a regular basis, if not daily. The client would like to be able to automatically sync a folder on the NAS with a folder on the laptops when on the office network. If they update the files when away from the network, they would sync up again when they return. Sort of like dropbox (which I currently use) .. but only syncing when on the local network? Can anyone suggest software that will do this? I'm looking for a clean solution with no scripting, if possible.

Currently they have been using Sync Center, which is a program within Windows 7, but said it didn't always work. (I haven't looked into it deeper yet. Each user has their own folder on the NAS that would need to be synced with their Documents folder. (So the folder on the NAS that would be synced is not shared between the 3 laptops). If there is a cleaner way to go about this please advice.

I'm also looking for the best solution to backup each computer to the NAS on a regular basis?

Cheers, Donte.

You say you want to sync "a folder" to the NAS - a shared drive/folder, right?
What happens if two people edit the same folder while away?

In any case, for both syncing the folder and backing up the laptops, for now I've settled on Microsoft SyncToy.

I had a long post ready to go about my trials & tribulations with backing up laptops that are frequently out of the office, but it somehow disappeared entirely before I hit "submit."

In any case, SyncToy seems to work fairly well & reliably. The only thing I don't care for is that you have to manually setup a schedule in Task Scheduler. That said, Task Scheduler does provide for a lot of options/triggers, including one that would be useful for you which is to only run the task when a certain network connection is available.

Obviously if a laptop is at a hotel, it does no good for it to try to sync/backup to the NAS, so you can tell SyncToy via Task Scheduler to only run if a specified network connection is available.

I'm just about at my wits end of finding a good, reliable backup program that has any sort of central management/email notification function AND that copies/backs up files in their native formats.

For example, with CrashPlan and Backup Exec, the programs create their own proprietary file types/databases. I've read that if you move/copy these files, it will jeapordize your ability to recover the data when the time comes.

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded post, but this is a big sore spot with me. Trying to help others avoid some mistakes I've seen/learned firsthand.

 

[TAPtech]

If it has windows pro, I typically use the offline files feature. I had not thought about multiple users editing the same file while offline- that is a very good point. I wonder how offline files deals with this.

Do the laptop users typically have internet access while away? Maybe a VPN would be a good idea.

 

[JustInspired]

Not sure that it will work for what you want but have you looked at SyncBack Pro?
We are heavily reliant on it for folder synchronizing and backing up client websites etc.
Have used it for a few years now and very happy with it.

 

[coco3_man]

I use Goodsync I have both the installable and the portable on my thumb drive.

 

[ProTech-MN]

Another service worth looking into is Egnyte. I have several clients using it and they love it. It has a lot of features including access to your files via smartphones and tablets.

-Randy