Copyright: 2003-2008 by Tobias Giesen


Introducing Super Flexible File Synchronizer

This powerful tool now comes with an all-new design and helps you keep your data synchronized in various locations, including backup storage on fixed or removable media. It runs all versions of Microsoft Windows starting with Windows NT or 98 up to Windows Vista and Server 2008

There are two modes: Wizard Mode and Advanced Mode. Please choose the mode that you feel most comfortable with in the menu bar.

Synchronizing - A Way to Back Up Your Data

Today's computers are often equipped with technology (or embedded in a network) that makes it feasible to back up your data by keeping a complete backup copy of it in another location. This can be another PC connected via network, or a second hard disk in your computer, or a removable storage medium.

The purpose of Synchronizing is to have two identical copies of your data. This synchronizing software enables you to create and maintain such copies. While the first creation of a complete copy may take a while, subsequent updates are usually fast! Just run the synchronizer again, and it will detect all changed files and perform a swift update of your copy.

Left or Right - the synchronizer will automatically detect which files are newer on the Left side, and which ones are newer on the Right side, by comparing the last modification dates of the files. The program will automatically prepare to copy the newer file to the other side, so that both sides end up with the latest versions of all files. The only problem is when a file has been modified independently in both storage locations. In that case, the software cannot merge the various changes within the file. It will simply take the version with the latest modification date and copy it over to the other side. For this reason, it is recommended that you take a minute to look at the File List View which shows the results of the comparison before the actual copying is performed. Please verify that all the actions proposed by the software match your intentions.

Key Topics

Profile Overview

Edit Profiles in Advanced Mode

Synchronization Preview

The Scheduler

Options

The ExtremeSync Service for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003

SmartTracking

Partial File Updating

Data Backup and Synchronizing a Work Group's Shared Files

FAQs and Support

Please see the Documentation Pages on our web site for the latest help information.

Key Features

(see the Features List on our web site for all the details):

•	 Synchronize Files (for example, between a PC and a laptop)

•	 Multiple Profiles (sets of saved settings)

•	 Detects Moved Files (such as reorganized folders)

•	 With Scheduler (for automated backups)

•	 FTP Support with optional SSL, SSH

•	 SmartTracking (detects on which side changes have occurred)

•	 NT/2000/XP/2003 Service (runs scheduler without users logging on to start a Windows session)

•	 Unicode and Long File Path Support (during synchronization)

•	 Copy Locked Files (on Windows XP, 2003 Server, and Vista)

•	 Partial File Updating (using a SmartTracking database or a Remote Service)

•	 Keep Multiple Backup Versions Of Each File (optional)

•	 Database-Aware (can safely be used for database files)

•	 Can Use Recycle Bin (for older versions of files that are replaced)

•	 Email Notification (of Sync Results)

•	 and much more

Purchasing

You can test-drive this Shareware for a period of 30 days. Please consider purchasing the Super Flexible File Synchronizer. If you are in need of additional features, please send your requests!


Wizard Mode
Super Flexible File Synchronizer

This powerful tool now comes with an all-new design and helps you keep your data synchronized in various locations, including backup storage on fixed or removable media. It runs all versions of Microsoft Windows starting with Windows NT or 98 up to Windows Vista and Server 2008.

You are running Super Flexible File Synchronizer in Wizard Mode.

To get started, use the top button of the Welcome Page in order to set up your first synchronization.

If you find that you need more options, please click on Advanced Mode in the menu bar.

In this mode, all available help text is included in the various steps used to create a profile.

Synchronizing - A Way to Back Up Your Data

Today's computers are often equipped with technology (or embedded in a network) that makes it feasible to back up your data by keeping a complete backup copy of it in another location. This can be another PC connected via network, or a second hard disk in your computer, or a removable storage medium.

The purpose of Synchronizing is to have two identical copies of your data. This synchronizing software enables you to create and maintain such copies. While the first creation of a complete copy may take a while, subsequent updates are usually fast! Just run the synchronizer again, and it will detect all changed files and perform a swift update of your copy.

Left or Right - the synchronizer will automatically detect which files are newer on the Left side, and which ones are newer on the Right side, by comparing the last modification dates of the files. The program will automatically prepare to copy the newer file to the other side, so that both sides end up with the latest versions of all files. The only problem is when a file has been modified independently in both storage locations. In that case, the software cannot merge the various changes within the file. It will simply take the version with the latest modification date and copy it over to the other side. For this reason, it is recommended that you take a minute to look at the File List View which shows the results of the comparison before the actual copying is performed. Please verify that all the actions proposed by the software match your intentions.

Key Topics

Synchronization Preview

Profile Overview

The Scheduler

For the most current information, please see the Features List on our web site.

FAQs and Support

Please see the Documentation Pages on our web site for the latest help information.

Purchasing

You can test-drive this Shareware for a period of 30 days. Please consider purchasing the Super Flexible File Synchronizer. If you are in need of additional features, please send your requests!


Features

For the most current information, please see the Features List on our web site.


Profile Settings - Upper Part Of Tab Seet
Profile Settings - Upper Part Of Dialog Box

In this area, you can

•	specify the profile name

•	choose the paths or folders to synchronize

•	choose the copying direction

•	choose subfolders and files

•	specify the Sync Operation Mode

See also:

Advanced Settings

Profile Name

In this field, you can enter or change the profile's name. Please read the information about naming your profile unter the "Profiles" heading (the first option explained in this section).

When you change the name of an existing profile here, you will be asked if you want to also keep it under the original name when you click OK. The Save As button is an alternative way to creating a second copy of a profile.

Left Path

In this field, you enter the left path for the comparison or backup. Click the folder icon to browse for a folder. In the Professional Edition, you can use the little button in order to access an FTP server.

Right Path

In this field, you enter the right path for the comparison or backup. Click the folder icon to browse for a folder. In the Professional Edition, you can use the little button in order to access an FTP server.

Copy Left To Right / Copy Right To Left

It is very important to select the correct direction(s) for the synchronization. You may want to allow the synchronization to copy files in both directions, so that the newest version of either location is selected for each file. On the other hand, especially for backup purposes, you may already know that only one copying direction will be needed. Somer other settings are also dependent on the copying directions: some checkboxes will be disabled when only one direction is chosen, while others are only available when both directions are checked.

Include Subfolders

Specify if no, all, or selected subfolders on both sides are to be included in the synchronization process.

Select Folders and Files...

This option will enable you to select files and directories from the main left/right folders. A new dialog window will come up. This dialog will show the folder trees of both synchronization sides. Please note that in most cases, you should only select files on one side in this dialog, because all folders selected on one side will automatically also be considered on the other.

Sync Operation Modes

The operation modes are also explained briefly on the dialog.

Standard Copying

Standard copying will compare the files and folders present on each side, using the filenames, the "Last Modified" timestamps as well as the file sizes for comparison. Newer files and files that only exist on one side will be copied over to the other side. No files are deleted.

SmartTracking

SmartTracking uses a local database in order to track changes that have been made between the various invocations of the profile. That way, the software will know whether a file has been moved on the left side, or on the right side. It can also detect whether a file has been deleted on one side, or whether the file has actually been added on the other. SmartTracking should always be used whenever you want to keep two locations in sync, both of which are being used for work. SmartTracking is not needed when you do a backup or mirror, or any other case where you synchronize in one direction only. SmartTracking has various additional features which you will see in the SmartTracking dialog box (click on the Configure button).

Exact Mirror

This option is available when copying in one direction only. The purpose is to create an exact mirror of the source path. This may even include deleting files, or overwriting newer files with older ones. Therefore, the option should be used with caution. However, before overwriting newer files or deleting files, confirmation will be demanded from the user - unless the process is running unattended or scheduled, and the Unattended options allow these actions to be carried out without user confirmation.

WARNING: if you want to run the profile in unattended or scheduled mode, be sure to go to the Unattended tab sheet and make the appropriate checkmarks there so that the software will indeed delete files etc. - if you want that to happen.

See also:

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Advanced Settings

The Advanced Settings are available on the following tab sheets. The Defaults button resets the options on these tab sheets. It leaves the remaining options of the dialog box alone.

Schedule

•	Profile Settings - Schedule

•	Profile Settings - Schedule/More

•	Profile Settings - Weekdays and Time Window

•	Profile Settings - Monitoring

Access & Retries

•	Profile Settings - File Access

•	Profile Settings - Waiting and Retrying

Comparison

•	Profile Settings - Comparison

•	Profile Settings - Comparison/More

Files

•	Profile Settings - Files

•	Profile Settings - Deletions

•	Profile Settings - Files/More

Folders

•	Profile Settings - Folders

Job

•	Profile Settings - Job-Related Settings

Masks & Filters

•	Profile Settings - Inclusion Masks

•	Profile Settings - Exclusion Masks

•	Profile Settings - General Filters

•	Profile Settings - File Age and Size

Safety

•	Profile Settings - Safety/Attended Mode

•	Profile Settings - Special Safety

•	Profile Settings - Safety/Unattended Mode

Special Features

•	Profile Settings - Sepcial Features

•	Profile Settings - Database

Versioning

•	Profile Settings - Versioning

•	Profile Settings - Versioning/More

Zipping & Encryption

•	Profile Settings - Zipping

•	Profile Settings - Encryption

See also: Profile Settings - Upper Part Of Tab Seet


Profile Settings - Schedule

On this tab sheet, you specify whether the profile should run automatically when the Scheduler is turned on.

Schedule This Profile

Place a checkmark here in order to set up your profile for repeated automatic execution. As soon as the schedule is configured on this page, you can invoke the Scheduler by choosing its tab sheet from the main dialog and starting it there.

Run Every Day (Or Specified Weekdays)

To set up the profile to be scheduled once every day, select this option and specify the desired time of day. Also select this option if you want to run it once per day on specified weekdays only, even if it is only one day in the week. The weekdays are selected on a different tab sheet.

Run Every (x days/hous/minutes/seconds)

Select this radio button and specify the exact interval that you want to have between each profile run. The minimum is 10 seconds. If you want to run it several times a day, make sure the number for days is zero (0).

Specify Next Run

Place a checkmark here to set the time for the next profile run. You can remove this checkmark to have the scheduler choose a time on its own.

Interval specifies the idle time between runs

With this checkbox seleted, the scheduler will wait for the specified amount of time after a profile has completed before starting it again. For example, if the interval is one hour, and the profile takes one hour to complete, then it will be started every two hours. Without this checkbox, it would be started every hour. Or if it takes longer than an hour, it would be started again immediately after having completed.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Schedule/More

Run Upon Windows Login

This checkbox will cause the profile to be run in the background as soon as you log in to Windows. This is related to the scheduler setting "Auto-Start Background Scheduler With Windows Login" so you must leave that checked too.

Run Upon Windows Logout and Shutdown

With ths checkbox selected, the profile will run when you log out or shut down the computer. This will work as long as at least one Superflexible process is running and you see the icon in the system tray. The background scheduler would be sufficient for this to work. The timer running as a service cannot perform this task however.

Run Missed Daily Jobs Immediately When Scheduler Starts

Jobs might be missed due to the computer being turned off or the scheduler not running. This setting causes missed jobs to be started immediately, when the scheduler is started again, rather than waiting for their next scheduled time.

Add a Random Delay

This option is useful if you want to use irregular intervals, or a different time of day for each profile invocation. One reason for this could be many computers trying to back up their data to the same server, so that you want to have the load spread over a period of time.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Weekdays and Time Window

Note that the settings on the More tab sheet do not cause the profile to run on their own. You must specify the main scheduling times on the Schedule tab sheet.

Weekdays

If you don't want the profile to run each day, please uncheck some of the week days. Specify the time of day or the interval of profile invocation on the Basic or Advanced tab sheets.

Run Only Between

Here, you can specify a time window during which the profile may be executed. However, this setting alone will not cause the profile to be run by the scheduler. Specify the time of day or the interval of profile invocation on the Basic or Advanced tab sheets.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Monitoring

On this tab sheet, you specify whether invocation of the profile should be triggered by the presence of network paths or other devices such as USB drives.

The profile will be  executed as soon as a drive becomes available, or as soon as this computer is connected to the LAN.

The presence of a drive is detected by simply trying to access it at regular intervals. Specify the delay between access attempts here. In addition, you will usually want the profile to pause for a longer time when it has run successfully. You can specify the pause after a successful run too.

The scheduler must be running for the monitoring to become active!

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - File Access

Volume Shadowing

Volume Shadowing is a feature of Windows XP, 2003 Server, and Vista which allows the program to copy locked files (files which are in use by another program). You can specify if volume shadowing should be used, and when it should be used.

Dabase-Safe: Enforce Exclusive Access

The database-safe mode makes sure that no other application can have a file open with write access while it is being copied. A special technique guarantees absolute security even with SQL database files. If an application is currently working with the file, the Synchronizer can be set up to wait until the file is free. While it is being copied, an application trying to access the file in read/write mode will fail and issue an error message. As soon as the copying is finished, the file can be used nomally again.

Prior to copying, verify that all files can be copied by opening them

This setting is rarely used. It ensures (as much as possible) that the copying is only done if all files can actually be copied. That way, you will either get all files copied successfully, or none. To make this possible, a separate step (checking all files) is added before the actual copying starts. If any file is not accessible on the source side or is not writeable on the destination, then the profile will be stopped. Usually this setting is used when profiles are run via scheduler, so that another attempt to copy the files will be made at the next scheduled time.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Waiting and Retrying

Wait For File Access

In both Database-Safe and normal mode, it can occur that other applications prevent the file synchronizer from accessing a file that needs to be copied. When that happens, this program doesn't just abort or skip the file. Instead it will continue copying the remaining files, and then (depending on this option setting) start retrying the files that couldn't be processed yet. You can specify for how long the synchronizer should retry the files. It will use only minimal resources during this period, so don't be afraid to set the retry-time to a high number.

Re-run the profile if an error occurs

•	while the building file list

•	while running the profile

These settings allow you to have the profile retried automatically upon error. You can specify whether to retry only once, or to retry until it has succeeded. Also specify the number of seconds to wait before each retry.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Comparison

Normally, files are compared primarily based on their timestamp - the time and date of the last modification. However, in some cases, the timestamp may be (slightly) different, but the files are really the same. To cope with that, some special cases can be recognized by Super Flexible File Synchronizer.

So, If and only if the file sizes are identical:

Ignore 2 Second Time Differences

If this option is checked, timestamps with deviations of two seconds or less are considered identical. This is needed when synchronizing files between FAT and NTFS file systems, because FAT file systems can only store even numbers as seconds.

Ignore Exact 1 Hour Time Differences

This setting may often be useful to compensate for different computers or filesystems and how they treat daylight savings time. Sometimes, the timestamps reported by the operating system differ by exactly one hour even though they are really the same. With this option checked, this problem will be solved, and it is irrelevant whether the left or the right side of the comparison is one hour behind.

Ignore Seconds

This setting causes the program to ignore seconds when comparing the timestamps of two files.

Ignore Timestamp Altogether

This setting should be rarely used. Files of the same size are assumed to be identical regardless of the timestamp. You should only use this setting if you know exactly why.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Comparison/More

Binary comparison

If you want to make sure that file contents is 100% identical on both sides, use this setting. Only files which would normally be considered identical by looking at the file size and timestamp will be verified. If the binary comparison shows that the files are different, they will be marked for copying in the profile's main copying direction. If the profile has both directions checked, then the Synchronization Preview will show such files with the word CONFLICT and it will not do any copying by default. You can then set the desired copying direction in the Synchronization Preview.

Attribute comparison

This setting causes the program to compare file attributes, such as Read-Only, Hidden, and Archive. When files are identical except for the file attribute, the file is not copied again. Only the attribute is changed on the destination side.

Case Sensitivity: Adjust At Destination

Filenames on Windows are not case-sensitive. This means that myfile.doc would be the same file as MyFile.DOC. However, you may want your files to look identical. So, if you have a folder where some spellings are different in terms of case, then you may use this setting in order to adjust the case at the destination. You can only use this option when the profile has only one main copying direction.

Adjust Folder Timestamps

If you are synchronizing in one direction, you may want the folders on the destination to have the same timestamps as on the source side. Newly created folders are automatically adjusted in this way, but existing folders may deviate. To have existing folders adjusted on the destination side, use this checkbox.

Verify Sync Statistics After Completion

This will cause the left and right folder trees to be scanned completely again after the synchronization has completed. This verification stage will end in detailed statistics which are used to verify that the backup or mirror is complete. Any files or folders that still don't exist on both sides are listed.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Files

Detect Moved Files and Renamed Folders

When files have been moved into different folders, or even when the folder structure has been reorganized, Super Flexible File Synchronizer can detect this. Rather than creating duplicates by merely copying files between the left and right locations, it will perform the same moves that you have done on one side, on the other side. Select this option to enable the detection of moved files.

A limitation of this feature is that moved files can only be recognized as such if they haven't been edited on one side. If they still carry the same timestamp and they still have the same size on both sides of the synchronization, then this software is able to detect that they are identical, even if they are not in the same folders.

You also need to specify whether the location of moved files should be adjusted on the left-hand side or on the right-hand side. On the side that you choose, the file will be moved in such a way that its new location matches that of the other side. Note that these radio boxes are automatically adjusted when you change the main direction of the synchronization.

If you don't want to specify a fixed side (left or right) where the location of files should be adjusted to match the other side, you can use SmartTracking.

Copied files receive current system time as timestamp

This option is rarely used. Normally, files copied to the destination are given the same timestamp that they had on the source side.

Copy only X files per profile execution

When this option is selected, the profile will stop after copying the specified number of files. The remaining files, or another X files, will be copied during the next profile run.

Do not scan destination

When copying only in one direction or moving files, you can select that the program does not check to see which files are currently present on the destination side. The purpose is usually speeding the profile up. This however means that all files will be copied each time unless filters are applied. For backup purposes, you may want to combine this setting with the Archive filter (Copy Only Files With Archive Flag and Clear Archive Flags).

Never Replace Any Files

A rarely used option. This setting causes missing files to be copied over, but existing files won't be updated even if newer versions exist on the other side of the synchronization.

Don't Add Any Files

Use this setting if you want to update existing files only and not copy any new files from one side to the other. This is also rarely used.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Deletions

Use Recycle Bin

These options cause Super Flexible File Synchronizer to try to use the recycle bin for overwritten files and/or files to be deleted. That way, you will  have a chance of retrieving older versions that were replaced or deleted, if necessary. Please note that the recycle bin is not always available, especially not on network drives or FTP servers.

Move Deleted Files Into A Specified Folder...

This setting provides a more reliable alternative to the recycle bin. Rather than deleting files, they will be moved into a special folder which you specify. This setting works even with network drives or FTP servers.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Files/More

Always Append Smaller Destination Files (Resume Transfer)

This setting causes destination files to be resumed when the source file is larger. The program does not verify if the file is still the same, so this option is not usually employed in order to resume FTP transfers. For FTP, use the Auto-Resume feature from the More  tab sheet. A good example of where the Auto-Resume feature cannot be used so that you must use the setting "Always Append..." would be log files which get bigger each day, and you only want to copy the new information each time. In some cases, you may need to combine this option with the following one so that the program uses the suitable copying direction.

Always Consider Larger Files Newer (Ignore Timstamp)

This settings causes the timestamp to be ignored, and files to be compared only by their size. This is not normally recommended but may sometimes be necessary.

Obey Speed Limit

If you want to limit the bandwidth that the copying process will use, you can specify it here. Note that while the copying is running, you will still be able to turn this limitation on or off.

Use Windows API Copying Function

This option causes the program to use a file copying algorithm provided by Windows, rather than using its own copying routine. This affects only the copying process of each individual file, not the general behavior of the software when processing a profile. The Windows API Copying function is sometimes more compatible with some devices, so this option is automatically checked for removeable devices, network drives, and drives connected via USB. However, the Windows API Copying function may sometimes be slower than the internal copying routine.

The Windows API Copying Function is currently the only way to copy Alternate Data Streams along with the files.

Automatically resume incomplete FTP transfers

When this option is selected, files are transfered using a temporary filename at first. Incomplete transfers are retried immediately but if that fails, they can also be retried later on. When the file is complete, it is renamed on the FTP server from the interim name to the correct file name.

Check Existence Of Destination File Again During Copying

Normally, the program checks the existence of the destination file just prior to copying each file, in order to see if it is going to be overwritten. However, some NAS devices respond slowly to these checks if the folder contains many files. Therefore, you can disable this setting in order to speed up the process.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Folders

Create Empty Folders

Here, you can specify whether emtpy folders are replicated.

Remove Folders That Were Emptied

In some cases, the synchronization may cause files to be deleted (for example, in Exact Mirror Mode). If you would like folders that have been emptied to be removed also, activate this setting.

On right side, create a new folder each time

If you are using the profile for backup purposes, you may want to direct your regular backup into a new folder each time. This folder will be created, and it will contain the current date of the backup in the folder name. You must combine this setting with the two "Archive" flag settings on the Filters tab sheet. The "Archive" flags will signal to the software that a file needs to be backed up. Because older backups are contained in various separate folders, the software cannot check whether a file is already contained in an older backup. Therefore, it must depend on the "Archive" flag if you are directing each backup into a separate folder.

Flat Right Side (no folders)

This is a rarely used setting. If you would like to move or copy files from a folder tree on the left side into a flat folder without subfolders on the right side, then use this setting. Files from any subfolder on the left-hand side will be copied into the base folder on the right-hand side.

Use Intermediate Copying Location

This setting will copy the files to an intermediate location first. When this part of the copying is complete, the files will then be moved to their final destination. This is rarely used.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Job-Related Settings

Execute command or script before / after...

This option allows you to execute programs or script at the beginning and/or at the end of the profile.

Override Email Settings...

A separate dialog box will appear which allows you to override some of the email notification settings in each profile. For example, you can specify whether emails are sent for this profile, and override the recipients list.

Run As User...

If you need to run this profile under a different user account in order to be able to access specific files, then you can specify the credentials here.

Network Connections...

Click here to specify network connections that should be made when the profile is run. In most cases, this is not needed because network connections are already active.

Right side must have this volume label

This setting is used when you make sure that the profile is only run with the correct backup medium inserted. When you click on this checkbox, the current volume label is read from the drive containing the right path. In the future, the Super Flexible File Synchronizer will verify that the disk inserted has the same volume label before running this profile. You may, however, use multiple disks with the same volume label. If the volume label does not match, the program will check if any other drive letter matches and will replace the drive letter automatically. As an alternative to this checkbox, you can simply write the volume label in the left or right base path for the synchronization, for example:

USBSTICK:\My Files  (where USBSTICK is the volume label of the desired drive to use)

For This Profile, Use Unattended Mode:

•	When Running Scheduled

•	Always

Here, you select when to run a profile in unattended mode. Normally, unattended mode is only needed when the profile is run automatically, by the scheduler. However, if you want to create one-click tasks that you start manually, but you don't want any questions asked, then you may select "Always" for these profiles. You must do so for each profile that you want to run in unattended mode even if it is manually invoked.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Inclusion Masks

Filename Mask(s)

Specify which files to process. Normally, (all) or * means all files. Alternatively, you can specify filename masks such as *.doc or *.xl?. You can also specify complete file names here, but no folders.

Specify Folder Masks...

A separate dialog will come up allowing you to specify folder name masks. For example, you can use this in order to find all folders with the word ARCHIVE in their names and have them processed.

Include backup files (*.$?$.*)

When using the setting to keep multiple backup versions of the same file (see More), this software may create backup files such as MyFile.$1$.doc. In order to avoid these files being copied back from the backup location to the main data location, these backup files are normally not included in any synchronization. However, if you want to override this hard-wired exclusion, you can place a checkmark next to this setting.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Exclusion Masks

Exclusions (files & folders)

You can exclude certain files or folders such as *.tmp or *.bak. You can also specify complete file or folder names here. When specifying a file or folder name, you must not enter the full path. Enter only the name itself, or a part of the name combined with wildcards. Wildcards to use are * and ?.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - General Filters

Process Hidden Files

This option determines whether hidden files are seen and handled by the program.

Search Hidden Folders

This option determines whether hidden folders are seen and examined by the program.

Copy Only Files With Archive Flag

This option is used for data backup purposes. Whenever a file is changed, Windows will normally set the Archive flag for that file. This signals that the file needs to be backed up. For normal synchronizations, the flag is not needed because the software looks at the left and right sides and decides for itself which files have been updated or added. However, in a data backup context you may sometimes use the software in such a way that the backup medium doesn't always contain all the files from previous backups. In that case, the software would start to back up old files again. To avoid that, you can use this setting. Use it in conjunction with the following setting:

Clear Archive Flags

This setting is used in conjunction with the previous one, also related to the Archive flag. For the preceding option to be useful, the last backup job for any given data folder should clear the Archive flag so that in order to signal that the file has been backed up, and doesn't need to be backed up again unless it is modified. If you have only one backup job for your data, and you are using the filter "Copy Only Files With Archive Flag", then you should check this setting too. If you have several backup jobs for the same data, please make sure that the last backup job that runs clears the Archive flag. Again, you only need to do this if you are working with Archive flags at all (and the prededing option is checked).

Use Timestamp Filters For Folder Too

This setting would filter folders out whose timestamp does not match the specified range. This is not recommended because the timestamp of folders is often not updated even though files have changed in the folders. So this may result in undesired exclusions of files.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - File Age and Size

Constrain File Sizes

This option enables you to copy only files within a certain range of file sizes. Sample file sizes are: 512, 2.125k, 5M, 2G.

Constrain Timestamps

Using these settings, you can limit the synchronizing to files last modified within a certain period of time.

File Age

Rather than specifying a fixed date range, you may want to choose a certain age for the files that you want to synchronize. The age that you specify is always seen relative to the current date when the profile is executed.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Safety/Attended Mode

Attended

These options specify which warnings Super Flexible File Synchronizer is going to generate in certain situations encountered during file synchronization. These options are only in effect when the program is running in attended mode (i.e. not scheduled, and not otherwise invoked in unattended mode).

Warn before running a profile that moved files and deletes from source

This warning will come up when a profile with the "Move Files" mode is started. The warning can be confirmed and disabled for the future when it appears, so you do not need to remove the checkmark on this tabsheet (it will be removed when the warning is permanently confirmed).

When not keeping multiple backup versions:

Warn before overwriting read-only files

In Windows Explorer, when you right-click a file and choose "Properties", you can choose to protect a file by choosing its read-only attribute. Some applications also protect important files by marking them read-only. This option determines whether read-only files are replaced with or without requiring confirmation from the user. Note that this warning only occurs when the synchronizer is not keeping multiple backup versions of each replaced file (see Edit Profiles - More Profile-Specific Settings (More)).

Warn before overwriting larger files with smaller ones

This is the warning that is most frequently turned off. When editing documents, the files don't always become larger. It often happens that the most current version is smaller than a previous one. If you don't want to have to manually confirm such cases, you can uncheck this option. Like the previous one, this warning only occurs when the synchronizer is not keeping multiple backup versions of each replaced file (see Edit Profiles - More Profile-Specific Settings (More)).

In Exact Mirror Mode, or when manually specified:

Warn before overwriting newer files with older ones

In Exact Mirror Mode, the synchronizer will try to make the mirror match the model exactly. This can mean that sometimes, files need to be replaced by ones with an older modification date. In that case, the software will normally require confirmation from the user. To avoid having to confirm this replacement, uncheck this option.

Warn before deleting files

Another thing that can occur in Exact Mirror Mode is that files need to be deleted from the mirror because they no longer exist on the "model" side. In that case, the software will normally require confirmation from the user. To avoid having to confirm these deletions, uncheck this option.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Special Safety

Special Safety Warnings

Super Flexible File Synchronizer now includes additional safety checks to avoid accidental deletion of files. It is important to be aware of these safety checks because they can prevent your profiles from being carried out if you ignore them. The safety checks must be individually configured or turned off in each profile.

When a profile is executed and more files are going to be deleted than allowed by the new safety checks, then the user must confirm the deletions even in unattended mode. Without the confirmation, the profile will not be executed.

The safety checks have been designed to catch the following situations:

•	files have been accidentally deleted on one side of a synchronization

•	incomplete or empty FTP directories are received due to bad communication

Especially when incompletely received FTP directory listings could cause the profile to delete files, it is recommended to keep the new safety checks on (but you can change the pecentages that trigger the warnings).

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Safety/Unattended Mode

These options specify how Super Flexible File Synchronizer behaves in unattended mode, and at which times unattended mode is in effect.

Overwrite Read-Only Files

When this option is checked, the software will automatically overwrite read-only files when running in unattended mode. In attended mode, it always demands a confirmation from the user. When this option is unchecked and the profile is run in unattended mode, then read-only files are skipped without any notification whatsoever.

Enable Special Safety Warnings

These are new safety checks to prevent accidental deletion of files. They may prevent your profile from being executed at all. Please see the Attended tab sheet for details.

Overwrite Larger Files With Smaller Ones If File Dates Require It

When this option is checked, the software will automatically overwrite larger files with smaller ones when running in unattended mode - if the files' modification dates require it. In attended mode, it always demands a confirmation from the user in this case. When this option is unchecked and the profile is run in unattended mode, then such files are skipped.

Exact Mirror Mode May Overwrite Newer Files

In order to create an exact mirror, the Exact Mirror Mode may sometimes have to overwrite newer files with older ones. Normally, it would ask the user to confirm this. However, when run unattended, this option must be checked or those files will not be replaced.

Exact Mirror Mode May Delete Files

In order to create an exact mirror, the Exact Mirror Mode may sometimes have to delete files. Normally, it would ask the user to confirm this. However, when run unattended, this option must be checked or those files will not be deleted. In addition, please specify a percentage of files that may be deleted. For example, if you leave the figure at 90%, the profile would not be executed at all if more than 90% of the files currently present on either side would be deleted.

The program will never delete all files from either side of the synchronization, even if you specify 100% here. If deletion of all files can occur and you really want it to happen, then you need to create a dummy (text) file which always stays on both sides and which disables this security mechanism, simply by being there.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Special Features

Cache Destination File List...

The file list of the destination side can be buffered in a cache, which is stored as a database on your computer. When this database is used, building the file list can be much quicker. However, you need to make sure that no other program or persons modifies the destination side, because otherwise it would get out of sync with the cache.

This setting will speed up running a profile by using a database as cache for the destination file list. It can be used in the following case:

•	you are copying only from source to destination (not in both directions)

•	nobody else, and no other profile, is modifying the files on the destination

•	you want to speed up building the file list, and it needs the speed-up because the destination is relatively slow (such as FTP or WebDAV)

As an alternative speed-up for FTP, be sure to try using the recursive directory listing command, which is fast also (LIST -alR). You can choose it on the FTP dialog, on the second tab sheet.

Use Cache Database For Source

This setting is only used by the Restore Wizard. It enables you to use the database cache for the source side rather than the destination. This is not usually reasonable for profiles that run regularly. The typical application is a restore operation.

Process Security And Shares...

A separate dialog will appear where you can specify how the program copied file security settings and/or folder shares.

Use Partial File Updating

Partial file updating can speed up backing up very large files of which only a portion changes each day. For example, SQL database files may be a good candidate for this setting. For more information, please see Partial File Updating.

Alternate Data Streams

Support for Alternate Data Streams is not in its final state at this point. Alternate Data Streams are copied along with the files when using the Windows API Copying function (see Profile Settings - Files/More).

When you click on th Alternate Data Stream checkbox on this tab sheet, you will be presented with a rarely used option. If you have a server with a special Macintosh file share and want to back up the files to a drive that does not support Alternate Data Streams, then this option will allow you to split the resource forks into separate AppleDouble files.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Database

These settings enable the program to share the same database between several profiles. Normally, you don't need to edit any of the fields on this tab sheet. When saving a profile under a new name, you will be asked if you would like to continue using the same database.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Versioning

Keep Multiple Backup Versions

When files on one side are replaced by newer versions from the other, this software can keep the older versions by renaming them. You can specify how many backup versions to keep.

It is recommended that you use the Filename Encoding feature for keeping multiple backup versions. However, since this means that all filenames are encoded, you may prefer not to use it.

If you don't use Filename Encoding, then there is an alternate naming scheme where only the older backup versions are renamed. For example, a file named letter.doc would be renamed to letter.$1$.doc. The next older version would be letter.$2$.doc, and so forth.

When not using Filename Encoding, older versions can be moved into a separate folder. This is not recommended because it is currently not supported by the Restore Wizard,  so you'd have to get the older versions from the separate folders manually.

Filename Encoding - On Right Side, Put Timestamp Into File Names

(Preserves Timestamp on FTP Sites)

Filename Encoding is the recommended way to do a versioning backup as well as preserve the timestamps on FTP sites that don't accept timestamps.

Putting the timestamp into the file names can serve two purposes when backing up data:

•	It enables FTP sites to serve as a fully transparent side for the synchronization, because the time stamp will be shown fully correct in future runs of the profile. The mangled filename will be decoded by this software and the original filename will be shown with the correct timestamp. Unfortunately, FTP servers don't allow manipulations of the timestamp so that without this setting, the FTP site would always show the timestamp of the date of the backup - not the original timestamp of the file itself.

•	To keep multiple versions of the same file on the destination, this feature may be useful.

See also Versioning / Filename Encoding on our web site.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Versioning/More

Remove parenthesized version numbers before extension on the right side: file(2).ext

This option will remove the version numbers like the example from files on the right side, when copying right to left.

Do Not Decode Filenames When Building The File List

Filenames where the program has encoded additional information into the filename are normally shown in their original, unencoded form. However, if you would like to make a 1:1 copy of a backup location which contains mangled filenames, then you need to use this setting so that files are copied without decoding their filenames.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Zipping

There are two ways of using ZIP files. You can either

•	ZIP the source files individually. On the right side, one ZIP file will be created for each file that is copied from the left-hand side to the right-hand side. The advantage of this method is that in future synchronizations, the zipped files are fully transparent and they will be shown in the Synchronization Preview as normal files. Since future synchronizations will see the zipped files as normal files, they will know exactly if they are still identical to the left-hand side. When copying these zipped files back

•	Put many files in each ZIP file. The program calls these files ZIP Packages. In future runs, the files inside the ZIP Packages are not seen by the software. Therefore, you need to resort to the "Archive" flag in order to determine which files are new or changed and need to be backed up. ZIP Packages cannot be encrypted by Super Flexible File Synchronizer. ZIP Packages can also be used in order to speed up file transfer over a small or medium bandwidth network connection. If used that way, the ExtremeSync Remote Service must be installed on the destination machine and be configured properly.

ZIP Each File Individually (when copying left to right)

This method ZIPs each file individually as described above. The ZIP file will have the same name, plus a few digits encoding the uncompressed size of the file, plus the .zip extension. The uncompressed size needs to be encoded in the file name in order to make the ZIP file transparent for future synchronizations.

Use ZIP Packages (many files per ZIP archive)

This settings enables the use of ZIP Packages as described above. A separate dialog with some related options will appear when this option is chosen.

ZIP directly to destination

Normally, ZIP files are generated in a temporary folder and then copied to the destination. This setting changes that and generates the ZIP files directly in the destination folder. This setting cannot be used for FTP transfers.

Unzip all ZIP files

Normally, the program unzips only ZIP files that it has generated itself during a previous run. To unzip any ZIP file, when copying from right to left, use this setting.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


Profile Settings - Encryption

Encryption can be performed when files are copied from the left-hand side to the right-hand side. Copying in the opposite direction or using the Restore Wizard will decrypt the files.

The recommended method is to combine encryption with zipping and to use ZIP-Compatible AES encryption (256 bit). However, you can also use some encryption methods without zipping the files

The password phrase should be longer than normal passwords since it is used to generate an encryption key.

See also:

Upper Part Of Tab Seet

Advanced Settings


SmartTracking

SmartTracking is used when synchronizing two locations, and new or updated files can be expected on both sides. SmartTracking can detect on which side a file has been changed, moved, or deleted.

SmartTracking uses a local database in order to track changes that have been made between the various invocations of the profile. That way, the software will know whether a file has been moved on the left side, or on the right side. It can also detect whether a file has been deleted on one side, or whether the file has actually been added on the other. SmartTracking should always be used whenever you want to keep two locations in sync, both of which are being used for work. SmartTracking is not needed when you do a backup or mirror, or any other case where you synchronize in one direction only. SmartTracking has various additional features which you will see in the SmartTracking dialog box.

SmartTracking  keeps information in a database linked to the profile name. On the first run, SmartTracking will record the state of each file. Starting with the second run, the SmartTracking settings will become active. Do not rename the profile, because then it will not be able to find its original database. Do not use more than one profile for synchronization of the same folders.

The SmartTracking dialog has four tab sheets:

Detection of Moved Files

"Moved files" refers to files that have been moved into a different folder on one side, but not on the other. By looking at these files only, it is not possible to determine on which side the file has been moved - in other words, it is hard to tell which of the folders the desired new location for the file is. SmartTracking solves this problem by comparing the current locations against the previous locations stored in its database. That way, the software can find out on which side the move has been performed, and it can then perform the same move on the other side as part of the synchronization process.

Files Deleted On One Side

In many cases, when the synchronization is started, there will be files that exist only on one side of the synchronization. These files are usually new files that should be copied over to the other side. But sometimes, this situation occurs because a file has been deleted on one side. The user will normally not want to have this file copied back from the other side. The desired action is often to have it deleted on the other side too.

SmartTracking can detect these cases, but ultimately you are responsible for what the synchronizer does, so please verify the actions in the Synchronization Preview before starting it. To ensure that no important files can get lost accidentally, the software will not actually delete these files. It will move them into a special folder which you need to specify as the last setting in this dialog box. That way, you can always retrieve files that have been deleted but for some reason shouldn't have.

Files Changed On Both Sides

Traditionally, when synchronizing bidirectionally, this synchronization software would always copy the file with the latest timestamp to the other side, overwriting the older file that is already there. This is usually fine, but in some cases it may be a problem: what if the file has been edited by two different persons on both sides of the synchronization? One of the files may have a later timestamp, but it is not clear that this is the (only) version that should continue to exist on both sides.

So, you can choose to have such files be labeled as CONFLICT. Then, you will need to look closely at the Synchronization Preview window and resolve these conflicts manually by specifying a copying direction for each file. Or you can specify that both versions of the file, from the left and right sides, should be kept. To keep both versions, one of them is renamed and then both are copied.

Consider different files with the same name, not present in database, a conflict

This covers a very specific case, where a file exists on both sides, but it is not identical, and it's not in the database either. Normally the program would simply copy the newer version of this file and overwrite the older version on the other side with it. To prevent that, you can use this checkbox. It will make the program consider these files a conflict and treat the conflict according to the settings in the upper part of this tab sheet.

OPTIONS

Detect Unchanged Files

Some storage locations, such as FTP or WebDAV servers, always give uploaded files the current system time as Last Modified timestamp. This is generally a problem for synchronization, because you can never get the timestamps to match on both sides. If you are synchronizing in both directions, to and from the problematic server, then you may want to have SmartTracking detect whether files with new timestamps are really changed or not. It does so by querying the timestamp of freshly uploaded files immediately after the upload. This timestamp is stored in the SmartTracking database. On the next run, if the timestamp is still the same, the program will know that the file has not changed.


Partial File Updating

See also the most current information on our web site.

Partial file updating can speed up backing up very large files of which only a portion changes each day. For example, Outlook .pst-files and SQL database files may be a good candidate for this setting. The feature is selected on the Edit Profiles - Advanced tab sheet.

This feature can work in different modes:

Mode 1: Slow Destination

In this mode, the speed-up is available when you copy files from a location to which you have fast access (preferably your own hard disk). The destination can be reached via slow connection, but it must be a normal Windows file system (either LAN or VPN). Even when backing up from one fast hard disk to another, there can be a speed-up due to partial file updating!

The speed-up is achieved by storing MD5 checksums for copied files in a local database. Speed-up is not available for FTP, but it can be done using SSH/SFTP (Mode 1 only).

Instructions

In your profile, make the following checkmark: Use Partial File Updating, which is on the Advanced tab sheet in Advanced Mode. The next time you run the profile, a .syndb database is created on your hard drive where information needed for the speed-up is stored. The second time you run the profile, you should notice the speed-up.

Only files with a size of at least 400,000 bytes are affected by the speed-up. The file is handled in slices of 200,000 bytes each. An MD5 checksum is used to determine whether a slice has been changed and needs updating. Therefore, there is a minute, totally unrealistic chance that a change might not be detected.

Mode 2: Slow Source and/or destination

This mode can speed up updating large files in both directions. The remote computer can be both source and/or destination. This is achieved by running a small service application on the remote computer, which will create the necessary checksums when requested by the main application running on a different machine. To install the ExtremeSync Remote Service on the remote computer, you need to have administrative access to that system, which has to be running Windows.

The other (local) computer, where the main Super Flexible File Synchronizer is running, needs to have normal Windows file system access to the remote computer (LAN or VPN). It needs to have write access to the remote computer so that it can save the checksum request file there. The MD5 checksums are created when needed, so that no database is being used.

Support for an FTP connection will be added in a later release.

Instructions

On the remote system, run the Setup program and install the ExtremeSync Remote Service along with its control panel. Start the control panel from the Super Flexible group in the Start menu.

On the tab sheet Configure Checksummer, enter the base folders that will be used for synchronization. Click Apply.

On the tab sheet Service Configuration, click on Install Service and Start. The service will be using the Windows System account by default. If this account doesn't have sufficient access privileges, you may have to change the account in Windows Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services.

On the local system, you are running the main program, Super Flexible File Synchronizer. In your profile, the right side must be the remote system. Specify one of the folders which you have specified for the remote service to monitor. The left side should be your local folders, or a network drive with relatively fast access. On the Advanced tab sheet in Advanced Mode, make the following checkmarks: Use Partial File Updating and Right side uses Remote Service.

That's it! Subsequent file updates should be much faster, if the file already exists on both sides, and if only a portion of the file has changed.


Synchronization Preview

This window shows all files found on both sides. You can see on which side(s) a particular file currently exists by looking into the Date and Size columns. On the left, you have various options to control which kinds of files will be shown. When you hit the Start button, only the files shown will be affected, and only if they have an Action specified in the Action column (see below the screenshot). To change actions for specific files, select the files and use the Menu button or right-click the file list invoked by the right mouse button.

Possible Actions

• : copy to the right side

• : copy to the left side

MOVE

File will be moved into a different folder on one side. Use the radio buttons on the lower left to control on which side moved files will be adjusted.

DELETE

File will be deleted. This can only occur in Exact Mirror Mode, or if deletion has been manually selected for a file.

CONFLICT

The items and the left or right side are different, but the software cannot detect the correct action. This can be because on one side, it is a file, and a folder on the other side, or it can be caused by a failed binary comparison of a file. SmartTracking also causes this label when a files has been changed on both sides.

time->   /   <-time

The timestamp of the folder should be adjusted.

case->   /   <-case

The spelling of the file should be adjusted to match the case of the source side.

Also see:

Context Menu in File List View

Introducing Super Flexible File Synchronizer


Menu in File List View

This is the context menu that you can use with selected files in the file list view. To bring it up, select some items and click the right mouse button within the selected rows. Or, click on the Menu button.

Using this context menu, you can manually select the action that should be performed with the selected files and/or folders. In addition, you can remove the items from the list, as well as delete files immediately. The menu also informs you about the keyboard shortcuts that can be used in the File List View.

Note that these menu items can be very useful:

Select All Files In This Folder (F3):

This command extends the selection so that it includes all files in the folder that belongs to the top of the selection. Combining F3 with some of the other commands, you can quickly change the action for or deselect or remove complete folders in the list.

Select All Items In This Subtree (F4):

This command extends the selection so that it includes all files and folders in the folder that belongs to the top of the selection, as well as all sub-folders. Combining F4 with some of the other commands, you can quickly change the action for or deselect or remove complete subtrees in the list.

Also see:

File List View (Synchronization Status)

Advantages

Purchasing


Profile Overview

This tab sheet shows an overview of all stored profiles and allows you to manage your profiles.

Here's the meaning of the symbols in the toolbar:

•	Add New Profile, Edit, Rename, Delete

•	Run Selected Profile(s), Run Checked Profile(s), Stop, Restore Wizard

•	Tools and Settings

When editing a profile from the Profile Overview, you will automatically edit in in Advanced Mode and see all available options.

There are two ways to select profiles.

•	Click on the rows in the table to select them with a light blue bar. You can select multiple profiles by dragging or ctrl- and shift-clicking. Selected profiles can be run with the single Play button.

•	Click on the checkmarks to choose a combination of profiles which is remembered even after you exit the program. These profiles can be run with the double Play button (or fast forward, symbolizing "Start Many").

Also make sure you try the context menu which you get by right-clicking on profiles. You have three choices of how to start a profile:

Run In Attended Mode

In attended mode, the profile will run in the foreground and you will see all the progress information related to building the file list. You will then see the Synchronization Preview and you can check the copying actions that the program wants to make. You can make changes in the Preview and then continue with the execution or cancel the profile.

Run In Unattended Mode

In unattended mode, the profile will also run in the foreground but it will not wait for any user input or offer you to examine the Sync Preview. It will start copying right away, but you can cancel it at any time.

Run In Background

When run in the background, the profile will be executed by a separate process which will show in Task Manager as ExtremeSyncService.exe. You will not see a lot of details, but some progress information is shown in the Profile Overview. You can stop the profile with the Stop button in the toolbar.

Running profiles in the background is the only way to run several profile simultaneously. The scheduler can also run profiles in the background and simultaneously, see the option "Start Profiles In Parallel" in the Tools and Settings menu on the Scheduler tab sheet.


The Scheduler

You have the choice between three schedulers: the Background Scheduler (default), the Foreground Scheduler, and the Service Scheduler (Professional Edition only).

Background Scheduler (new!)

This is the default scheduler. It will run in the background in a separate process. All status and progress information can be seen on the Scheduler tab sheet. You can actually make the background scheduler visible by right-clicking on its tray icon and selecting "Reveal Background Windows".

The Background Scheduler usually starts when you log in to Windows. You can select this in the Tools and Settings menu. You can also choose whether to start profiles in parallel (simultaneously).

Foreground Scheduler (formally Internal Scheduler)

While the Foreground Scheduler is running, you cannot access any other parts of the software. For that reason, this scheduler type is no longer recommended but you may use it if you prefer.

Service Scheduler

The service scheduler is a bit more difficult to set up. Please note that the word "install" is used in a double sense when speaking about services. First, the service's file must be installed (=copied) onto the computer. Second, the service must be installed (=registered) with the Windows operating system so that it is known as a service and automatically started when Windows boots up.

Install Service / Uninstall Service buttons

These buttons register the ExtremeSync Service with Windows. A registered/installed service can be started and stopped, and by default it will start automatically when Windows boots up.

Local Service / Remote Computer

You have the choice between administration of the service on your local computer, or on a remote machine. To connect to a remote system, enter that system's network name and click on "Connect".

Start / Stop

When the service has been installed properly, it can be started and stopped. Start launches the ExtremeSync Service process and activates its scheduler. Stop cancels whatever the service is currently doing and terminates its process. Please note that several seconds may pass after clicking on either of these buttons before the operation has completely finished.

See also:

The ExtremeSync Service for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003

Other Related topics:

Edit Profiles - More Profile-Specific Settings (Schedule)


The ExtremeSync Service for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003
The ExtremeSync Service for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008

Note: Super Flexible File Synchronizer comes with two services: the ExtremeSync Service and the ExtremeSync Remote Service. Most customers will only need the ExtremeSync Service, which is documented on this page. The Remote Service is only used to uncompress incoming ZIP Packages on a remote backup server. See the ZIP Package configuration dialog for more information about that.

The ExtremeSync Service for Windows NT/2000/XP/2003

The Service is used as a replacement for the internal scheduler of the software. The service itself operates in the background. If installed, it is started when Windows is started, even before users log on. This means that scheduled

synchronizations take place without users having to log on.

Tips on the Use of the ExtremeSync Service

The service is installed and started from the Scheduler tab sheet of the main application window.

In Windows Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services, please edit the ExtremeSync Service's properties in order to specify:

•	a log on account (otherwise there are no network access rights)

•	the Startup type (automatic / manual)

Deleting to the recycle bin is not supported by the service.

The profiles should not use network-assigned drive letters. Those are normally invisible to the service, so you need to use fully qualified network names starting with \\.

The setting for the "Store Preferences" location on the Options tab sheet should be "One INI File for all users", or the service won't always have access to the settings. If you need to change this setting, please use Save To INI before making the switch, and Load From INI after the switch in order to carry your profiles over to the new location.

See also:

Configuring the Service via ExtremeSync Service Control Panel on the Scheduler tabsheet.


Program Settings

These are some settings that affect how Super Flexible File Synchronizer behaves in general. None of these options are profile-specific.

For other advanced information, please see Advanced Information.

Store Preferences

You can select the location where to store the profiles and settings. To do this, select the appropriate option here.

The new INI file location (the exact file path) will be displayed here when you restart the program. Note that the INI file location can be overriden using the /INI=xxx command line option, see Advanced Information.

Startup Options

These options specify how the background scheduler should behave when Windows is started.

Log files

On the Options tab sheet, you can also activate logging:

Each log file will contain detailed information about all operations that the synchronizer carries out while running a profile, including the start and end time and date.

Notification Preferences

If desired, the program can send an email whenever a profile has been run. Be sure to go into the Email Settings dialog and specify the recipient(s) and the SMTP server details.

Miscellaneous

You can specify a folder where the databases are stored (when using SmartTracking, Cache Destination File List, or Partial File Updating).

You can also specify an external diff tool which is used to show a text comparison of two files with the same name on each side. In the Sync Preview, you can use the right-click (context) menu to invoke the diff tool.

Advanced Options

Use Windows API File Copying Function (slower)

If you experience any problems with the file copying, try this option. In particular, it may solve performance problems with MacOS 10.3 (Panther) network drives, as well as solve compatibility problems with buggy drivers for removeable media. Sometimes it may also improve working with Netware servers. For normal copying, this option should not be used, since it slows copying down a bit.

Buffer size for copying files

The main reason that the integrated copying algorithm is faster than many others is the large buffer that is normally used. You can adjust the size to optimize working with some types of media.


Data Backup and Synchronizing a Work Group's Shared Files

Backing up and Sharing Data

Super Flexible File Synchronizer is a good solution for backing up data and sharing data - even over the Internet. Currently, this requires a medium accessible as a drive letter or network path, or an FTP server. If you want to synchronize shared data using a central reloading point, you can simply run the synchronizing software independently on each machine. Please read this page completely in order to be able to configure all the settings correctly.

For some options, it is required that the backup medium (or the central reloading point for shared data) is on the right side of the synchronization, and the local hard disk is the left side.

Direct Access To Medium

If you have direct access to the location where you want to back up your data, (or the location that you want to use as a central reloading point for the shared data), then you can simply use a normal file synchronization in order to update your files and/or the backup location/reloading point.

FTP as Backup Medium or Reloading Point

If you want to use an FTP server for backup or as the central reloading point for shared data, please use the new "file name mangling" option which stores the timestamp as part of the file name (see last green box below).

ZIP Compression

To speed up file transfer, you can activate ZIP compression on the right side of the synchronization. You can do this on the ZIP tab sheet among the profile-specific settings. Files copied from left to right are compressed, whereas files copied from right to left are unzipped. The filename on the right side becomes longer: the unzipped size it put into the filename, as well as the extension .zip.

Data Encryption

Especially for FTP servers, you may want to secure your data by encrypting it. This feature is also found on the ZIP tab sheet. For optimum encryption, the password phrase should be about 32 characters long. Files copied from left to right are encrypted, whereas files copied from right to left are decrypted. Encrypted files are given an additional file extension (.1crypt or .2crypt, depending on the chosen encryption method).

Special Features in FTP Support

Each file's timestamp can be preserved via FTP by incorporating it into the filename on the FTP site. This is useful for backing up data, as well as for using the FTP server as a central storage point for synchronization of two or more PCs which aren't connected via LAN.

> Activate this on the profile-specific tab sheet entitled "Comparison", or from within the

> FTP dialog.

A Proxy Server can also be specified for FTP sites.


Advanced Information

For general documentation about the Options tab sheet, please see Options.

Please refer to our web site for the most current advanced information, containing variables, command line parameters and other useful information.


Purchasing

For purchasing information, please visit our web site:

www.superflexible.com

For further information, please write to tobias@superflexible.com

Your ideas and requests are important to us. Please write!

Also see:

Introducing Super Flexible File Synchronizer

Advantages

Superflexible Software


Super Flexible Software

Company Information

Super Flexible Software Ltd. & Co. KG

Tobias Giesen

Registered in Germany, Amtsgericht Steinfurt HRA 5061

Internet Site: www.superflexible.com

Electronic Mail: tobias@superflexible.com

Telephone: +49 5973 6002-10

FAX: +49 5973 6002-14

Postal address

Lessingstr. 42

48485 Neuenkirchen

Germany

Also see:

Introducing Super Flexible File Synchronizer

Advantages

Purchasing