Axentra Sync

From Axentra

Axentra Sync, also known as Axentra Back-N-Sync, allows you to keep files on your client computer up-to-date on your Axentra Server. (It can also be known as Client backup, to differentiate it from the Server backup facility provided in the admin area.) It works by using a program installed on your client computer to periodically copy changed files to your Server.

Before you Begin

Axentra Sync uses both SSH and https to communicate with your Axentra Server. Since SSH may be turned off by default, you should ensure it is turned on in your Server's admin area before you attempt to use Axentra Sync.

Downloading and Installing

The latest version of the Axentra Sync software is available for download from the Axentra website at http://www.axentra.com/support/downloads/sync.html. Download the version appropriate for your operating system, and run the installer.

Configuring and Using

Note: These instructions are only for the most recent version of the software. If you are running an earlier version of Axentra Sync, you should upgrade to the latest version. Your settings will be migrated to the new version when you do so, but you should verify that they're correct before you attempt to use the software.

When you run Axentra Sync for the first time on your computer (hereafter referred to as the client), you will be prompted for your Axentra Server domain name, your username, and your password. Enter the information, and click Done when you're finished. You will be taken to the Folder List panel.

The Folder List panel shows all the folders that will be backed up or synced to the Server. There will be no folders listed here when you first run Axentra Sync. To add a folder, click the Add Folder button on the left. You can choose any folder inside your "local root" folder (see Advanced Preferences, below) -- by default, any folder on your computer -- to synchronize. Each folder you select will be added to the folder list, and all of the files and folders within them will be synchronized to your Server.

The folders in the folder list will have different coloured icons according to their status:

• A yellow folder indicates that the Axentra Sync program does not know whether this folder is up-to-date on the Server.
• A red folder means that there have been changes to the folder on your computer that haven't yet been synced to the Server.
• A green folder means that the folders on your computer and on the Server are identical.

Each folder also has an informative tooltip if you hover your mouse pointer over it.

Note: The Axentra Sync software does not keep these icons up to date automatically. If you want to know whether a given folder is up to date on the Server, you should select it and click the "Refresh Folder Status" button. This will cause the program to calculate if the folders on your computer are in sync with the Server, by contacting the Server remotely.

Synchronizing

To synchronize all of these folders from your client to your Server, click the button labelled "Back-N-Sync All Listed Folders". (You can also select individual folders and sync just those by clicking the "Back-N-Sync Selected Folders" button.) The Axentra Sync program will contact your Server, and any files you have changed since your last sync operation will be copied over to the Server. Note: In the default configuration, this will overwrite the equivalent file on your Server! Be sure you have not made separate changes to the same file on the Server.

The folders you have marked will be synced to your "remote root" folder on the Server (see Advanced Preferences, below). By default, this is a subfolder of the Back-N-Sync folder which will be named after your client computer. You can access them from anywhere on the internet in the same way as you could access any other files in your Files area -- by using the Files application, for example.

Scheduling

You can configure Axentra Sync to sync your folders to your Server automatically. Under the Back-N-Sync menu, select Preferences, and then select Schedule from the options at left. You can choose to sync automatically when you start or exit the program, at a certain time of the day, or at fixed intervals every day.

Note: If you configure it to synchronize your files when you exit the program, the program's exit will be delayed until the synchronization is complete. If you have changed lots of files, or have marked many folders for syncing, this can take minutes or even hours.

Advanced Settings

There are several advanced settings which affect the behaviour of the Axentra Sync program. You can view or change them by selecting Preferences from the Back-N-Sync menu. However, you should not change these settings unless you know what you are doing.

Root of local Back-n-Sync Folders

Also known as the "client root" folder. Only this folder, and the folders within it, can be selected for synchronization. Leave this field blank to be able to synchronize any file on your computer.

Destination Root Folder on Server

Also known as the "remote root" folder. The folders that you mark for synchronization will be copied to this folder on your Server's Files area. If you blank this out, any folders you synchronize will be copied directly into your home folder. Note: This is dangerous. Files synchronized from your computer will overwrite the same file on your Server.

Mode of Operation

The default mode of operation, as described above, is called Backup mode, since files on your computer are being backed up to the Server. The other option is Synchronization mode. In this mode, when you sync files, the operation will work in both directions: any changes made on the Server to folders you have marked will be copied down to your computer, in addition to copying files from your computer to the Server. This ensures that both locations have the most recent available files, but the process is much slower than Backup mode.

Alternate Ports

Some ISPs may block port 443, the https port, in an attempt to prevent you from running a server on your internet connection. If you know that port 443 is blocked for you (see Port 80 blocking for strategies to determine if this is the case), you can configure an alternate port on your Server, on the ISP Workarounds page of the admin area. You will need to enter that same port number here to be able to use Axentra Sync with your Server.

Debugging

See "Getting Help" below to learn how to use this feature.

Problems

• If you are having trouble synchronizing, ensure that you have entered the proper domain name, username and password into the program.
• Your computer may not be able to reach the Server. Verify that you can access it via the web interface and via SSH before you attempt to synchronize files.
• Windows users: You can only synchronize files that are on your own computer. Trying to synchronize network shares will fail. You may also have problems syncing mapped network drives.

Getting Help

If you are having problems with synchronization, or if the Axentra Sync program is behaving erratically, you may need to solicit help from an Axentra support technician. To make it easier to determine the cause and solution of your problem, you should follow this procedure:

• Go to the Advanced Preferences area (see above), and in the Debugging section, check the box labelled "Log debugging output".
• Exit Axentra Sync, and restart it.
• Perform at least one synchronization operation.
• Return to the Advanced Preferences area. Click the "Save log..." button, and save the debugging log file to your computer.
• Email this debugging log file to support@axentra.com along with a complete description of the problem you are encountering, and what steps can be taken to recreate the problem. An Axentra Support technician will use this information to help diagnose your problem.