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Fine tune the way SyncBackPro handles file change detection.

 

When a profile is run, SyncBackPro only copies files that have been changed and new files. It uses four different methods to check if a file is different in the source and destination:

 

Last file modification date & time: All files record the date & time of when they were last changed.

 

File size: All files record the number of bytes they contain.

 

Hash value: A unique value can be computed based on the contents of a file. These values can be used to check if a files contents is the same as another's.

 

File attributes: Files have special attributes, e.g. read-only, hidden, etc., and SyncBackPro can optionally check for changes in these attributes

 

You have the option to not use some of these methods, and also change how they are used.

 

Skip the Differences screen when this profile is run (it is never shown when unattended): Whenever you run a profile, it will compare the source and destination, and display the results in the Differences window. However, you can skip this window by enabling this option. Note that the Differences window is never displayed if you run SyncBackPro with command line parameters (e.g. from the Windows Task Scheduler), or if a profile is run in the background, or if there are no differences. In most cases there is no need to display this window, except if you want to check to see what the differences are. The Differences window is always displayed when doing a Simulated Run, Simulated Restore, or Restore.

 

Do not show the Differences screen if it is empty (due to filter settings): If this option is enabled, and the filter settings on the Differences window are such that no files are displayed, then the Differences window will be automatically closed and the profile run will continue. The Differences window is always displayed when doing a Simulated Run, Simulated Restore, or Restore.

 

Use slower but more reliable method of file change detection: By default, SyncBackPro will not compute the hash value of a file. The reason is that it can dramatically increase the time taken for a profile to run. However, if you want to be absolutely certain that SyncBackPro detects if a file has changed, so that it is copied, then you can enable this option. The only reason to enable this option is if you do not trust the last file modification date & time of the files, and the file size may not change. For example, by default, TrueCrypt drive container files never change size or last modification date & time (note that you can configure TrueCrypt to change the contains last modification date & time via the Settings->Preferences main menu). Note that this option will not work if you are using an FTP server that does not support the XCRC extension (the log will contain the warning message "The FTP server does not support hashing").

 

Always use slower but more reliable method of file change detection: SyncBackPro will not calculate a files hash value (to detect file differences) if it has already discovered a file is different anyway, e.g. the files are not the same size. However, if you have a (non-archival) Fast Backup profile, there may be situations when you always want a files hash value to be calculated even if there is no destination file, for example, and even when the files are obviously different. You may want to use this option so that a hash value can be used with incremental and differential backups.

 

Do not compare files in parallel: If both files are stored on a normal file system (i.e. not in the cloud, on an FTP server, etc), and are over a certain size, and are on different physical drives, then SyncBack reduces the comparison time by comparing the file in parallel. This means it reads both files at the same time instead of reading one file and then reading the other. In the majority of situations this is the optimal solution. However, in some rare cases it can cause problems. If you get errors such as Thread Error: Invalid Handle (6) then you should enable this option to resolve the issue. Note that this setting is the same as the Do not verify files in parallel setting on the Copy/Delete settings page.

 

Display a message if the profile run is a success (never shown when unattended): If the profile runs without error then a dialog box is displaying stating that. Normally no message is shown after a profile is run except when simulated or an error occurs.

 

Optimize the scanning by using a larger cache: This option is only available if you are using Windows 7/Windows 2008 R2 or newer (on both client and server). When enabled then SyncBack may be able to scan remote network drives (and Networked Attached Storage drives) faster. How much extra memory is used is entirely up to the operating systems and cannot be configured. However, it is unlikely to be more than a few megabytes at the most. It is best used when the remote storage is accessed via a high latency network. By using a larger cache, fewer network calls are required to list the contents of directories. Note that there can be problems with some NAS drives that are not compatible with this feature, i.e. the NAS drive may return empty filenames for all of its files. For technical reference, this feature uses the FIND_FIRST_EX_LARGE_FETCH flag with the call to FindFirstFileEx.

 

 

warning

Windows 8.1 introduced a special kind of file called a placeholder. These are used with OneDrive cloud files so that a file is essentially just a link to a file stored on the cloud. The files contents are not stored locally and are only retrieved if the file is opened, e.g. to view it. SyncBack will always ignore placeholder files. If you want to make a backup of your OneDrive files use the Cloud options.

 

 

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