ftp synchronization

[paul]

Can anyone recommend a program for synchronizing my local copy with the
active web site? I've got myself a nightmarishly complex web site &
there's no way I can do it manually anymore.

It's actually going to be pretty tricky because people can leave
comments so I need to download files as well as upload & I've been known
to rename or move things so it'd have to delete things on the web side
if none exists locally (except new comments) & download to local if the
date is newer than a same-named local version. The deleted or renamed
files thing is probably impossible to implement without a record of
previous names but as close as I can get.

Just to give a clue what I'm dealing with:
<http://localhost/1/?SC=go.php&DIR=Species/Eukarya/Plantae/Anthophyta/Dicots>
These are all nested folders creating the system. There's about 2,000
files & folders at this early stage.

As a kludge, I can remember what I've renamed or deleted but at least I
need to be able to upload all files with a date past the previous
upload. I suppose I might be able to check "don't overwrite all" & drag
the whole thing up.

It's php driven, so worst case is I have to program my own updater. I'm
not a very vigorous programmer <g>. Maybe someone has already written
such a thing? I have a bit more of a 'control panel' for the local
version where I could add such a feature.

 

[juglesh]

Can anyone recommend a program for synchronizing my local copy with the
active web site? I've got myself a nightmarishly complex web site &

Just to give a clue what I'm dealing with:
<http://localhost/1/?SC=go.php&DIR=Species/Eukarya/Plantae/Anthophyta/Dicots>

haha, i dont seem to have that site on *my* local host!

But, i do have have a scientific web site coming up(hermit crabs), and I'd
like to see what you have.

To answer your question, how bout dreamweaver? Its nice cuz it has a
preview of what it will do, so you can make sure of what you are uploading.
I found this
http://www.primaftp.com/ftp_features/ftp_premium_upload_site.htm.

 

[paul]

haha, i dont seem to have that site on *my* local host!

Oops, I fixed the link above now.

But, i do have have a scientific web site coming up(hermit crabs), and I'd
like to see what you have.

In fact a have one Hermit Crab:

To answer your question, how bout dreamweaver? Its nice cuz it has a
preview of what it will do, so you can make sure of what you are uploading.

I really don't want to do dreamweaver but maybe if it can do what I
want. I thought it's like a few hundred dollars though.

I found this
http://www.primaftp.com/ftp_features/ftp_premium_upload_site.htm.

Thanks, I'll check into it. $100 after trial download.

 

[Carolyn Marenger]

Can anyone recommend a program for synchronizing my local copy with the
active web site? I've got myself a nightmarishly complex web site &
there's no way I can do it manually anymore.

What OS are you using? Do you want a GUI interface or Command Line? Do
you want something that is automated or just runs when you tell it to?
There are lots of options, but without some of the above answered, not
much point in offering suggestions.

It's actually going to be pretty tricky because people can leave
comments so I need to download files as well as upload & I've been known
to rename or move things so it'd have to delete things on the web side
if none exists locally (except new comments) & download to local if the
date is newer than a same-named local version. The deleted or renamed
files thing is probably impossible to implement without a record of
previous names but as close as I can get.

Some of the software can handle that. It is just a matter of it being
logged as it changes.

Just to give a clue what I'm dealing with:
<http://localhost/1/?SC=go.php&DIR=Species/Eukarya/Plantae/Anthophyta/Dicots>
These are all nested folders creating the system. There's about 2,000
files & folders at this early stage.

I try and I try, but I can't get to your localhost. What is public url?

Carolyn

 

[Michael De Tomaso]

Paul,

I use the following:

FTP sync w/Local files via: http://www.scootersoftware.com/moreinfo.php Home
of Beyond Compare

Use it to manage source code, keep folders in sync, compare program output,
and validate copies of your data. Beyond Compare can create a snapshot of a
live directory structure, and compare it against the live copy at a later
date.

Beyond Compare helps you analyze differences in detail and carefully
reconcile them. It commands a wide range of file and text operations, as
well as script commands for automating tasks.

- Thanks & take care M.D.

 

[juglesh]

Oops, I fixed the link above now.

Ahh, ok thats working...HEY-you just called me an idiot!

At first i was confused that you have *species*/domain/kingdom/etc, but now
i see that you are supposed to drill down to the specie...

In fact a have one Hermit Crab:
<http://www.edgehill.net/1/?SC=go.php&DIR=Species/Eukarya/Animalia/Arthropoda/Crustacea>

yes, and a few dungy's for the dinner table as well!

I really don't want to do dreamweaver but maybe if it can do what I want.
I thought it's like a few hundred dollars though.





Thanks, I'll check into it. $100 after trial download.

familiar with cnet, tucows, etc? you might find cheaper/free'er ftp clients
out there. And you may know this, but you could use your computers' Find
feature to get a list of all files modified between such and such dates,
then drag those onto a ftp client or similar method.

 

[paul]

What OS are you using?

WinXP with Apache server at home. I think the host must be Apache on
linux because it sorts differently than mine in some cases.

Do you want a GUI interface or Command Line?

I'm not real good with command line dos, but I could put a button on my
local version to run through php.

Do you want something that is automated or just runs when you tell it to?

"just runs when I tell it to"

Some of the software can handle that. It is just a matter of it being
logged as it changes.

Ouch that sounds like a lot of programming (for me). Probably more than
I'm up for.

Is it possible to just do a little common sense using the archive
attribute scanning the files on both sides with a simple if statements?
Maybe it's not that hard really. If I pick up comments manually (rarely
get any, and I get email notice) then it's a simple as mirroring but
that's still more complicated than deleting & re-copying the whole
thing. And that's way too slow. Surely there are programs available to
run the mirroring (must delete orphans) if I keep it that simple. First
check for new comments, then mirror back.

I don't think logging would work because I'm using all kinds of programs
to re-name & move files.

I try and I try, but I can't get to your localhost. What is public url?

If you had the IP number you could

: - )


I wonder if this thing is a mistaken structure to use anyways, versus a
database, but that's another discussion <g>. I think I'll need a
database to create a search index. Right now you can only step up and
down the nested levels.

 

[paul]

Paul,

I use the following:

FTP sync w/Local files via: http://www.scootersoftware.com/moreinfo.php
Home of Beyond Compare

I tried Beyond Compare once in a file emergency & it saved my skin!
Sounds like you mostly use it to more easily manually update as a browser.

Well, I'm trying it now. It's taking a while to load up about 2000 files
& folders and it'll grow much more than that. It took about 5 minutes to
load. Hmm, it works but it's a big chore. I think I need a script of
some sort to automate it! I'll study it.

Thanks.

 

[Carolyn Marenger]

WinXP with Apache server at home. I think the host must be Apache on
linux because it sorts differently than mine in some cases.

Then I can't help you. I might be able to point out some linux apps, but
they won't do you much good.

Ouch that sounds like a lot of programming (for me). Probably more than
I'm up for.

It is actually quite easy with half decent revision control software. I
don't know what you would use in Windows, but I am sure there are lots of
possibilities.

Basically, you set the RCS to monitor all the documents, including
directories within a driectory tree. After that, it handles noting what
has changes and what hasn't. After that it communicates with your ftp or
site management software and tells it what has changed. The site
management software then uploads/makes the changes.

A little more complicated with the other end also changing, but not too
much. Gets a bunch more complicated when for example you have a page,
..../myFancyStuff/index.html and you change the directory to
/myTrickyStuff/. Do you then want an automatically generated page to
point out the new location?

Is it possible to just do a little common sense using the archive
attribute scanning the files on both sides with a simple if statements?
Maybe it's not that hard really. If I pick up comments manually (rarely
get any, and I get email notice) then it's a simple as mirroring but
that's still more complicated than deleting & re-copying the whole
thing. And that's way too slow. Surely there are programs available to
run the mirroring (must delete orphans) if I keep it that simple. First
check for new comments, then mirror back.

Attribute scanning will work for files that have been altered, but what
happens when both files have been altered? Checking latest versions -
date last modified leads to the same issues.

I don't think logging would work because I'm using all kinds of programs
to re-name & move files.

If an app is monitoring the entire contents of a directory tree, then it
will.

Carolyn

 

[Spartanicus]

Can anyone recommend a program for synchronizing my local copy with the
active web site? I've got myself a nightmarishly complex web site &
there's no way I can do it manually anymore.

I use Netload FTP, it's homepage appears to have disappeared from the
net, but it may be possible to find a copy somewhere.

 

[Spartanicus]

I use Netload FTP, it's homepage appears to have disappeared from the
net, but it may be possible to find a copy somewhere.

Tucows still have it for download:
http://tucows.mundofree.com/files/netloadSetup.exe

It's $40 shareware, but since the author no longer offers and supports
it, you'd have to consider using a keygen to be able to use it beyond
it's trial period.

 

[Toby Inkster]

Can anyone recommend a program for synchronizing my local copy with the
active web site?

If you have access to it, try rsync. Much better than FTP.

It will find the differences between the two copies and then transmit only
the files which have changed.

In fact, if a small chunk in the middle of a large file has changed, it
will only transmit that small chunk.

It's a crazy voodoo admin tool.

http://rsync.samba.org/

 

[paul]

paul wrote:




If you have access to it, try rsync. Much better than FTP.

It will find the differences between the two copies and then transmit only
the files which have changed.

In fact, if a small chunk in the middle of a large file has changed, it
will only transmit that small chunk.

It's a crazy voodoo admin tool.

http://rsync.samba.org/

I probably don't have shell access, it's a shared server, but that does
look like a killer command line/scripting utility.

 

[Toby Inkster]

I probably don't have shell access, it's a shared server,

Plenty of hosts offer shell access on shared hosting.

If you want to see if your server offers SSH, point a telnet client
(Windows includes a free one -- telnet.exe) at port 22 on your web host.

If it connects and brings up a SSH version number, then you've passed the
first test.

Download a proper SSH client (for Windows, PuTTY is nice) and try
connecting by SSH to your host using your normal user name and password.
If that doesn't work, try you host's support dept.

 

[paul]

I tried Beyond Compare once in a file emergency & it saved my skin!
Sounds like you mostly use it to more easily manually update as a browser.

Well, I'm trying it now. It's taking a while to load up about 2000 files
& folders and it'll grow much more than that. It took about 5 minutes to
load. Hmm, it works but it's a big chore. I think I need a script of
some sort to automate it! I'll study it.

I didn't see any scripting options but was able to set up the Tools >
Options to do the one way update that deletes orphans. I'll just have to
manually update new comments when I get email notices. For now this is
a minor issue & this product works very nicely.

Hmm, looks like I can get it to show only orphans and ID the new
comments. I think this is going to show orphans on both sides but I can
manually find only those on the right side pretty quickly.

I can also make it show only newer files on the right but for some
reason, the file date on the ftp is when I uploaded, not the original
file creation date so this is a mess! Is that normal behaviour?

After clearing up that issue, I can just synch right to mirror local to ftp.

 

[paul]

I can also make it show only newer files on the right but for some
reason, the file date on the ftp is when I uploaded, not the original
file creation date so this is a mess! Is that normal behaviour?

OK the solution here is to 'touch' local files (my server doesn't
support touching ftp copies. This simply copies the timestamps. It can
be set to touch local.


Hmm, well I did that and now the file sizes don't match so I've got lots
of mismatches on both sides Hmph! Well, anyways, I'm taking it to their
support forums:
<http://www.scootersoftware.com/ubbt...3052&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=&vc=>

 

[johnsu01]

Can anyone recommend a program for synchronizing my local copy with the
active web site? I've got myself a nightmarishly complex web site & there's
no way I can do it manually anymore.

I highly recommend Unison.

http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/unison/

I have never tried running it on Windows, but I have used it for quite a while
to synch between laptop and server. Description says it runs on Windows, and
that it can synch between a Windows system and a GNU/Linux system.

Also, you can run it without having privileges on your host, which is an issue
that you might run into trying to use something else (like rsync).