between local storage and FTP space
I thought I heard someone mention it here (or perhaps at audiominds.com). Does anyone know of software that makes it easy to keep a local directory (and subdirectories) synchronized with a remote directory via FTP?
Windows used to have “My Briefcase”, which did a similar thing, but with network attached storage rather than FTP. (At least, that’s how I used it.)
Thanks,
Jeff
I’ve used LeapFTP for a few years, and still like it.
I don’t think this has the automatic synchronisation you might be after, but I still like doing my uploads manually anyway.
To keep in sync with a remote site, I always copy (download) files or whole directories from the remote site to the local, make my changes, and then upload.
The best solution, if there are several people working simultaneously on something, is a version control system, which will police the versions and stop people from walking over each other’s changes.
Subversion is a good open-source version control.
Thanks, bud. Not free, but I found 3D-FTP, which does directory sync, and doesn’t rely on having copied the stuff there itself in the first place (just “deals with what is” and uses file mod dates). It also has a configurable number of threads (concurrent up/downloads), and a very good indication of progress (data rates, rate histogram, competion time estimate, etc). I’ll probably end up paying the $40 when the trial period runs out.
For normal FTP, I just use Windows (Network Places). Once I figured out how to get it to use passive mode (which I need due to a firewall), it’s a no-brainer and works great. No need for an FTP app.
Hey Jeff,
You might also want to check out SmartFTP, if you haven’t already. It’s pretty much free (with an unlicensed version) and I’ve been using it for years. I don’t know if it does folder syncs. I don’t use such a feature because I’ve never had reason to and also because I only have dialup. If nothing else, it’s a slick free FTP app.
Version is now at 2.x, although the only thing I don’t like about that version is no local and remote file copying/dragging within internal windows. Version 1.x was able to do that (which I still use). If 2.x does do that, I haven’t really tried.
http://smartftp.com
~Rob
Do you have XP? If so, go to start, programs, accessories, synchronize. Is that what you’re looking for?
Thanks, Rob, I’ll look into it.
Dave, close, but not quite. I want to keep the source files on a regular folder in my C drive (so that my backup software can access it). I want to keep an FTP site mirrored to my source files, but only when I specifically update them (don’t want to publish work in progress).
If I understand “synchronize” correctly, “offline files” are ones where the source is assumed to be on the net somewhere. I get to have copies on my computer, but they’re accessed through a funny thing that’s not a folder on my C: drive, files that a normal program can’t open just using a call to “open()” and passing the file path.
Thanks anyway.
Cheers,
Jeff
I use Core FTP lite. I dunno if it does anything other than basic FTP, but it’s free.
You might want to look out for Total Commander, it’s shareware. I am no PC boffin and I used it successfully to modify images and text on my work web site.
http://www.ghisler.com/
Cheers
TB
thanks, guys, I’ll check 'em out. Total Commander looks promising, and cheaper than 3D-FTP IIRC.
I’ve been doing this with two seperate apps working together for the past couple of years in order to mirror my Motagator site.
Use ‘Netdrive’ to map your ftp site to a drive letter, then ‘Filesync’ to periodically sync them up!!
Google ‘Netdrive’ and ‘Filesync’ - plenty of places to download them from.
hth
Pa
Use FTP Manager Lite. It is an excellent modern free FTP and SFTP client software. The clean interface is super easy to use. It will perform your files transfers quickly and efficiently. One of the best freeware FTP clients.
The Pro version has automated synchronization.
I stopped using FTP and migrated to dropbox. It works well for me.
Indeed, a lot has happened in the past 8 years.