🚀 go-pugleaf

On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 21:15:56 +0000, "Anthony R. Gold"
<not-for-mail@ahjg.co.uk> wrote:

>On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 19:11:16 +0000, Andrew Hodgson <me3@privacy.net>
>wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 21:06:30 +0000, "Anthony R. Gold"
>> <not-for-mail@ahjg.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 10:57:13 -0000, "Graham" <graham@nospam.demon.co.uk>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Tell us more about your application ...
>>>
>>> It's really more of a NAS than a server.  I want to be able to synchronise
>>> a bunch of distant Windows workstations and have found a useful
>>> application in a p2p package called FolderShare now from Microsoft.
>>
>> This springs up lots of points:
>>
>> How is the data transfered from the clients to the server? Through an
>> encrypted connection?
>> What type of authentication is used and do passwords get sent over
>> cleartext (i.e, is this more of a LAN type of tool not meant/designed
>> for Internet use)?
>
>https://www.foldershare.com/info/faq/AboutFolderShare.php?#overview05

Ok.  As it effectively comes under peer-to-peer, you may need to check
the AUP of the colo provider to ensure that it will be ok to use.
>
>> How much data are you going to store?
>
>Around 20 GB

I would still recomend some type of RAID on that, though from the
description of the program people will have copies on their desktops
anyway?
>
>> On this type of system, you
>> need at minimum RAID1, which means mirrored disks.
>> Are you willing to take responsability for everyone's data?
>> How are you backing up the system?
>
>I think you misunderstand.  The NAS is not the major repository of the
>data, although I guess it could be used as a secondary backup, but it
>mainly acts to keep the main data sets in synch.  So if someone their PC
>for their photos, MP3s, correspondence and emails, then their applications
>on all their computers will be kept current with each other.  It's like
>networking all the workstations together except that the various
>workstations are rarely or never online at the same time.

Yes - I didn't realise this before.
>
>> I still have a concern with XP Prof on that box - it won't be
>> supported with HP and may present driver issues.
>
>Absolutely, and I've walked away from that idea already.

Another idea could be to rent a server with Windows on it - from
around �40 per month from some places, and stick your software on
this.  This includes the Windows server OS, and would be very easy to
use.  Some of them do managed backups.
>
>> I would look at something like Debian/CENTOS and Rsync over SSH if I
>> were in a similar situation, with off-site backups to a machine I had
>> _direct_ control of (i.e, at my site) over Rsync.
>
>If you know a way for someone who knows nothing about *nix to keep say 2
>workstations running Outlook Express synchronised using Rsync, then I'm
>all ears.

It can be done, but not in the way Foldershare does it (Unison is
probably a better comparison of the Foldershare system), but it would
take work for the relevant parties.

Andrew.