Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Productivity, Open Source
Open source Synkron does killer cross-platform synchronization
by Lee Mathews Oct 6th 2008
Since I became irked with the limitations of Allway Sync's free edition, I've been looking for a good replacement. I've been getting by with the MS Synctoy, but thankfully a kick-ass open source app has once again come to the rescue.
Synkron is a powerful, cross-platform synchronization tool that boasts an impressive array of features.
During the install the option is given to add a context menu extension. Oh yes, I'll have that. I work my context menu like a rented mule, and if I can add one-click synchronization to it, you'd better believe I'm going to.
The program sports a tabbed interface, making it easy to set up, run, and manage multiple jobs. The interface is uncluttered and easy to understand. Folder analysis is extremely fast, and files, file types, and folders can be blacklisted to exclude them from synchronizations.
Standard sync jobs have a single source, but can have as many destinations as you like. You can also create "multisync" jobs to copy multiple sources to a single destination or multiple sources to multiple destinations. Advanced options can be activated, allowingmore control over what is and is not synched.
Combining multisyncs with Synkron's scheduler provides an excellent way to perform backups to external or removable hard drives.
Though it lacks Allway's built-in support for S3 and FTP, you can go the DIY route anyway (like setting up a network place in Windows). It also works nicely with GMail Drive.
If you'd like a better look at what Synkron can do, check the screenshots at the Sourceforge project page. This is definitely a killer cross-platform, open source app.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
downloadSquadReader said 2:02PM on 10-06-2008
Lack of s3 support is a big downer.
What tool do you use to setup a network drive link to s3?
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Lee Mathews said 2:04PM on 10-06-2008
Try this app, it's free: http://www.s3drive.net/
Bill said 3:43PM on 10-06-2008
I ended up purchasing WebDrive for Amazon S3 usage, and so far, it's been very solid.
I was using S3Drive by Pallisimo or something like that, but when development slowed to a crawl, I became reluctant to rely on it.
larryc said 3:18PM on 10-06-2008
Yuck.
I installed Synkron, and did the first thing I do whenever I test a file sync tool: I synced two folders, then edited the same file in both (which should cause a conflict).
Synkron simply copied the newer file on top of the older one, and never raised a warning. A robust sync tool would raise some sort of warning or error.
On top of this, there is no help file nor any documentation that I could find. It's great that it's open source and all, but as far as I'm concerned, it's not ready for prime-time.
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Bill said 3:43PM on 10-06-2008
While not free, Syncback is extremely reliable, and features FTP support to boot. For those looking for solutions, I'd have no problem recommending it.
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Jonathan Harford said 4:32PM on 10-06-2008
How does Synkron compare to already-existing cross-platform sync tool Unison (http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/unison/)?
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downloadsquad.com said 7:31PM on 10-06-2008
Trying to find out where synkron backs up the file. It is not on the program file\synkron, it is not on the mirror folder, ... I'm confused now. But the backup works like a charm. (just wanted to know where it backs up at so if something happens I know) -- pretty much no documentations
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Matus Tomlein said 7:42AM on 10-07-2008
The backuped files are stored in the user_folder/.Synkron inside directories named after the date and time of sync.
Btw, if you want to remove them, don't remove them manually in Explorer, or Finder or whatever. Restoring them through the Restore section -> Clean temporary files is a much better way.
Documentation is on the way.
Thanks to Lee Mathews for the nice review.
Kyoko said 1:59PM on 10-07-2008
I'm assuming Mr. Tomlein is the programmer.
Thank you for a wonderful piece of software.
The only thing I'm looking for is the ability to choose which folder I want to back up the files at.
Thank you again.
Nathan Mylott said 10:23PM on 10-07-2008
So..what exactly does this app do? I don't understand. It's syncing what with what? Can I use it to sync files between my Mac and Windows partitions and use it as a cloud?
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