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 May 2009 |
New: SureSync 6.0 Beta RegistrationDistributing Files with SureSyncMigratePro Tip - Automate Migration During the Off-HoursLooking for extra assistance? Take a look at SPI KnowledgebaseDownload SureSync version 5.0.35 |
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Distributing Files with SureSyncFor a company with a single office, providing employees access to important standardized files is simple. A file server can be configured and users can access the files from a central location. The administrator updates the files in that single location and can move on. This issue quickly becomes more complex when multiple offices are introduced to the network environment. Data distribution becomes a critical component of operating efficiently when multiple offices are present. The data being distributed can be a number of different things. Consider the following examples:
All of these examples can be addressed through the use of data distribution. Data distribution takes a set of files from a “source” or “master” directory structure and copies them to all destinations. This process ensures that all destination machines have the same information. The act of distributing data becomes increasingly more complex as the environment grows. SureSync can be used to make data distribution issues a thing of the past. How do you configure a distribution job with SureSync? Some details will be discussed in the remainder of this article. Selecting the Correct Rule Type Generally, distribution jobs are performed with a Mirror rule. This one-way rule ensures that the destinations always look exactly like the source. Any changes from the source will be copied to the destination machines. Any changes made to files on the destinations will be replaced with copies from the source path when the job is run. In addition, any files added to the destination directories which do not exist on the source will be deleted. The end result of this processing is a set of destination directories which contain the exact same files as the source. A Recent Master Copy or Different Master Copy rule can also be used if you want users to be able to add files to the destination paths or make changes to existing files. Please see the Rule Method Summary topic in the SureSync help file for detailed information on the various rules. Automating the Distribution SureSync offers both Scheduled and Real-Time modes of operation. With a Schedule, data is synchronized on a clock basis. For example, the job could be run each night at 11PM or once every hour. With a Real-Time Monitor, changes are synchronized as they occur. For most distribution environments a Schedule is the correct mode of operation. This allows the administrator to fire off the synchronization job(s) at a set time and a set frequency. The administrator needs only to ensure that the new changes are in place on the source before the job runs. If no changes are made to the source, the SureSync Schedule will still run but it will find nothing to do. Distributions are commonly performed at night on a daily or weekly basis. Synchronization Trees In large environments, distributing data from a single source can become impractical. The amount of data being pushed to the destination machines in some environments is simply too large to complete in a timely manner. The work can be distributed across multiple SureSync machines using a synchronization tree. In a synchronization tree, the source machine will synchronize files to a set of machines a level down the tree. Once that synchronization has been completed, those destination machines then become source machines synchronizing the same set of changes to a new set of destination machines. This can be accomplished through the use of the SyncCmd command line utility to launch Schedules on the machines or by staggering the run times of the Schedules on each level of the synchronization tree so the first level completes before the second level executes. This creates a tree structure which distributes the synchronization workload across many machines as illustrated below. A synchronization tree can also be configured to operate in Real-Time where changes flow from one level to the next as changes occur. Detailed information about synchronization trees can be found in the SureSync help file in the ‘Synchronization Trees’ topic. Conclusion Distributing data to many offices is a critical data management issue. An information technology department must ensure that employees have access to necessary standardized files and that items such as standardized drive images are available throughout the network environment. SureSync can be used to automate the distribution process. An administrator needs to only update the “master” directory structure and SureSync will take care of the rest quickly and efficiently. Does your company have a pressing data distribution need? If so, let me know and I will pair you up with one of our support team members who can assist you in selecting the best distribution architecture for your environment. – Jeff Krasky, VP of Development and Support
MigratePro Tip - Automate Migration for the Off-Hours
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