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-   -   possible to sync limited folders within volume? (https://www.shirt-pocket.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1732)

skaTM 10-24-2006 07:35 PM

possible to sync limited folders within volume?
 
I'm having some problems today with my system.. more than one app is doing strange things and I might go to the backup I made with super duper. That backup is almost 2 weeks old though and I want to keep the updated things like documents, mail messages etc...
Finding all the updates is a nightmare and for some reason some things ( like mail messages) don't show up on searches for recent items. I don't want to wipe this drive and find out later I missed something.
Obviously I dont want to clone the drive that is now having problems because those problems may become inherited.
That got me thinking. Can I just smart copy within a folder.
For instance if I write a script that says just to update the mail folder from my source to my backup, can it do that without altering other files and have it go in the right place?
I know some similar questions have been asked here but the jargon was a bit beyond me.

thanks

dnanian 10-24-2006 08:01 PM

No. But what you can do is boot from the backup, then simply copy the Mail folder to the original... or vice versa. It won't be a "smart" copy, but it should copy file...

skaTM 10-24-2006 08:14 PM

thanks for the reply.
I thought that was the case.
It would be a very nice feature though. I've been looking for a way to sync mail with my laptop and that would do it also.
I can copy the whole mail folder back and forth, (thats what I did in this case) but at over 2 gigs it's a lot to copy back and forth all the time.

It also would be helpful in a situation like this where I want to update certain files without updating the system items that may have been corrupted.


thanks

dnanian 10-24-2006 08:21 PM

Understood. We're not really trying to be a "sync" program as such, but I understand the request...

skaTM 10-24-2006 09:00 PM

I think your program is great at what it does...
ya never know where there might be another market for things that might be just a step outside of you current capabilities though.
I just don't know enough about it to know if it's too much of a stretch or not.
thanks

shalako 02-08-2007 11:13 PM

I was looking for this functionality too.
 
Sad to hear this app isn't concerned about syncing, as the Smart Backup feature is the only reason I paid the license fee.

I keep my backup drive identical to my primary drive with nightly Smart Backups.

So it doesn't seem to me to be a stretch to ask to be able to do Smart Backups of individual directories.

Right now I have a user directory on two machines that I need to sync. There's no reason at this day and age that I should have to do a manual copy of the whole directory to accomplish this.

Shirt Pocket - your product rocks. I tell lots of people about it. But I'm sad to hear you're not likely to add this function. Seems like it's already built in, all I'm asking is not to wipe the rest of the drive to sync a directory!

dnanian 02-09-2007 09:17 AM

As I said, I understand the request... but we tend not to say "we're going to have something in a future version" or "we're not going to have something in a future version".

Just because we've been noncommittal doesn't mean we will, or won't, have a feature...

timlance 02-09-2007 11:32 AM

And here's my $.02, again asking for this functionality. Just yesterday I was trying to just copy one little self-contained (i.e. everything needed is totally within the .app package) application. I couldn't because a couple things buried deep had wrong permissions. Yes, blame can be laid at the developer's feet (and s/he will hear from me). And, this is not the first time at all. Sometimes it's necessary to totally logout and login as root. Sometimes it's doable with Synk. But I am all for having an app taking "root" out of my inept hands and that app being the one with which I am familiar. Oh, I can do much in the CLI but would rather not, especially when such an app as SD! is so gratifying to use.

Kindadukish 03-24-2007 04:47 AM

I agree
 
Please add my 2 cents as well. I'm a registered user who has been contentedly using Super Duper for months now.

It's a tad annoying to me that I will now have to go searching for a "sync program" when Super Duper is so close to that in functionality.

Please note that my annoyance is directly related to the fact that Super Duper is so simple, effective, and easy to use.

I would love it if I could simply create a "script" that said "Sync 'Music' folder on External Drive with 'Music' Folder on Backup Drive". That makes sense right?

In my particular case, I use Super Duper to dupe the drive on my Macbook regularly. But because I have so much music (approacing 90 Gb) I keep my music on an external drive. I would like to backup the Music folder on that external drive to another external drive I just bought without having to copy the entire 90 Gb each time. It seems Super Duper is very close to that kind of functionality – I'm disappointed I can't do it, as I understand from what I read here.

Thanks

PD

dnanian 03-24-2007 08:20 AM

Thanks for your feedback, PD.

Note that you don't have to "copy the entire 90gb" each time: Smart Update only copies the changes, right?

sdsl 03-24-2007 03:39 PM

Just a counterpoint to some of the views posted here ...

What some people are asking for is functionality that has been built into other programs, such as Retrospect, for some time now. One reason that SuperDuper is so highly regarded is that it does certain specific things and does them very reliably and well.

The kinds of things people are asking for are going to make the interface and use of the program more complex. This, in fact, has been the downfall of Retrospect, which has grown in complexity (and capability) such that it is considered fairly challenging to use.

When the clone stops being a pure clone, the possibilities for complications grow. People may modify a part of a clone and then wonder why the combination "doesn't work," resulting in posts to this forum.

I consider SuperDuper to be like Disk Warrior in some ways -- both focus on very specific functionality and appear to be the best tool available for doing those things. The developer may elect to add more "features" and complexity to SuperDuper, but I for one do appreciate its simplicity and reliability in its present state.

For the person who was experiencing trouble with his system, but wanted to keep his recent emails, documents and the like, it would seem that a candidate for that situation would be an "Archive and Install while preserving user files/settings." This preserves all user files and settings while installing a fresh new operating system. I have done this type of archive & install when I upgraded the OS and the entire process took about 30 min, most of which was spent downloading and installing updates and security updates. This is not that different from the time spent doing an erase and copy with SuperDuper ...

Kindadukish 03-24-2007 10:21 PM

Thanks for your note Dave.

Yes, I would use smart update in backing up my Music folder... if I could smart update just folders, rather than drives.

As I understand it, I cannot do that with Super Duper. Am I wrong?

Since all the music is on a 120 Gb drive, I guess I could partition my new 500 Gb drive so that one partition is 120 Gb and is called "Music Backup" and then run Super Duper to dupe to that.

But I'd rather just be able to dupe a folder. And then smart update it later.

I understand the point of the above poster about simplicity. But the simplicity of Super Duper is likely to cause me to have to go find and learn how to operate another backup program. That isn't simple either.

It seems to me – admittedly from my outsider, customer perspective – that it wouldn't be too difficult to have Super Duper ask me "Do you want to back up a drive or a folder?" or some such. Seems like just a minor variation on what the program is already doing.

But as I said, I'm just a lowly customer/user.

And it's still a great program which I recommend all the time.

dnanian 03-24-2007 10:23 PM

You can actually back up just a folder. The restriction is that you can't Smart Update a folder that's part of another drive. But, putting just your Music folder on a backup and Smart Updating it is entirely possible with a copy script.

Just follow the general steps in the "Excluding files or folders from a backup" section of the User's Guide. Instead, of including "Backup - all files", use "Exclude all files". Add your Music folder to the 3rd tab and make sure the command is copy. The rest of the steps are the same...

Kindadukish 03-25-2007 04:39 AM

Thanks a lot Dave. I'm not sure I completely understand this and I want to figure it out so it will work before I configure the drives and folders.

So is it correct to say: if I have the "Music" folder on a drive with other stuff (a bunch of other folders, say) on the drive also (ie, the "Music" folder is only PART of the drive, as you say) then I cannot smart update it.

But if I have a drive which ONLY has one folder on it, "Music", then I can smart update that to another drive?

Is that the idea? If so, that's workable for me.

thanks

PD

Kindadukish 03-25-2007 04:47 AM

Wait, I think I'm wrong. I think what you mean is: the TARGET folder, ie the backup, must be the only folder on the drive. In other words, if I keep the music by itself on a 120 Gb drive and I want to back it up to a folder on a 500 Gb drive (that's what I'd really like to do) that also has other stuff on it, Super Duper can't do that for me.

But if the ONLY thing on the 500 Gb drive is the "Music" folder, then Super Duper can smart update that folder.

Is that right? I think that's what you mean.


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