Suddenly copies also files that did not have changed

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Posts: 13
Joined: 27 Apr 2021

Franzmint

I have been used FreeFileSync with Linux Mint for 1 year. Now I have changed OS - now using Ubuntu 22.04. I have recognized that FreeFileSync also copies files that did not have changed.

Settings:
- Comparison setting is "file & size"
- Synchronisation settings: Mirroring

Scenario:
- On the left side, I have a folder "Example" with 10 files. Date: May, 9th
- Folder does not exist on the right side
- I do a sync: after this folder "Example" with all files is also on the right side. Date: May 16th
- Now I do a new sync - I have nothing changed on left side
- FreeFileSync copies complete folder "Example" with all 10 files again to the right side.

Question: why does FreeFileSync do this? On Mint I had the same settings and here only new files and files with changes were copied.
Does FreeFileSync copy files to the right side, because the date of the files on the right side is newer? File size is the same.
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Joined: 11 Jun 2019

xCSxXenon

Run a compare and hover your cursor over the middle section between the left and right sides. That will tell you why FFS wants to sync the items.
Posts: 13
Joined: 27 Apr 2021

Franzmint

Thank you! It says, that the files on the right side are newer than the files on the left side. But as I have described above, the files are the same as on the left side - the files are copies of the files of the left side - they cannot be newer - they must have the same date. But they have not.

I think the reason is: if I copy a file from May 9th from the left side to the right side, linux gives the file on the right side the date of today. So it's in any case newer then the original on the left side :-(

Using Linux Mint, I had no problem with this.
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xCSxXenon

It must be something with the way the OS is handling the data. Any weird third-party software that is maybe injecting into file transfers?
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Joined: 27 Apr 2021

Franzmint

Hm, i don't think so - Ubuntu is set up fresh, no special software installed. Isn't the "last modified date" of the copied files not set by FreeFileSync? Or does FreeFileSync take the same "last modified date" like the original files has?
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xCSxXenon

FFS doesn't change the modified time at all
Posts: 13
Joined: 27 Apr 2021

Franzmint

Does anybody have an idea? Any linux pros here?

Why is "last modified date" of a copied file set to the current date - instead of using the date of the original file?

In my case, using mirroring is no longer useful, because mirrored files are always newer then the original files... :-(

Using latest version of FreeFileSync and latest version of Ubuntu (22.04). Harddrive is encrypted, but when FreeFileSync runs, content is accessible of course.
Posts: 13
Joined: 27 Apr 2021

Franzmint

Update:
- if I do mirroring from notebook to sd card, timestamp are correct!
- if I do mirroring from notebook to QNAP NAS, timestamp is as described above.
So it must be something between Linux Ubuntu and QNAP - problem did not occur when using Linux Mint and QNAP.
OR: On Ubuntu I am using latest version of FFS, on Mint I was using version of April 2021.
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Joined: 27 Apr 2021

Franzmint

Update: if I copy a file manually (with Gnome Fileexplorer) from notebook to QNAP, last modified date it copied correctly. What does FFS different when copying files to QNAP?
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xCSxXenon

Is QNAP up to date?
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Joined: 27 Apr 2021

Franzmint

Yes and no: I have the latest firmware installed today. But it is from 2021, because my QNAP is "too old". Do you think, it can be something concerning firmware? And probably Mint had no problem with old firmware but Ubuntu has?
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Joined: 27 Apr 2021

Franzmint

I have found a docu on FFS page "How can I record a trace file for troubleshooting file access errors?". I would like to start such a trace and report the output to you.

As I am a linux newbie:
strace COMMAND_TO_TRACE &> ~/Desktop/trace.txt

Is COMMAND_TO_TRACE = path the FFS?

After this a start a profile - compare & sync? And the trace log files should display the progam that is responsible for changing the modification date?
Posts: 13
Joined: 27 Apr 2021

Franzmint

Do you offer individual, paid support to solve this problem?

I have tried with other compare settings (content instead of date & size) - but this takes 500 minutes, so that this does not solve our problem. And comparing only size seems to dangerous, because if I only change a letter in a text file, file size will not change I thing.