Trying to Sync OneDrive to GDrive. sync_ffs_db triggering too often!

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Joined: 24 Aug 2023

SunDog2710

Just got a new computer with Windows 11. What a nightmare! MS makes OneDrive integration nearly impossible to get around with free Microsoft 365. I'm a Google user mostly, but like to use Office, so like to be able to access things on Google Drive/app and not in OneDrive. Having two copies in the cloud isn't such a bad idea either! Previously, I was able to move the location of my Documents special folder to under the GDrive mirror, but it is not allowing it anymore due to maybe a symbolic link or some such (can't remember the error), thank you MS!

RTS seems to be doing the job, except it keeps triggering the launch of FFS because RTS DB file sync_ffs_db keeps changing. If there was a way to move that file to a different location, like a registry setting or (?) that would be most helpful? Most of the time I am not doing anything in my Documents folder anyway, but it kicks off the sync way too often!

Maybe I'm asking too much, but this is a pretty specific case.

I have attached the two files I am using. Hopefully you can see what I am doing.

Thanks in advance for your help ... Sunny
Attachments
SyncSettings.ffs_real
(456 Bytes) Downloaded 142 times
SyncSettings.ffs_batch
(1.63 KiB) Downloaded 136 times

LeoW

How often do you really need to re-sync the Google Drive and OneDrive?

Are you using the Google Drive for Desktop on one side and Windows 11 Onedrive on the other?

FFS and RTS might have a tough time keeping two cloud providers in constant, regular sync.

You might want to try out a little, open source utility program that was written specifically to sync 2 directories between two cloud providers.

There is an open source command line utility called rclone that can do a cloud to cloud sync directly. You might be able to schedule it, only I'm not sure. You have a lot of stuff going on when combining those two apps in a sync via FFS.

I run a simple batch file as needed, rather than having constant monitoring for changes, which is unnecessary for me.

It operates like rsync on linux, only with cloud drives. You would execute:
"rclone -P sync onedrive/documents googledrive:/documents".
The -P shows "progress"

It takes a little time to master the syntax, but once it's set up you would simply need to run the app as needed as a batch file.
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xCSxXenon

As far as I understand FFS/RTS, they ignore the sync.db file and that shouldn't be triggering RTS
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SunDog2710

@LeoW, Yes, Windows 11 OneDrive and Google Drive for Desktop are the two folders. OneDrive wants to be used by MS products and is always "getting in the way" so to speak. I only want it in real-time, because I prefer to use Drive/Gmail/Android Phone, but having that second copy is nice for sharing, etc. I guess one could launch rclone instead of FFS, but it would have the same issue, because scan_ffs would still be present in the OneDrive folders.

@xCSxXenon, although none of my files in the sync'd folders are changing, the sync_ffs_db file is, so when FFS triggers every 10 seconds, it sees that file as having changed, so then it syncs it from the local OneDrive folder to Google Drive folder, which then causes both services to send to the cloud.

Maybe in the next version, the developer can add a simple command line parameter (CLP) for the location of sync_ffs_db and if the CLP exists, then use that location and if it doesn't then FFS works as it does right now with the file in both sync folders. This is basically only for such a scenario where other processes are also monitoring the same folders.
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xCSxXenon

You are suggesting a fix to a problem that probably doesn't exist.
The sync.ffs.db file only changes when FFS runs, and FFS only runs when RTS tells it to run, and RTS only tells FFS to run when a file in a monitored location changes, and RTS ignores sync.ffs.db

This is all assuming your configuration is correct, which it sounds like it isn't.

What do you mean by "so when FFS triggers every 10 seconds"?
The only way FFS could be "triggered" every 10 seconds is if there is a Task Scheduler entry to do so or if your RTS idle time is set to 10 seconds and something is changing every 10 seconds also. The sync.ffs.db does not trigger RTS to fire off the command, so it is something else. Maybe the cloud service is constantly making changes to your file(s) for some reason, thus triggering RTS
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SunDog2710

I believe it is configured correctly with the default RTS setting of 10 secs. I've attached the configuration files, so you can open them yourself to check. I think I have explained it pretty clearly that yes, RTS is triggering every 10 secs and the changed files in both folders is causing an upload to be triggered in both clouds or am I just repeating myself!😬

And I've also said, there is no "problem" as such, but the design causes a file in the folder to change, which causes an upload to occur. This "solution" just solves this special case, but a very nice case it would be! It's a feature request, not a bug report.
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xCSxXenon

Although you are requesting a feature, your motivation is describing a bug, which isn't yet proven to exist. It'd be like requesting a fire extinguisher be installed because your car lights on fire every time you fill it up with gas instead of fixing the root issue.

I also have RTS monitoring a OneDrive folder and don't have this issue. The Google Drive client is probably interacting with your files, causing RTS to trigger the sync. Try removing the Google Drive folder from being monitored in your RTS configuration

LeoW

"Try removing the Google Drive folder from being monitored in your RTS configuration"

Here is a possible solution for you. In order to figure out if it will work for you you will need to create a configuration for your Google Drive in Rclone. Rclone, Is an open source utility program capable of mounting many different remote cloud file systems including Google Drive and Onedrive.

Create an rclone config for your Google Drive and mount it to its own drive letter.

Then, tell FFS to use the Rclone drive, rather than the Google software, and see if the problem persists or if it goes away.

The Google drive for desktop software that you are running is multipurpose software it doesn't only create a drive letter or folder Mount Point to your Google Drive it is also responsible for synchronizing files and monitoring directories for changes.

Rclone will take the Google software out of the picture. Maybe You'll get better results.

You can also try creating an Rclone config for Onedrive, and take the Microsoft software out of the picture too.

This way you'll be using a consistent 3rd party independent program for mounting file systems that FFS can monitor and sync.

Whenever you run into a problem like what you're having it is sometimes good to remove some of the variables and replace with a constant.

Right now, your FFS and RTS are running in conjunction with two other programs that are also designed to synchronize files.

Run either:
rclone config
For a command prompt configuration and setup, and:
rclone rcd --rc-web-gui
For a web based configuration interface.

Let me know if run into trouble configuring rclone. It can be a little intimidating at first. It has a lot in common with rsync, if you've ever used it?