Q]Windows File Server Mirror

[u2u4oyt]

I have about 20TB of Windows file servers.

I would like to use the Mirror function to synchronize to Netapp storage connected to iscsi.

We expect it to take a lot of time due to the large capacity and number of files.

** Can users access and use files during the Mirror process?

If there is anything I need to be careful of, please give me any opinions.

Thank you all. Happy New Year!

[Plerry]

I would expect NetApp also offers integrated solutions for synchronization, so I am surprised to see you look into FreeFileSync (FFS) for this function.
I have no experience with NetApp, so I don't know if you can simply interact with a NetApp storage e.g. via CIFS/SMB, or that it requires something special.
If NetApp uses/allows CIFS/SMB, you can very likely use FFS.
Simply try it on a (very) small fraction of your data, and you know.

Instead of running a single sync on the full 20TB, it seems to make more sense to divide your single sync in multiple smaller syncs, divided in parts that match the lines along which your data is organized.

> We expect it to take a lot of time due to the large capacity and number of files.
Obviously this predominantly applies to your first sync, when essentially all data needs to be copied source=>target.
Any consecutive sync only needs to copy source=>target the changes made to the source since the last sync was run.

> ** Can users access and use files during the Mirror process?
Yes, but be aware:
• Files added during the Compare process might not be included in your sync, and files added during the MirrorSync process will not be included in your sync.
• Files modified during the Compare or MirrorSync process might not be included in your sync (results).
• Files deleted during the Compare process might not be included in your sync, and files deleted during the MirrorSync process will not be included in your sync
• In all cases in which changes made during the Compare or MirrorSync process will not be included in the sync, those changes will be synced during the next sync.

In addition to the above "user access" bullets, there are two extra attention points:
• An application a user uses to access a file, may lock that file (e.g. Outlook and *.pst files).
FFS can only copy locked files when using Volume Shadow Copy
• After a file is marked to be copied source=>target during the Compare process, and is then deleted by a user during the remainder of the Compare process, or before being copied source=>target during the MirrorSync process, the planned copy action will fail (file not found). Such error will cancel the remainder of the sync, unless you set up error handling to Ignore Errors .

[u2u4oyt]

Hello, Perry

Thank you so much for your sincere response.

I plan to connect with Netapp storage via iscsi, and I expect it to work like DAS.

I don't worry about some files being lost,
We expect to be able to copy locked files through the "Volume Shadow Copy" function you mentioned.

Thank you so much for your response!

[u2u4oyt]

I have one more question.

Is it possible to do Mirror only at a certain time?

For example, I wonder if Mirror work is possible only between 10:00 PM and 12:00 PM.

I'm sorry to bother you.

[Plerry]

An FFS Compare+Sync only starts at times that you manually start such Compare +Sync, e.g. from the FFS GUI or by double-clicking a saved *.ffs_batch configuration,
or at times that such task is started via an automation, e.g. the via the Task Scheduler.
So, you can start your job at 10PM manually or automatically.

However, there is no built-in feature to stop an FFS job that is (still) running at 12PM

Note you should not use RealTimeSync (RTS).
RTS, that comes with FFS, starts a sync semi-instantly upon detecting changes in the folder(s) it monitors, and does not wait until 10PM.