I am a very happy FFS long term user.
Syncing two folders by various methods like timestamp, file size or file
compare works great.
But I have the situation that I have to sync with a Microsoft SharePoint (SP)
which I mount as local drive.
The sync works, but the delta table created always results in a full sync,
because timestamps and sizes of files, even identical, differ a bit. This is
also the case when I change to file compare. I can see that there is not a
real compare started, because the files dont get downloaded and the compare
behaves like a time/size compare.
This is either a bug or I request a feature, to add a real file compare even
sizes may differ when you get the info from foreign host but the file has nor
been copied locally and than beeing compared. File size reports can differ by
different filesystems.
Best Regards
Martin
File compare by real fetch and compare
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 9 May 2012
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- Site Admin
- Posts: 7210
- Joined: 9 Dec 2007
Hi Martin,
I'm not Raymond Chen, but my "psychic powers" tell me that FFS does in fact a
"binary comparison", but it is very fast, because the file sizes differ, in
which case FFS concludes the files are different and so needn't even open
them.
The "solution" would be to get MS Sharepoint to *not mess with files", which
may be difficult, if this is a Sharepoint "feature".
I'm not Raymond Chen, but my "psychic powers" tell me that FFS does in fact a
"binary comparison", but it is very fast, because the file sizes differ, in
which case FFS concludes the files are different and so needn't even open
them.
The "solution" would be to get MS Sharepoint to *not mess with files", which
may be difficult, if this is a Sharepoint "feature".
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 9 May 2012
Zenju,
good statement.
Let me be frankly to you. My psychic power tells me, that asking Microsoft to
fix their SharePoint Filesystem will not have any impact... :-)
Your statement, that FFS checks first the size and in case of a match it
comares is absolutely true. Thinking about that different filesystems may have
small different size reportings and that you may connect different operating
systems via NFS/SMB/AFS etc. you will for sure get challenge by only comparing
via the file size first.
My suggestion would be that you create a possibility like a button next beside
file compare where you enable/disable the size check before comparing. Then,
when you have chosen to compare without size check first, you hard compare and
would find any differences in the file because of loading it locally first.
Knowing that this will create transfer overhead - but it is the only way to
fix it - filesystem independent.
Martin (big FFS fan!)
good statement.
Let me be frankly to you. My psychic power tells me, that asking Microsoft to
fix their SharePoint Filesystem will not have any impact... :-)
Your statement, that FFS checks first the size and in case of a match it
comares is absolutely true. Thinking about that different filesystems may have
small different size reportings and that you may connect different operating
systems via NFS/SMB/AFS etc. you will for sure get challenge by only comparing
via the file size first.
My suggestion would be that you create a possibility like a button next beside
file compare where you enable/disable the size check before comparing. Then,
when you have chosen to compare without size check first, you hard compare and
would find any differences in the file because of loading it locally first.
Knowing that this will create transfer overhead - but it is the only way to
fix it - filesystem independent.
Martin (big FFS fan!)
-
- Site Admin
- Posts: 7210
- Joined: 9 Dec 2007
> different filesystems may have small different size reportings
I have heard this statement a couple of times now, but I don't think it is
true. There is no filesystem that I know which reports different file sizes as
any other file system. If such a file system really exists, then it deserves
to die. Quickly.
I assume the confusion is more about Sharepoint, which is not a file system,
but a some kind of "service" which *modifies* files for what it seems to
believe are justifiable reasons. I pretty much think tools which modify *my*
files just because they don't find a better place to store their metadata are
fundamentally flawed to say it politely.
I have heard this statement a couple of times now, but I don't think it is
true. There is no filesystem that I know which reports different file sizes as
any other file system. If such a file system really exists, then it deserves
to die. Quickly.
I assume the confusion is more about Sharepoint, which is not a file system,
but a some kind of "service" which *modifies* files for what it seems to
believe are justifiable reasons. I pretty much think tools which modify *my*
files just because they don't find a better place to store their metadata are
fundamentally flawed to say it politely.
