Significant Difference Warning

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Posts: 36
Joined: 17 Jan 2019

Ted F

After setting up a configuration with the proper source and backup folders, and successfully testing this with a small number of folders and files to be backed up, I copied a large number of files into the source folders (about 200 GB)and several days later attempted a mirror sync. I received a warning indicating that the source and backup folders are significantly different. Is this a "normal" warning that occurs when many new folders and files are added to the source folders for a mirror sync? If so, what is the criterion for triggering the warning? I am naturally concerned when a warning pops up and would like to understand what the trigger is. In the meantime, I cancelled the sync rather than risk a problem.
Thanks.
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Posts: 143
Joined: 8 Mar 2017

Radish

This is normal behaviour for FFS -- I get such warnings from time to time myself on Mirror syncs, I just select to Ignore the 'warning' and things proceed fine. However, from memory, it's been a while since I had such a warning, when the sync is completed the Configuration Pane listing shows up an alert symbol instead of a green 'tick mark'. This kind of left me as a user wondering if everything was okay. The way to get around that and get rid of the alert symbol is to do a compare again (this you just checking) and you should get the "All files are in sync" message at the bottom of the FFS window (provided, of course, that no actually changes were made since you did the immediately-previous Compare and Sync). Once that is done, just immediately run the sync again, if there is nothing to be copied then nothing will be done, but the alert symbol will disappear to be replaced with a green 'tick mark'. That's what I do, it seems to work fine.

I have no idea what the 'trigger' criteria is for generating such a warning. It's an interesting question. Maybe someone else could comment.

P.S. I should have added that if you do get such a 'warning' double-check that you are really are trying to Sync to the your real intended target. I would suppose it's always possible that, for whatever reason, you might be trying to conduct a Mirror sync to the wrong target (which would result in a possible disaster).