On 4/15/2010 1:16 PM, Simon wrote:
> Hi,
>    I need a tool to sync several directories of many Linux computers on
> a LAN and over the internet.  By "sync" I mean to overwrite an
> unchanged old version on computer A with a new version from B.  The
> sync'ing needs to handle multiple computers so that if a file is
> updated on C, then computers A and B can receive that update.
>
>    The files range from specific /etc files to /home to many more.
> Most of which is text, but there is a big quantity of binary
> (archives, etc) also.  I would also like to back these files up.
>
>    I was thinking on using a star topology with the backup server in
> the middle (say computer M for master).  So I could backup A, B, C and
> D onto M, and then "somehow" merge the updates, resolve the conflicts,
> come up with an official new version of the files (conflicts are rare
> though) and then restore the latest files from M back onto A, B, C and
> D.
>
>    I wonder if BackupPC has means to simplify my needs?

No, backuppc doesn't have anything built-in to determine the 'latest' 
version of a file or resolve conflicts.  It could be used as the backing 
store for something else that determined which one you want, though.

'Unison' claims to be able to track what changed when and where and 
might be a better fit.   However, if people are actively trying to 
collaborate, working on the same set of files you might need a version 
control tool designed for that purpose.  Subversion is a popular choice 
for that if you want a central repository.  In that scenario you would 
import the starting set of directories/files into the repository, 
everyone would check out their own working copy, and thereafter each 
would 'commit' changes they've made and 'update' to pull in changes 
others have committed.  If an update would conflict with an uncommitted 
local change, there is a process to resolve the conflict.  With a 
process like this, you not only have the distribution point to 
coordinate updates but you are able to retrieve any version of any file 
that was ever committed and track the history of changes.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
    lesmikesell AT gmail DOT com


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