Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Super Flexible File Synchronizer - Most Versatile Backup Solution Final Pick

I was finally sick of DeltaCopy to sync files. Even with all the updates and hacks I was still not able to get it to run smoothly. So I started the journey again seeking the best software to backup my personal files. The solution that I'm looking for must satisfy the following:
  • Local backup, not some free on-line backup service on the cloud that takes weeks to create the initial dump.
  • Support Unicode file names.
  • Backup to another networked computer, not just to a local drive or a USB drive.
  • Transfer files through protocols other than the native file-sharing.
  • Runs on Windows 7.
  • Allow scheduling, and can run even without user logged in.
  • Delete file from the backup when the source file is deleted.
These are just the most important features that are useful to me. It turned out that I was looking for a "file synchronization" software, and not a "backup" software. Almost all of the backup software combines all of the source files into very few "package" files. This resembles the old tape technology. Each "package" file is like a tape. You cannot view the files in each tape easily with something like the Windows Explorer. You must perform a lengthy "restore" operation which searches linearly for the file you need. If your file is at the end of the tape then you are out of luck. The files that are backed up by a "file synchronization" software, on the other hand, are the same as the files at the source. It creates a carbon-copy of your file for redundancy. It is KISS.

OK. So I finally gotten to the point. This is a good list of file synchronization programs. I downloaded and tried a free one (OneSync), and two commercial ones (Best Sync FTP and Super Flexible) which seem to have the most features. Then I conclude the free ones are just not stable (OneSync didn't even run on my Windows 7 VM) enough for serious jobs. Both of the commercial ones satisfy all of my requirements above. However, Best Sync FTP is more expensive (about $100 for the Ultimate version on 3 computers) and it requires on-line activation. On-line activation sucks, what if I retire my server and get a new one. Does that count as 2 licenses? Super Flexible costs only about $60, and you can install it to all your computers. You only need multiple licenses when you want to run it on multiple computer simultaneously! This is the most generous software offer that I've ever seen. It is truly an amazing product.

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