Forum Discussion

glnzglnz's avatar
glnzglnz
Active Contributor
11 months ago

Syncing files? Basic Qs

 

Been using and liking GTMP for a while - my company gave it to me so that my office PC is a host, and I can see it from home using the GTMP client app.  Very nice.

 

Just discovered the syncing files feature.  Some basic questions:

  1. At home, does the GTMP client app have to be running for the sync feature to work?  Or does sync work all the time in the background?  (The office PC host has GTMP running all the time, but not so at home.)
  2. If your answer is "No", then let's say I set up GTMP to sync an office PC folder with a home PC folder, and I make different changes in both while (for many days) I don't use GTMP from home to see the office PC.  Then, after some weeks, I turn on GTMP at home to see my office PC. 
    1. At that point, do the two folders sync automatically, or am I prompted to start the sync?
    2. Does the sync automatically work in both directions, or only in one direction?
    3. Does the sync take a long time?
    4. Will I see status?
    5. What happens if I turn off the home GTMP in the middle of a file sync?
    6. How does GTMP sync handle conflicts?  (For example, each PC has the same file but they have different Modified By dates and sizes and other metadata.)
    7. What happens if I had deleted a file on one of the PCs but left it on the other?  Does GTMP "know" that I had deleted it on the first PC and so then deletes it on the second?  Or does GTMP just copy the file from the second PC to the first?
    8. What if the folder on my home PC is in my OneDrive?  Does that make things go bonkers in an inter-dimensional, time-traveling, sci-fi kind of way?
    9. Suppose I have two folders that have existed for some time, so each has its own grab bag of files and sub-folders, and now I sync them together for the first time.  Will the sync work so that, after the sync, each folder has the total of what had been in both folders, or is using existing folders risky and stuff might get lost?
    10. What other questions should I be asking?

Thanks.

  • GlennD's avatar
    GlennD
    GoTo Manager
    11 months ago

    Hi glnzglnz,

     

    This support article covers the basics: How do I sync my files? 

     

    • File Sync is only between 2 Windows PCs 
    • It is run manually by you during a GoToMyPC session and is displayed on screen while it runs
    • You can tell GoToMyPC how to handle different file versions with the same name before syncing
    • Syncing will take time and how long it takes will vary depending on the amount of data you are syncing and available bandwidth
    • Syncing is bidirectional, so changes to either folder are recognized. If you delete a file from one folder and then run the sync again, the file will be copied back. In order to delete a file you need to delete it from both sync locations
    • Selecting a One Drive folder will work, but it would make more sense to just sign into the same One Drive account on both computers
    • The Repeat a Recent File Sync shortcut displays a list of the last 3 file syncs, which saves you the step of navigating to the individual folders on your host and client computers

     

    • glnzglnz's avatar
      glnzglnz
      Active Contributor
      11 months ago

      Thanks, GlennD.

      But please continue down my list of questions - can you advise about some of those additional issues?

    • GlennD's avatar
      GlennD
      GoTo Manager
      11 months ago

      I've added some more details to my existing reply.

      • glnzglnz's avatar
        glnzglnz
        Active Contributor
        11 months ago

        GlennD - thanks for more detail.

        Can't do OneDrive in both places because the host is my office PC at work, and OneDrive there is not permitted.

        I suppose the answer to my #9 is that both folders will end up looking identical, with everything that had been in each folder now in both folders, subject to resolutions of file conflicts (e.g. same name on different files) one by one per my choices.  Agree?