• Copy Method
• Copy Attempts
• Verification Check (of the content of copied files)
• Method for Comparing Contents
• Options for Copy Method C and Content Comparison
• Modifying File Attributes
• Options

This option enables you to specify the internal copy method used by AllSync for copying files.

Properties of the Various Copy Methods	A	B	C	D
Display the copy progress of a file	-	•	•	-
Resume an interrupted copy operation of a file	-	•	•	-
Cancel the copy operation of a file	-	•	•	-
Change the copying speed	-	-	•	-
Copying of file attributes	•	•	•	?
Copying of the Modified Date	•	•	•	?
Copying of the Created Date	-	-	•	?
Copying of the Last Accessed Date	-	-	•	?

Automatically use the fastest copy method

This option enables the fastest copy method to be automatically determined for each source and destination folder pair. Copy Method C is used with a data packet size of 300,000 bytes when the source or destination folder is recognized as a network folder. Otherwise Copy Method B is always used.

Which copy method should you use?

Following from the results produced by various copying tests we can give the following recommendations:

Copying Scenario	A	B	C
From computer A to computer B via a network link	-	-	•
From harddisk A to harddisk A	•	•	-
From harddisk A to harddisk B	•	•	-
From a harddisk to a USB stick or USB harddisk	•	•	-

X = fastest copy method

Copy Method C

Upon starting the copy operation, the destination file is created with a modified date which is older than that of the source file. This ensures that AllSync automatically recopies the source file during the next copy operation in the event the link to the destination folder is interrupted. After the file is successfully copied, the create and modified date of the destination file is adapted to that of the source file. This copy method also enables you to specify the size of the data packets and the pause between data packets.

Copy Method D

This option enables you to specify an external program like Microsoft Windows' Xcopy command for the copy operation of the source file to the destination folder. The following variables (%) are available to you for passing the source and destination file:

• %1 = source file (example: C:\Data\Info.doc)
• %2 = destination file (example: D:\Backup\Data\Info.doc)
• %3 = destination folder (example: D:\Backup\Data)

Example of the Windows Xcopy command: Xcopy "%1" "%3" /h /r /y

When the return value of the external program is not equal to zero, an error message is outputted to the log file.

This option enables you to specify that a file is to be recopied in the event there is an error while copying it. You can specify the number of copy attempts for a file and the interval between them in seconds. The default value of 1 for the number of copy attempts causes a file to be copied only once and no renewed attempts to be made when an error occurs.

Resume interrupted copy operation of a file

This option enables a copy operation of a file to be resumed at the point it was interrupted when another copy attempt is made. This option needs the Copy Method C to be activated.

Advanced Rules

You can additionally specify advanced rules for certain errors and enter them in the text pane. One rule is entered per line. Each rule must contain the following items, separated by a comma:

1. Error no.
2. Number of copy attempts (1-99)
3. Interval in seconds between copy attempts (1-99)
4. Here you specify which action is to be performed when a copy attempt is unsuccessful. The following values are possible:
   0 = Don't abort profile and continue with the next file
   1 = Abort profile
   2 = Abort processing of the current source and destination folder and continue with the next folder pair

Examples:

• Rule "112,1,1,1" causes no further copy attempt to be made and the profile to be aborted when error 112 occurs.
• Rule "64,6,15,2" causes an additional five copy attempts to be performed in intervals of 15 seconds when error 64 occurs. If the file cannot be copied without any errors, processing of the current source and destination folder is aborted and processing is continued with the next folder pair.
• Rule "32,3,10,0" causes two additional copy attempts to be made in intervals of 10 seconds. If the file cannot be copied without any errors, processing is continued with the next file.

Activating this option causes the contents of the source and destination file to be compared after being copied. An error is logged if the contents of the two files aren't identical. You can also specify whether no comparison is to be performed of files above a certain size.

This option enables you to specify the method used for performing a content check comparison between two files. Comparison is subject to the two files having the same file size.

Automatically determine the most optimal method

This option enables the best comparison method to be automatically determined for each source and destination folder pair. The byte by byte comparison method is used when the source or destination folder is recognized as a network folder. Otherwise the SHA copy method is always used.

Comparison Methods

• Byte by byte
  A comparison of the entire file is done by reading data packets one by one and comparing them.
• CRC32 (32-bit)
  This causes a CRC checksum of the contents of each file to be computed and then compared.
• MD5 (128-bit)
  This causes an MD5 checksum of the contents of each file to be computed and then compared.
• SHA (160-bit)
  This causes an SHA checksum of the contents of each file to be computed and then compared.

The byte by byte method provides for the highest degree of certainty and reliability when it comes to a content comparison. The accuracy of other methods decreases in keeping with the decreasing bit rate.

The following two options are used with Copy Method C or the byte by byte comparison method:

Data packet

This setting enables you to specify in bytes the size of the data packets used to read from a file into main memory.

Pause

This setting enables you to specify the length of the pause in milliseconds between reading the individual data packets and thus decrease the transfer speed.

These options enable you to modify the attributes of the source or destination file after copying. The attributes aren't modified unless copying was successful. The following attributes can be set and deleted:

• Write-protected
• Hidden
• Archive

All existing file attributes are retained providing they are not to be modified via your settings.

Use Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to copy open files

This option enables all open files to be copied for which error 32 or 33 would be returned in the log.

Please note the following when using this option:

• Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008 and Windows 7 (32/64 bits) are supported.
• Only the open files of local drives can be copied. Network drives, removable disks and other connected drives are not supported.
• The open files must be located in a source folder.
• Drives formatted with FAT32 are not supported unless another local NTFS drive is present.
• Windows (all versions): Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) may not be deactivated. The startup mode of the service must be set to manual or automatic.
• Windows XP/2003: MS Software Shadow Copy Provider may not be deactivated. The startup mode of the service must be set to manual or automatic.
• Vista/Windows 7: When user account control (UAC) is activated, AllSync must be started with full administrator rights.

Transfer attributes of source files to existing destination files

This option enables you to transfer the attributes of a source file to an existing destination file during a copy operation. The attributes aren't transferred unless the source and destination files are identical on the basis of the copy rules.

Transfer upper- and lowercasing of the source files to existing destination files

This option enables you to transfer the modified upper- and lowercasing of a source file to an existing destination file during a copy operation. The modification is not made unless the source and destination files are identical on the basis of the copy rules.

Transfer file date and time after copying

This option causes the created and modified date of the source file to be transferred to the destination file subsequent to copying.

Before copying a file monitor the file size for any changes

This option causes the file to be copied to be monitored for any change in its size in a specified interval. The file isn't copied until no more changes in the file size have been detected.

Delete destination file when the source file can't be copied without any errors

This option causes the destination file to be deleted when an error occurs while copying the source file or the Verification Check fails.