Sync laptop desktop - ArchWiki

# Sync laptop desktop

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It is not always possible to copy one computer's drive to the other. For example, some files must differ on both machines, or respective updates do not match.

## Unison

Unison. Screenshot.

You need to have ssh on both machines, and (the same version of) unison installed on both machines (your laptop and desktop). Then with a few simple commands you can synchronise directories, and in a GUI you can select which things you wish to have synchronised and which not. You can also resolve conflicts.

~/.unison/electra.prf (laptop)

    root = /home/hugo
    root = ssh://pyros//home/hugo
    follow = Path school
    include common

~/.unison/pyros.prf (desktop)

    root = /home/hugo
    root = ssh://electra//home/hugo
    follow = Path school
    include common

~/.unison/common

    ignore = Regex .*(cache|Cache|te?mp|history|thumbnails).*
    ignore = Name sylpheed.log*
    ignore = Name unison.log
    ignore = Name .ICEauthority
    ignore = Name .Xauthority
    ignore = Path {.songinfo,.radinfo}
    ignore = Path .adesklets
    ignore = Path .Azureus
    ignore = Path .forward
    ignore = Path adesklets
    ignore = Path .ethereal
    ignore = Path .sheep
    ignore = Path .xinitrc
    ignore = Path .config
    ignore = Path .xscreensaver
    ignore = Path .xawtv
    ignore = Path .radio
    ignore = Path .forward
    ignore = Path .dc++
    ignore = Path .quodlibet
    ignore = Path .tvtime
    ignore = Path .config/graveman
    ignore = Path .xmodmap
    ignore = Path .java
    ignore = Path .tvlist*
    ignore = Path .thumbnails
    ignore = Path .ssh
    ignore = Path .viminfo
    ignore = Path .vim/tmp
    ignore = Path Desktop
    ignore = Path .wine*
    ignore = Path motion
    ignore = Path src/ufobot/test_pipe
    ignore = Path tmp
    ignore = Path local
    ignore = Path books
    ignore = Path .mozilla/firefox/*/Cache*
    ignore = Path .liferea/cache
    ignore = Path .liferea/mozilla/liferea/Cache
    ignore = Path .sylpheed-*/*.bak
    ignore = Path .sylpheed-*/folderlist.xml*
    ignore = Path .liferea/new_subscription
    ignore = Path .mozilla/firefox/pluginreg.dat
    ignore = Path .mozilla/firefox/*/lock
    ignore = Path .mozilla/firefox/*/XUL.mfasl
    ignore = Path .mozilla/firefox/*/xpti.dat
    ignore = Path .mozilla/firefox/*/cookies.txt
    ignore = Path .xbindkeysrc
    ignore = Path .unison/ar*
    ignore = Path .gaim/icons
    ignore = Path .gaim/blist.xml
    ignore = Path .asoundrc
    ignore = Path .maillog
    ignore = Path .openoffice2/.lock

As you can see, there are two different profiles, one for running from the laptop, and one for running the desktop. Files are posted here as example, they are nowhere essential for your configuration.

Bash aliases were created for quick usage. One example is:

    alias unisync="unison-gtk2 electra -contactquietly -logfile /dev/null"

This starts unisync using profile 'electra', for when running the laptop.

A line in ~/Desktop/autostart automates the process when wanting to sync desktop with laptop:

    xterm -e 'ping -q -W 2 -c 2 pyros &&
    unison-gtk2 electra -contactquietly -logfile /dev/null &&
    gxmessage -buttons no:0,yes:1  Syncing done. Shutdown pyros? ||
    ssh pyros sudo halt' &

### Limitations

You can also use this tool with NFS shares, but you may find that it is slower, because using the ssh solution it asks the other side to check for updates, and thus not requiring network traffic for that part of the syncing process.

If you are using a ssh port different from the default (22), for example 1022, use this line in your prf file:

    sshargs = -p 1022

If you are using symbolic links and want to synchronise your files on a vfat system (usb key for example), unison will not accept them and generate errors. You cannot just tell unison you do not want symbolic links, you have to name them all. To find them on your system, you can run

    find ~/folder -type l

Unison is very sensitive and requires the exact same versions on client and server. Also, unison must be compiled against the same OCaml version on all peers too. Making it highly unfeasible for a heterogeneous network.

## rsync

See rsync

## rdiff-backup

The following tool was used with the following backup script:

    #!/bin/sh

    mount /bak
    #mount /boot
    mount /mnt/win

    rdiff-backup \
       --exclude-regexp 'cache$' \
       --exclude-regexp '(?i)/te?mp$' \
       --exclude /mnt \
       --exclude /vol \
       --exclude /bak \
       --exclude /usr/media \
       --exclude /usr/media/misc \
       --exclude /usr/lib \
       --exclude /tmp \
       --exclude /var/dl \
       --exclude /var/spool \
       --exclude /var/cache \
       --exclude /proc \
       --exclude /dev \
       --exclude /sys \
    / /bak/sys

    echo "----------------------------------------"
    echo " * Listing increments of backup"
    echo "----------------------------------------"
    rdiff-backup --list-increments /bak/sys

    echo ""
    echo "----------------------------------------"
    echo " * Removing backups older than 5 Weeks"
    echo "----------------------------------------"
    rdiff-backup --force --remove-older-than 5W /bak/sys

    ##Force is necessary because:
    #Fatal Error: Found 2 relevant increments, dated:
    #Sat Apr 10 12:39:24 2004
    #Sat Apr 17 04:15:01 2004
    #If you want to delete multiple increments in this way, use the --force.

    echo ""
    echo "----------------------------------------"
    echo " * Disk usage after backup"
    echo "----------------------------------------"
    df -h

    umount /bak
    #umount /boot
    umount /mnt/win

## Syncthing

See syncthing

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- Internet applications

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