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Document ID: 1869
Subject: Using folder cache in Syncrify
Creation date: 10/4/11 10:25 AM
Last modified on: 11/24/20 11:23 AM


Local cache on client

The Syncrify client compares folders on the local machine with corresponding folders on the server to determine if it contain files that require backup. This is the default behavior and is done for every folder on the client machine.

When the folder cache option is enabled, Syncrify creates a local cache file containing this list for comparison. This cached data is stored in a sub-folder called FolderCache off of the Data Folder. Click here if you need to change this location.

As with every option, there are pros and cons:

Benefits

Speed - Using local folder cache reduces the total time spent for backup. The amount of time reduced is directly proportional to number of folders on the client machine therefore you will see a significant time reduction for jobs containing thousands of folders. If the client does not have many folders, the speed reduction is not significant.

During a test conducted in our labs, with a backup containing about 35,000 folders, we found the time reduced from 45 minutes to 6 minutes when local cache was used.

Scalability - Increases server scalability as less requests are sent from the client to the server. Due to this reason, it is a good idea to turn this option on if you are an ISP.

Costs

If files are modified on the server using any other channel, the client will not know about them and therefore, a backup won't happen. For example, the last modified date of a file on client machine is January 01, 2010. If the same file on the server is somehow modified on January 15, 2010, the client won't know about this change.

Forcing clients to use cache

Although every client can determine if they want to use local cache, the server administrator has ability to force clients to use it even if the client decides not to. This is particularly useful if you are an ISP and want to make the server more scalable.

IMPORTANT: Local cache is not used when:
  • Direction is either Two-way sync or Server to client

Related Article



User comments

Posted by Synametrics Support on 1/10/13 9:29 AM

This was a bug and was fixed in build 700. See for details. http://web.synametrics.com/SyncrifyVersionHistory.htm

Posted by Frank on 10/29/12 4:35 AM

As of 2012/10/29 a huge con (cost) is missing reliability. Another user as well as I encountered some new and changed files not being backed up when 'Folder Cache' was enabled. For both of us deleting the 'Folder Cache' solved the issue but this feature makes a backup unreliable. Regards, Frank P.S. @Synametrics Support: Do not forget to reply here (or delete this post) once that bug is resolved.

Posted by Brian Spengler on 4/28/17 11:31 AM

FYI: The Server is automatically refreshed (local cache disregarded) when considered stale. Two conditions: After 30 days, OR When modifications are made to a Profile


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