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Ask Slashdot: Syncing Files With Remote Server While On the Road?

Posted by timothy on from the hard-ways-is-best-ways dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Here's a scenario: you are on a vacation trip for a couple of weeks — on the road. Lots of pictures — 2-300 per day. Maybe some text files with short notes etc. You have a camera with Eye-Fi, a PC, and a phone with WiFi and 3G. Files ends up on the PC (mobile storage), phone provides Internet connectivity. Now, if you wanted to upload all files pretty much as you go — given spotty access to Internet over G3 and WiFi — what would be the best way to do that automatically; set-it-and-forget-it style? I would like them to end up on my own server. rsync script? ownCloud? Some BitTorrent setup? Other? I'm thinking of interrupted file transfers due to no network, re-starts etc. And I would not want to lose any files; including scenarios where files gets deleted locally — that should not result in files getting automatically deleted on the server as well. Sure; I could perhaps use something like Dropbox but that would take the fun out of it."

11 of 239 comments (clear)

  1. Fun? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You say you don't want to take all the fun out of it, but you're trying to foist this idiocy off on a public forum? Save the fun for yourself, and make a blog post about your solution.

    1. Re:Fun? by Zaelath · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm thinking this guy is a senior manager who would normally ask his IT drones to attempt to solve this problem. Like the one I had in my youth that wanted backup of his laptop to happen automatically for the random 4 hours a day it was connected to the corporate network, without impacting the performance of the laptop by doing anything too heavy like, you know, syncing files across the network.

      I'm at a loss as to why people answer these kinda questions, if it was your own family you'd tell them to stop being such a lazy ass and remember to hit dropbox or whatever whenever they have a link.

  2. Let me be the first one to say by Dot.Com.CEO · · Score: 4, Insightful

    use something like Dropbox. It works fine, does exactly what you want, what's the point in reinventing the wheel?

    --
    Mother is the best bet and don't let Satan draw you too fast.
    1. Re:Let me be the first one to say by TrekkieGod · · Score: 4, Insightful

      use something like Dropbox. It works fine, does exactly what you want, what's the point in reinventing the wheel?

      I think, "that would take the fun out of it" pretty much covers it. Sounds like he's interested in the process of rolling out his own solution and putting it to the text. There's a lot of pride that goes with using something you've built yourself.

      Your answer, given that he already says he's aware such solutions exist, is a bit like telling a guy rebuilding a car in his garage to just buy one new, because it'd be simpler and cheaper. Yes, it would, but that's not the point.

      --

      Warning: Opinions known to be heavily biased.

    2. Re:Let me be the first one to say by icebike · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What a useless comment. The original poster is already aware of DropBox, and discarded it from consideration

      He discarded it for no valid reason. That is what the GP is pointing out.

      It is by far the cheapest most reliable solution to this problem, and it even allows leaving the laptop at home and simply uploading camera pictures to your smartphone where they can automatically be loaded to dropbox.

      If the OP is unwilling to consider dropbox, where the solution is handed to him on a silver platter, then why should we waste our time to spec out his system for him?

      --
      Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
  3. Take fewer pictures by Tr3vin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    2-300 pictures a day is a lot. I don't know about everybody else, but I actually try to enjoy myself on vacations. I'd rather not consume my time taking pictures every couple of minutes. Once you scale it back a bit, I think you will find that you don't need some complex setup.

  4. Re:So having us piece something together for you by jawtheshark · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Ehm, no, that is not backup. As a matter of fact, you might get robbed and then all your precious storage is gone. What about accidental damage (water damage: bag falls in water). No, the the best way is network backup, and I'd do it with rsync. What you suggest is not avoiding the problem: it's thinking that you avoid the problem.

    For me, when I'm on travels: my devices need to be completely destroyable, losable and robable.... without losing much (max one day).

    --
    Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
  5. Re:So having us piece something together for you by Nutria · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Multiple copies. One on your person and one with your luggage at the hotel/hostel.

    --
    "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
  6. Wow ... missing vacation by saving it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Sigh ... this is really, really sad. The original poster is willing to "miss out" on the true vacation by trying to save a digital copy! Am I the only one here thinking ... relax! ... enjoy your loved ones! ... live in the now! What, exactly, is the point of "saving" something that you were never really with 100% in reality?

  7. USB Drive in backpack; netbook in hotel/car by KeithH · · Score: 3, Insightful

    My experience is that hotel/internet-cafe access is too slow and/or flaky and/or expensive for the purpose you describe. Pay-as-you-go HSPA cell access is very expensive (in Europe and even more-so in North America). I guess if you're only taking 300 small jpegs per day, you might be able to afford the Internet access charges but my experience, even in Europe, is that your best bet is to make your own local backups as you go. My strategy is to travel with a small netbook and a USB drive. Each evening, I offload my SD cards onto both devices and then keep the netbook in the hotel safe or car and the USB drive with my camera. For example, I just returned from two weeks in Tuscany and am currently importing 34GB of photos into a new Lightroom catalog. There's no way that I could have transferred that data over the Internet while on the road without wasting a lot of valuable travel time. Heck, it's taking 20 minutes just to copy the photos off the USB drive at 30MB/s! How much time can you spend drinking espresso waiting for uploads?

  8. Re:So having us piece something together for you by Grishnakh · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Calling "the cloud" nonsense is exactly the same as calling the Internet nonsense. "The cloud" is just a stupid marketing term for it, but it's still the Internet. I saw pictures depicting the Internet as a cloud long before "the cloud" came into popular usage.

    And calling the Internet nonsense on an Internet forum is the height of hypocrisy.