currently user could end up opening a file that is NOT the most current
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[quote=jan_rifkinson]
currently user could end up opening a file that is the most current
[/quote]
???
In my experience, Dropbox will only sync your IQ file when it is closed.
I recently tried SpiderOak & it can backup your file while it is open, but unfortunately it has to backup the whole file each time (rather than just the changes made) - which very quickly fills a lot of space...
user 1 on computer 1 closes IQ to save to drop box
user 1 on computer 2 opens IQ file from drop box before the file isn't completely uploaded / updated & user doesn't get most current IQ dB
drop box works ok altho I'm starting to read that there may be some security issues w the service[/quote]
I dont really see what IQ can do about it - seems more of a dropbox problem to me (i.e. would be better if they could backup while file is open). Or simply a case of user ensuring that the file is fully uploaded before using on computer 2.
I only use dropbox for backup (for IQ). But the file is encrypted and password protected so I hope it's safe enough.
I dont really see what IQ can do about it - seems more of a dropbox problem to me (i.e. would be better if they could backup while file is open). Or simply a case of user ensuring that the file is fully uploaded before using on computer 2.
I only use dropbox for backup (for IQ). But the file is encrypted and password protected so I hope it's safe enough.
[/quote]
It is effectively a dropbox or human issue, not an IQ issue.
As far security goes, the best is to use something like a TrueCrypt container. I don't do it myself, but I will (and this might solve your/our space problem with spideroak : truecrypt's encryption scheme is very different than IQ's).
This may be relevant to your thinking... I had been using Dropbox 0.7 to sync my SNDB, which won't sync until the file is closed, but having grown impatient waiting for Dropbox to be automatically upgraded to the newest version, I just upgraded manually to v.1.1.31 (Win7), which works around the file-locking (my file is synced as I work on it). Very little risk of conflict for me now.
P.S. (and slightly off-topic) : when using Dropbox as backup strategy, one must be warned of the dangers... When working with another version of a file (downloaded from DropBox) which hasn't the backup extension (SNBKA or SNBKM), it's very easy to confuse versions (the original and the backup)! For that reason, I set IQ to automatically backup to the Dropbox folder. it's not as seamless but it can avoid headaches as looking into another version, it's clear which one is the backup (SNBKA) and which one isn't (SNDB)...
If user is on computer A using IQ (organized as above), finishes work, dashes off & forgets to close IQ down
and
If same user jumps on computer B & fires up IQ, what dB are they working with?
[/quote]
presumably not a good idea -cause when you close the older version it will save to dropbox and replace the work done on the other pc.
if it did happen to me, and I wanted to be sure not to lose anything, I'd save another copy of the most recently worked-on version (elsewhere), close both IQs and replace the IQbase in dropbox with the manually saved copy.
Well, considering what Thom said earlier, you shouldn't need to have to close IQ to have DropBox effectively backup the DB. So "forgetting to close IQ" shouldn't be a problem to .
So...
[quote]
If user is on computer A using IQ (organized as above), finishes work, dashes off & forgets to close IQ down
and
If same user jumps on computer B & fires up IQ, what dB are they working with?
[/quote]
IMO, computer B would have the new version of the DB, providing it has the time to sync. Don't you think so ?
Plus, theoretically, even if you did work on the "wrong DB" because it didn't have the time to sync (on computer B), and realize the mistake only after a short while, you shouldn't loose much anyway since DropBox keeps all versions.
You would probably only have to 1- save the current DB somewhere else (backup), 2- revert to the last one (computer A) using Dropbox , 3- and apply the changes from the B backup on top of A.
Leaving both computers open and connected most of the time is the only way to insure almost immediate sync (depending on the DB size).
But the only way to make sure everything works as expected, is to make a few tests with a sample DB, and maybe a copy of your own which might be slightly bigger.
My DB is close to 300Mb, so I thought yours might be significantly bigger than the 3MB provided sample.
The idea here is that it potentially takes much more time to sync a 300MB DB than an 3Mb one -- hence, in the process of going from computer A to computer B (or the reverse), more chances to work on a DB that hasn't been synced fully yet.
I had updated to v1.0.28 a few months ago, because windows explorer was terribly slow. That fixed it.
I hadn't noticed but this is so true, Dropbox now backups when the file is open. This means that IQ just inherited a much more granular backup system. One can literally go back anywhere in time (30 days with the free dropbox).
Yup, this is great... But as I said, one needs to be careful when playing with several SNDBs sharing the same name... I did it once, made a mistake, and lost several hours. This is why I came back to regular backups (to be able to keep the specific backup extensions...) to the Dropbox folder. At least, IQ warns the user when opening backup, which is not the case when you open a normal SNDB, of course.
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