DuraCloud Sync Tool

Introduction

The Sync Tool is a utility which was created in order to provide a simple way to move files from a local file system to DuraCloud.

Download and Install

Download Sync Tool from the Downloads page. 

Sync Tool Interfaces

The Sync Tool has two interfaces, providing the choice of whether the user prefers a command line or a graphical display.

• Graphical interface
  
  • Provides a web-browser-based application user interface which begins with a configuration wizard, then provides a dashboard display showing the current status of the sync process.
• Command line interface
  
  • Provides a command line interface which can be executed directly, used in scripts, or used for scheduling sync activities (such as within a cron job.)
  • Provides access to all feature of the Sync Tool, some of which are not available (yet) in the graphical interface.

Metadata

As the Sync Tool transfers files to DuraCloud, it will attempt to capture certain types of metadata about each file, and include that information as part of the content item added to DuraCloud. The list below describes the metadata that is captured automatically. You have the option to add, update, or delete the properties of each file after it has been transferred to DuraCloud.

• Mime Type
  • The content type of the file.

  • As the Sync Tool transfers your files to DuraCloud, it attempts to determine the mime type of each file based on the file's extension. If it cannot determine a mime type for a given file, that file's type is set to "application/octet-stream", which is a generic mime type for binary data. Select the "Edit" button on the DuraCloud web interface to change a file's mime type.

  • If you find that files with certain extensions are not being mapped as you would prefer, you can always change the value on uploaded files from within DuraCloud. If you would like to make sure that files with a given extension are given your preferred mime type during upload, you simply need to update the mapping file. The mapping of file extension to mime type is determined by a file included in your Java installation called content-types.properties. This file is usually located in the "lib" folder under your Java runtime installation directory. After making a copy of the original file as a backup, simply update it following the formatting conventions used throughout the file to include the mappings you prefer, then save the file. After making changes, you will need to re-start the Sync Tool to ensure that the changes are picked up properly.

• Space
  
  • The space in which a content item is stored. This field cannot be edited.
• Size
  
  • The size of a content item. This field cannot be edited.
• Modified
  
  • The date on which the file was added to DuraCloud. This value is updated when a file is added or updated.
• Checksum
  
  • The MD5 checksum of the file. This field cannot be edited.
• Creator
  
  • The creator is the DuraCloud user who transferred the file into DuraCloud storage.
• Content file path
  
  • The full path of the file in its original storage location
• Content file created
  
  • The date when the file was created, as determined by the originating file system. This information may not be available from all file systems.
• Content file modified
  
  • The date when the file was last modified, as determined by the originating file system. This information may not be available from all file systems.
• Content file last accessed
  
  • The date when the file was last accessed, as determined by the originating file system. This information may not be available from all file systems.