Network Drive or SFTP, which is faster

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ChicagoGhost
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon May 03, 2021 10:25 am

Network Drive or SFTP, which is faster

Post by ChicagoGhost »

Hi,
I want to sync files between PC and my NAS (directly connected to PC).
It's a Synology NAS, and I can access it via a mapped network drive.
So, compared to the SFTP method, which one is faster?
And, besides speed, is there anything else that I should consider?
For example, I know the SFTP method can retain file modification date/time.
Can the mapped network drive method retain the file modification date/time correctly?

tobias
Posts: 1603
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 7:37 pm

Re: Network Drive or SFTP, which is faster

Post by tobias »

Hello,
yes, both can retain the modification time and both should reach speeds above 100 MB/sec if you copy large files, one at a time.

Speeds will might not be identical, depending on the file sizes, but could be similar with both methods. In the end you need to test this in your particular environment and decide for yourself. You can freely switch between the two methods without any side effects.

In general, if you copy many small files, you can copy several in parallel (multiple threads). For larger files, you should avoid unnecessary disk seeks and fragmentation by changing the number of files to copy in parallel to 1.

The setting how many files to copy in parallel is on the "Files" tab sheet when editing a profile in Advanced Mode.

ChicagoGhost
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon May 03, 2021 10:25 am

Re: Network Drive or SFTP, which is faster

Post by ChicagoGhost »

Thanks!
I am using the Network Drive method now.
Another question is: by using Remote Service, the building of remote file list can be fast.
Is this also true while using the Network Drive method?
The network drive is on the Synology NAS. It is the shared folder of the NAS.

tobias
Posts: 1603
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 7:37 pm

Re: Network Drive or SFTP, which is faster

Post by tobias »

Hello,
yes, the Remote Service can be used with any kind of connection, including network drive.

You can download it for Synology from this page:
https://www.syncovery.com/syncovery9synology/

The Remote Service is configured via port 8949. The local path of the folder that needs to be listed must be entered into the field
"Folders to watch for listing or checksum requests"

And in the Syncovery profile on Windows, you need to choose (for example):
"Right side listing uses Remote Service"
which is on the "Special" tab sheet.

The Remote Service is also described on the following page, although with screenshots and installation instructions from Windows (please ignore these):
https://www.syncovery.com/remoteservice/

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