Contents
Profile Settings - Verification
There are two main ways to verify files and ensure that their content is 100% identical on both sides: Verification of files directly after copying, and verification of all existing files. Verifying copied files is recommended and while it makes the copying slower, the impact is still reasonable. On the other hand, verifying all files which already exist on both sides should usually not be done every time the profile runs. The "Remember Results" feature helps avoiding the re-verification of files already verified previously.
Checksums (or hashes) can be used to speed the comparison up. Syncovery will use them automatically if a cloud service provides them. In addition, you can install the Syncovery Remote Service on the other machine to generate checksums remotely, which greatly speeds the process up.
Verify copied files (can double execution time)
This checkmark will cause the program to verify the file contents after copying. The verification is done by reading the complete source and destination files once more and comparing them. So this will potentially double the execution time, drive access and network traffic. To avoid this, it is possible to use a remotely generated MD5 checksum for verification. The checksum can be calculated by the Syncovery Remote Service running on the other end, or by an FTP server supporting the MD5 command. The MD5 comparison option must be chosen under Comparison/More.
Binary Comparison Of Existing Files While Building the File List
Use this setting to verify that the file contents of existing files is 100% identical on both sides. Only files which would normally be considered identical by looking at the file size and timestamp will be verified. If the binary comparison shows that the files are different, they will be marked for copying in the profile's main copying direction. If the profile has both directions checked, then the Synchronization Preview will show such files with the word CONFLICT and it will not do any copying by default. You can then set the desired copying direction in the Synchronization Preview.
This checkmark should not usually be used for jobs that run regularly, because it causes a lot of disk usage or network traffic. Moreover, this checkmark does not cause newly copied files to be verified. To verify files after copying, use the checkmark Verify copied files on the Files tab sheet.
However, in conjunction with the new Remember Results feature, it is actually feasible to leave this option checked for repeated runs. Syncovery will remember which files have verified successfully, and not repeat the Binary Comparison for them in future runs. This also makes it possible to interrupt jobs during the comparison phase. When the job is started again, it will skip the binary comparisons that were previously successful.
Use Remotely Generated MD5 Checksums For Comparisons
This checkmark will make the program use MD5 checksums for verification rather than a complete binary verification. To make this work, the Syncovery Remote Service must be running on the other end. Do not choose this checkmark if you want MD5s to be used with some cloud services that support it. That will be done automatically.
Verify Sync Statistics After Completion
This checkmark should be used only rarely! It will cause the left and right folder trees to be scanned completely again after the synchronization has completed. This verification stage will end in detailed statistics which are used to verify that the backup or mirror is complete. Any files or folders that still don't exist on both sides are listed.