Public BTSync Secrets

Following is a list of BitTorrent Sync secrets I am using to share files with colleagues;

SharePoint Support Files
Read only secret: B3XNA62PYSAAH7LGKCIORW536DVG3OME2
This repository hosts information and files related to installing, configuring, maintaining, and developing for Microsoft's SharePoint.

Lync Support Files
Read only secret: BXJDISWQTV6S2MJKVCK3HBV3DDPXZR4TG
This repository hosts information and files related to installing, configuring, maintaining, and developing for Microsoft's Lync Server.

PowerShell Support Files
Read only secret: B5CQA6PNTYAMQCJBUBNB32XQV4WJGL2YQ
This repository hosts resources for working with Microsoft Windows PowerShell.

If you would like to get read write access to any of the above repositories to add to the resource, please contact me and I will send you the secret.

This list will expand as I add more repositories.

BitTorrent Sync Thoughts

Update: Don't use BTSync. Checkout SyncThing instead.

As I broaden my usage of BitTorrent Sync (BTSync) I am coming up with more and more ways of making my life easier with this brilliant tool.

Here is a quick list of ways to use BTSync;

• Sync your photos from your phone to your desktop
• Sync your music from your desktop to your phone
• Backup your files
• Deploy software development solutions such as websites or script files (PowerShell).
• Share files with family and friends
• Support your family and friends remotely (screenshots etc.)
• Share files with customers
• Sync your installed games to multiple machines

One of the problems I had when first using BTSync was the naming of the folders and where to store them.   After using it for a month I came up with a good name for the root folder where I place all my synchronised folders.   I now have a folder called "Pool" and inside are all of the folders being synchronised.

This Pool folder is used for simple synchronised folders while I have backups and other large synced folders stored elsewhere.

BTSync is only new and I started using it with a little apprehension.   Because of a build up of trust in the stability of BTSync over the last month I decided to start synchronising a large folder on my home file server.   My file server is running on a Raspberry Pi, so I had expectations that the indexing (hashing) process would be rather slow on a 900GB directory of pictures, music, documents and more.   As it turns out, the btsync daemon is crashing often.   It looks like the software package needs more resources than the Pi can deliver which is a real shame.   I am hoping bugs like this will get fixed as the product matures over time.

If you haven't given BTSync a spin yet, give it a go.   You may find it saves you time and gives you access to your files in ways you never thought of.

If you have thought of a unique way to use BTSync, let me know about it in the comments below.

BitTorrent Sync - My new favorite Private Cloud File Sync Tool

If you have been following my previous posts you will see a trend of late. I am heavily into file access and file storage for my personal use. I thought I had come up with a great solution for my own Private Cloud Storage which involved a Raspberry Pi, Samba, AjaXplorer and Deluge.

As of this morning I was informed that a product I was very interested in, but did not think suited my needs, now has an Android client. I am talking about BitTorrent Sync (BTSync).

When I first looked at BTSync and played around with it as a possible solution for my file access, I dismissed it because I was more interested in getting access to my file server rather than syncing to my devices. Using AjaXplorer I can access my home file server from anywhere with ease. What AjaXplorer lacked at the time was a desktop sync client.

Now that there is an Android client for BitTorrent Sync, I have the ultimate Private Cloud solution. On top of the Raspberry Pi, Samba, AjaXplorer and Deluge I now have BTSync to synchronise selected files from my home file server to my laptop, desktop or mobile phone. BTSync complements AjaXplorer rather than replaces it. AjaXplorer provides a beautiful web interface to all the files on my file server while BTSync keeps my frequently accessed files at my fingertips.

Better yet, on top of BTSync synchronising my frequently accessed files I have configured the new Android BTSync client to synchronise my phones DCIM (Digital Camera IMage) folder to my file server and desktop. Now if I take a photo with my phone it is automatically available on my file server for my wife to access and on my desktop for me to manage. Using my desktop I can delete poor pictures and generally manage my photos and the changes will be synchronised.

What about backups? The BTSync client has a trash folder and an archive (versioning) folder, but nothing beats a manual backup. Once a week I backup my file server to an external USB hard disk drive. I still have a Dropbox account and have decided to use it for only one purpose. I have my Android Dropbox client configured to automatically upload photos. I will forget about my Dropbox account unless there is some need to access the uploaded files.

I am not going to post on my blog about how to install BTSync because it is so easy to do on a running Debian system. See this forum post for details.