Working with Remote Files

TurnipTruck

Greetings,

Most of my files exist on a Windows server back at my office. I access my AMX files through a VPN connection. All file opening and saving is done back to the office server. The system works well, except that compiling off the remote server can take a while. I am trying to find a way to improve this process.

I am trying to get away from running the server 24/7. Is anyone using an NAS type device that can serve files at comparible speeds to a Windows server? If so, what device?

How about web-based storage like Dropbox, etc.

Thanks for any suggestions.

John Gonzales

I've been moving towards a free MS product called LiveMesh (similar to Dropbox). It changed recently but basically it's a combination of cloud storage and local sync. What you do is install the mesh client on the server and workstations/field computers and share the folder from the server. Once you're set up, the shared folder from the server will be duplicated on the other workstations, and everyone will receive a local copy on their machine. If anyone makes changes to the files, they're synchronized across all machines. The nice thing about it is the fact that since local copies are maintained, you can access the files even if you don't have internet access, and if you make changes, the files will re-sync when you regain internet access.

It also allows access from a "live desktop" which is just a cloud desktop so you can access all of the files from any computer even without the mesh client installed.

www.mesh.com

PhreaK

The other route you could take is to set of a distributed vcs (something like git). That'll let you keep track of who did what, when they did it and most importantly why (even if that who is always you). It'll also make managing conflicts and parellel development at lot neater than using a flat file system. Another upside of a distributed system over a centralized one is that it will still play nice if you're offline (on site etc) a lot.

a_riot42

It sounds like you need a CVS system. It works beautifully for code, much better than dropbox or other non source code repositories. The client is integrated into Windows Explorer, and no logging in is required as credentials are based on your current windows login so if you are logged in to your machine you are logged in to CVS. Multple coders can work on the same files and be easily auto merged when finished. Once you have used CVS its hard to imagine life without it.
Paul

TurnipTruck

a_riot42 wrote: »

It sounds like you need a CVS system.

Please provide an example of such a system.

Thank you.

a_riot42

TurnipTruck wrote: »

Please provide an example of such a system.

Thank you.

There are too many to list. Google CVS and you will see hundreds of options, both free and not free. Since I am stuck using Windows, I use an open souirce suite that has been very reliable and gets its credentials from the OS so no extra logging in is required. The server is called CVSNT and the client is TortoiseCVS.

CVSNT server
http://www.march-hare.com/cvspro/

CVSNT Client
http://www.tortoisecvs.org/

true

I recommend using subversion above CVS. If you like the windows-integration stuff, there is TortoiseSVN which works similarly to TortoiseCVS. There are also NTLM auth modules if paying the microsoft tax is your thing.

PhreaK

+1 for subversion. The only thing you need to do for it to play nice in AMX world is to require locks for tp4 files as these can't be merged.

We use it here for all our code management, but only because we have persistant connections in all field laptops. If you spend a lot of time "offline" I'd highly recommend a distributed vcs (git is nice) over the centralized onces like subversion or CVS.

ericmedley

This is an interesting discussion. I store all our files on our company server and work from it as well. I keep no files on my local machine or laptop.

However, I rarely go onsite for programming. But, when I do the way I work is use LogMeIn and remote into my desktop machine back at the office from my laptop at the house. I've tried all the methods mentioned here. (VPN, dropbox,etc...)

I find that letting the desktop do all the heavy lifting seems to work better and faster. If I were to put a number on it, it'd be a VPN works at about 30-40% the speed of the internet connection, LogMeIn method seems to work at 70-80%. I think it's easier for the remote computer to just up/download the files to the netlinx master than to move all the traffic back and forth from the lappy and NS3 and Windoze.

Does anyone else use this method?

TurnipTruck

ericmedley wrote: »

This is an interesting discussion. I store all our files on our company server and work from it as well. I keep no files on my local machine or laptop.

However, I rarely go onsite for programming. But, when I do the way I work is use LogMeIn and remote into my desktop machine back at the office from my laptop at the house. I've tried all the methods mentioned here. (VPN, dropbox,etc...)

I find that letting the desktop do all the heavy lifting seems to work better and faster. If I were to put a number on it, it'd be a VPN works at about 30-40% the speed of the internet connection, LogMeIn method seems to work at 70-80%. I think it's easier for the remote computer to just up/download the files to the netlinx master than to move all the traffic back and forth from the lappy and NS3 and Windoze.

Does anyone else use this method?

This is the method I used when I first started working with this stuff, except that I used Windows RDC. This method worked great for code as compiling it is instantanious when it's being compiled on the machine in which it's located. However, I found it awful for TDP4 as the slow screen refresh made moving buttons around on a panel page a very clunky affair.

One of my goals here is to not have a Windows machine running 24/7, but still have access to files when I need them. My two solutions seem to be either cloud storage or some sort of NAS box.

An IT friend suggested that I look at Pogoplug. Anyone treid it?

John Gonzales

I also like the speed of working with local files, which is why some sort of sync tool is so important. I looked at CVS and SVN a while back but was fine with LiveMesh since I didn't have to worry about automerging, concurrent editing, etc.

It probably is just like a_riot said, once you're used to using CVS it might be difficult to go without, but a good sync tool has worked well for me. Plus, LiveMesh is free, and maintenance and setup are trivial.

One thing I liked about LiveMesh over dropbox is that it allows you to sync an existing folder, you don't have to drop all of your files or folders into the designated "drop" folder.

DHawthorne

My method seems to be diametrically opposote from most ... all my files are local on a laptop. I sync them with a backup at my office twice daily (at least) and again at home, though less frequently. I've been through a half dozen computers, at least, since I started AMX programming, and a few hard drive failures in between, and have yet to lose a file. In fact, I still have every bit of AMX code I've ever written, and quite a bit from my predecessor as well. But I do spend a fair amount of my time on site, and not all of my clients have working internet connections. Most of the recent ones do, but not nearly so many of the older ones, especially the old Axcent jobs that are still kicking.

jjames

DHawthorne wrote: »

My method seems to be diametrically opposote from most ... all my files are local on a laptop. I sync them with a backup at my office twice daily (at least) and again at home, though less frequently. I've been through a half dozen computers, at least, since I started AMX programming, and a few hard drive failures in between, and have yet to lose a file. In fact, I still have every bit of AMX code I've ever written, and quite a bit from my predecessor as well. But I do spend a fair amount of my time on site, and not all of my clients have working internet connections. Most of the recent ones do, but not nearly so many of the older ones, especially the old Axcent jobs that are still kicking.

Same here - I store all files locally and back them up from time to time. I *need* to backup more often actually.

the8thst

I have been using MS Groove to store all of my files. It is kept in sync on 3 computers so I am always working off of local files. This works for me because I am the only one that has access to that groove workspace and the only one that touches AMX files.

Groove is a little slow, but I always have the most current files on all computers as long as I remember to drop client folder back into the groove workspace every time I leave the jobsite or the office. I prefer manually dropping folder into the program to sync because I sometimes experiment more than I should and end up scrapping changes every now and again.

true

the8thst wrote: »

I remember to drop client folder back into the groove workspace every time I leave the jobsite or the office. I prefer manually dropping folder into the program to sync because I sometimes experiment more than I should and end up scrapping changes every now and again.

These are the things a VCS is meant to solve.

Colzie

DHawthorne wrote: »

all my files are local on a laptop. I sync them with a backup at my office twice daily (at least) and again at home, though less frequently.

+1 for this method. I use Microsoft SyncToy to sync daily (when in the office) from my laptop to my RAID5 NAS, and have JungleDisk run a nightly (from a machine always on) backup from my NAS to Amazon S3 cloud storage.

I personally don't want to mess with anything other than local files while working on a project.

sridley

We run all our files on Dropbox. It just works and while there is no file merge utility, that isn't really a problem for us. In terms of backup it's in the cloud as well as on as many machines as shared with.

I am much happier in the knowlage that if my laptop dies at any point anywhere, I can buy a new one, install dropbox and i have everything the files waiting to go (at least onece I have spent half a day installing all the programs!)

a_riot42

sridley wrote: »

We run all our files on Dropbox. It just works and while there is no file merge utility, that isn't really a problem for us. In terms of backup it's in the cloud as well as on as many machines as shared with.

I am much happier in the knowlage that if my laptop dies at any point anywhere, I can buy a new one, install dropbox and i have everything the files waiting to go (at least onece I have spent half a day installing all the programs!)

I don't like handing client information as well as IP to some third party company though. That's kind of scary to me. How much can you trust LOCKBOX? Their terms pretty much state that they aren't liable for anything and they also use 'affiliate' companies for storage.

LOCKBOX Software saves to a server operated by LOCKBOX or a LOCKBOX Affiliate an encrypted copy of each file you designate. LOCKBOX does not maintain a secondary copy of your data that you have saved to our servers. Should your data be lost by LOCKBOX we will undertake commercially reasonable efforts to create a replacement back-up from the files stored on your computer.

If your license to Use LOCKBOX Products or Services expires, is terminated, is not renewed, or is otherwise discontinued for any reason, LOCKBOX and the LOCKBOX Affiliates may, without notice, delete or deny you access to any of your Data that may remain in our possession or control.

Paul