Just sync a local folder to a NAS server - Hard to find!

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Just sync a local folder to a NAS server - Hard to find!

30
2
NAS
DS416
Operating system
  1. Windows
That's it. Seems simple - I (& colleagues) want to be able to select one or more folders in a local directory, right click and sync TO a selectable folder within a predefined "Team" directory on my NAS.
There seem to be a lot of sync & backup apps & tricks but I haven't found this simple - & surely basic - function.
What have I missed?
(I can't remove/edit the "Backup Task" in my Synology Drive Client; there doesn't seem to be that option? "Sync Tasks" ONLY sync DOWN; I want to sync UP.)
 
Sync tasks are two-way, one-way up, or one-way down sync, but on Windows Drive client there's the added option for selective sync so that not all items are physically [electronically] on the client PC.

What I don't on Mac (which doesn't have selective sync) is create one sync task of my home/Drive folder and then omit Backups and Moments: that would leave everything else from home/Drive being sync'ed with my Mac. The reason for this is because a sub-folder which is already covered by one sync task cannot have its own sync task (even if it has been disabled from sync'ing in the main task). So I create my main task as home/Drive/Documents and can have other 'minor' sync tasks for other folders, such as a one-way sync to NAS for /home/Drive/Moments/Uploads/<folder per mac>.
 
I don't want to sync anything down. We're a few remote colleagues working on different Client projects & we simply want to sync UP at various stages of each project to a common directory as well as when it's finished, at which point (or not long later) we delete it locally. But I can't even edit my Backup destination directory! There seems to be no function to do this! Let alone "Selective Sync" - Where is that?
These are the only 2 Sync options offered; neither are what I want -
1593108692735.png

Maybe I've just got the wrong app?
 
Download Center - DS416 | Synology Inc. Synology Drive Client

I don't have Windows so can't say if that screenshot is from the Windows Drive client or not, but doesn't look like what the Mac client presents.

If it is Drive client then you probably can choose the two/one-way sync type later in the setup: that's what the Mac client does ... select NAS and folders and then can optionally select not-a-two-way-sync.


Selective sync... What is On-demand Sync?
Drive client setup... How to sync files between Synology NAS and your computer using Synology Drive Client

Maybe on-demand sync removes the one-way upload option?
Select one of the three sync modes. You can choose whether you would like to sync files bidirectionally between your Synology NAS and computer. Also, on Windows 10 computers, you may configure On-demand Sync option to save disk space. Click Apply to save the settings configured in Steps 5-7.
06.png
 
Thanks. I took it a bit further & chose Sync... to this computer (which is NOT what I want to do!)
There I find in Sync Mode "One-way upload" (which IS what I want to do but it's only enabled if I DISable "On-demand Sync... to save disk space"! This is ultra-confusing - I'm UPloading! I don't NEED to "save disk space"! ) but when I click Apply, I get a warning message "all synced messages will be downloaded to local computer"!!! WHERE did I ever ask for that?! That is not a "one-way upload"!!!
Tearing my hair out here! 🥴
 
I went for "Two-way sync" + "Enable On-demand Sync"... and it has synced the local folder with the NAS folder, both ways. Not what I wanted. (I presume "On demand" means the Folder selection options.)
So I still am none the wiser about how to *simply* back up my local folders to my NAS.
(I still can't remove the previous "Backup Task". )
 
First:
on demand in Syno Drive means = reducing of loads between computers and Drive server = no local copy of the data. More you can find here

so back to foundation of your basic issue:
- you have several Win based desktop computers
- all of them have different folder structure = independent projects or something similar

Your expectations:
- you need to sync these data from the computers into NAS. Y/N?
- you don’t need to sync these data back to the same computer or each others team computers. Y/N? ... or for selective team member computers
- then no collaboration is expected for these kind of data at the NAS side. Y/N?
- when the sync is done, no one will change the data at the NAS side = it will be an archive of jobs done. Y/N ... you don’t need to track next/future versions, just archive them for a backup purposes.
.. any other expectations?

A Consideration:
- if even one answer from this list of questions is “NO” you need just use Drive environment (see below)
- usage of selective sync of any computer folders to NAS only (Backup task) you can find below

How to setup Drive for such environment:
1. you need create single or more kind of basic Share folders at the NAS side:
a) active projects (for a team collaboration)
b) project archive (final stage)
2. Then you can setup policies for each member independently (by setup at client side):
a) two way sync for active projects
b) download from the NAS only for special purpose
c) upload to NAS only, specially for the archive purposes
also with On Demand feature
in advance you can setup advanced user permissions ( read/write) for every single folder at NAS side.
3. Every team member will get two Sync folders to their computers:
a) active projects
b) archive
When the project is done, they will just copy/move the parent project folder from active to archive. Done. You will get clean data operation model. With sufficient backup policies at NAS side also strong safety for the data.

xxxxxx
Synology Drive Backup task - part of client Drive setup
1593141395502.png

is easy clickable solution for the backup of selective folders from your computer to your NAS. Really easy description you can find in official Synology Knowledge base here.
 
Thanks. I took it a bit further & chose Sync... to this computer (which is NOT what I want to do!)
There I find in Sync Mode "One-way upload" (which IS what I want to do but it's only enabled if I DISable "On-demand Sync... to save disk space"! This is ultra-confusing - I'm UPloading! I don't NEED to "save disk space"! ) but when I click Apply, I get a warning message "all synced messages will be downloaded to local computer"!!! WHERE did I ever ask for that?! That is not a "one-way upload"!!!
Tearing my hair out here! 🥴
Update: This is now working.
I went back to "One-way upload" and no longer got the "all synced messages will be downloaded" message! 🤷‍♂️
UPload syncing is operating in real time, for my selected folders, exactly as I wanted. I have no idea what changed or why even I got warnings the previous 5 times I tried exactly this.
(I removed the "Backup Task" by going into the "backed up" folder and deleting the "Synology Drive" link in it.)
I would now like to go & tweak the "one-way upload" function* but wary of pushing my luck.;) It's already much better as it is. And simple, like I wanted.
(*I don't want local Deletions to be copied Up but I'd like local Rename & Move operations within selected folders to be replicated on the NAS. As it is, I end up with duplicates.)
 
could you please exactly describe your current problem?
1. this is what I expect ...
2. this is what I do (screenshots)
3. this is what I don’t like as a result of my setup
It’s really helpful to read structured record to some who can help you.
 
Sorry jeyare, I thought I was quite clear.
So my remaining (less critical) query is, as I mentioned above - I don't want local Deletions to be copied Up but I'd like local Rename & Move operations within selected folders* to be replicated on the NAS. As it is, I end up with duplicates.
(*This means folders that are all within the pre-defined Task directory)
Is this possible? I haven't found it mentioned on the Knowledgebase.
Global Settings doesn't offer this option either. What it does offer is this -
1593375676296.png

which is also confusing as neither of these 2 options is acceptable. I DON'T want to re-fetch deleted files from NAS to PC (I don't want Drive to re-fetch anything from my NAS, ever!), and I absolutely DON'T want to remove PC-deleted files from my NAS (I want to be able to wipe whole directories from my local PC when projects are finished, while they remain on the NAS).
I WOULD like the options -
- Locally deleted files will be neither re-fetched nor removed from your NAS (3rd alternative to the 2 options above)
- Locally renamed or moved files will be renamed or moved on the NAS
(added option)

(Just for info, I have no problems on the Admin side - Directories & Team Folders/Members & Profiles are set up fine.)
 
Haven't looked in Drive or Help pages, but aren't those two relinking actions only when the connection between NAS and client is broken and there's a discrepancy between the content on the NAS and client. When the connection is re-established the selected action determines which device has the master content, and the other device's content will be adjusted to match.

First action = NAS has master content
Second action = client has master content

I always read this as relating to a two-way sync task as a one-way task has a clear master device.
 
Yes, it seems obvious that it should be for 2-way or Down-sync only, but if that's the case it should say so. And in any case, the 3rd option is still a valid one.
We should also be able to go back & edit the settings for, or Pause, a particular Task, but we can't. And considering we can't go back & fix it, there should at least be a Run switch at the end of Task creation (set to OFF by default) to allow us to go back & check all the details before it runs. (I have several gigs "synced" that I never wanted, from a number of trial-&-error runs).
In fact, it can be improved in a lot of ways but I get that they don't read this forum so suggestions are wasted here.
 

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