Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with synchronization

Help ADDS Synchronize users to SQL

bleucube — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:13:37 -0800

How to make Active Directory and SQL server synchronize User accounts/passwords. Windows: 2008 ADDS
SQL: 2005

Our bread and butter software requires users to be setup in its database for permissions. It’s a total pain in the ass managing 1200 users in both ADDS and SQL. Many times passwords get out of synch. We are looking for software/method to synchronize ADDS to SQL.
Any ideas?

Thanks!

Active Synchronization Across a Network?

sciencemandan — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:09:49 -0800

I need a lightweight program that can actively synchronize files across a network. I am looking for something like Dropbox that can actively monitor when a file is changed and synchronize it across a network. I have no trouble finding programs like Microsoft's SyncToy, but this requires running a synchronization operation, which has to be scheduled.

I really like Dropbox, but its space limits along with the need to upload a modified file to their server and then subsequently download the file on the other networked computers have me looking for something else.

Help me sync contacts from one user to another over exchange?

vrdx — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:18:00 -0800

Help me figure out a CRM/Sync solution! I'm going crazy trying to figure out a good solution for a small firm; need to sync contacts, more inside... So, I've googled myself to pieces and need your guidance. I've got a small group of folks in a firm I am the go-to solutions consultant for their newer IT services. I've got a few users spread throughout the country, and we're using a hosted exchange solution. One of the exec's assistants is not local, but has a 'master' contact database - this is a master list, within outlook, and is several hundred MB's large, containing many pieces of information w/in each contact's entry (some sensitive). I can set up the 'shared contacts' functionality from w/in exchange+outlook, but I need to sync those contacts TO users databases (for some to use w/ BlackBerry's / iPhones) (They've been using Outlook as a CRM solution...)

So, what is one way (preferably free) to sync this 'master list' of contacts to multiple users? It can run over Exchange, if that helps.

Possible issues: It needs to be pretty simple and easy to use, I can only remote-assist so much, but, it can't require a ton of learning curve on the users part, so things like Act, FileMaker, etc. are out... They are also somewhat averse to paying for another service (getting hosted exchange going was a huge step but still took a ton of work) so things like salesforce are out too.

Additionally, assume the users have a basic level of comfort/knowledge with things like outlook, but still experience general pc issues that perplex them ("why won't my outlook open...?") so I'd like to be as easy as possible.

So, mefi masters, help me! I'm open to trying tons of stuff, and we have online storage available to use as an intermediary place to store a database (to get from one remote user to the next), but I'm out of ideas.

Google browser sync finally dead?

davemack — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:19:25 -0800

Does anyone know if Google Browser Sync has finally been 'retired'? I know that the add-on hasn't been available for download since mid-2008. Google indicated that they'd continue to make the facility available throughout 2008. When connecting this morning, I got a '502: Bad Gateway' alert, indicating that an error had occurred and suggesting 'try again later'. I'm aware of alternative solutions, thanks; I just want to know if there's any official word to indicate that Google has withdrawn the service, in which case I'll migrate to Foxmarks or Mozilla Weave. So far I haven't been able to confirm my suspicions, so I thought I'd wave to the MeFite community for assistance.

Time synchronization on a Windows network?

bcwinters — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:53:35 -0800

What's the correct way to set things on a Windows server (SBS 2003) and our client computers so the time is synchronized properly? We are having an issue in our office with the time on our computers drifting out of sync. We have a server running Windows SBS 2003 and all the clients are using XP (although not necessarily all on the same SP).

As talented-amateur-IT-guy-without-real-training, what I'm hoping to get is a canonical answer about the correct way to set the server to synchronize its time with some centralized authority, and the canonical way to have client computers synchronize with the server (upon logging in?). I've read a million technotes and blog posts and newsgroup entries about various ways to tweak and perfect this, but I don't know the basic way to start this from scratch.

My first attempt at getting this right was to check these registry keys on the server (in the section on "Configuring the Windows Time service to use an external time source").

I took a look at the server logs and it appears the server DID synchronize its clock one time after I changed those settings. That was four days ago, though, and there haven't been any other notes in the logs about w32time since then, so I have no idea if this working correctly.

That's all I've done so far, really. I didn't want to make any more changes until I really understood what the Best Practices were in this area.

In terms of synchronizing client computers, I did try one thing...on my own client machine I tried the command "net time /domain:DOMAINNAME" and got a response showing the server time (which is four minutes ahead of my computer), but my local clock was not updated.

I should note in closing that we don't care about issues of "perfect accuracy" (based on my reading so far I see that OMG MILLISECONDS are a concern for many people, but we just want things matching within tolerances to keep authentication & SQL Server happy, and to get us to meetings within a minute of one another) and I don't want this to be something that requires going from computer to computer making changes or installing software; there must be a way to have this all handled upon login, right? Any advice? Thanks folks!

mail2web/addressbook/iphone groups synching possible?

spyke23 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:42:15 -0800

I've set up mail2web as an Exchange server on my iPhone purely for my contacts from Apple Addressbook, but it doesn't seem to pick up the groups the contacts should be in. is this possible at all? Or am I doing something fundamentally wrong?

Arrgh, major outlook synching problem!

parmanparman — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:17:03 -0800

My boss and I are both going crazy because I can't sync with her Outlook calendar on my own computer and her Blackberry won't sync with her Outlook. If she tries to download her new schedule to the Blackberry, it will erase her schedule on the hand-held instead! Help!! We tried Sun Java System Connector and we can't seem to get the issue worked out. It started over a week ago. We are the only two people in the office with this problem. It's driving us up the wall. We're using XP and Outlook 2003 SP3.

Out Of Sync With Firefox

partner — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:32:26 -0800

My Firefox updated recently and now a dialog box pops up occasionally titled, "Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer." It says, "Please enter your username and password to continue." I have no username or password for Firefox. My computer is not on a network. I cancel out of this and continue, only to have it pop up again a short time later. As far as I can see, synchronization of bookmarks isn't in the help files. How do I disable this?

Windows OSX Two-Way Sync, on the cheap

caution live frogs — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 08:41:49 -0800

Three computers. Two operating systems. Help me keep my vital files synchronized without costing an arm and a leg. Previous AskMe entries have so far not helped. Home system is WinXP. Old laptop (now used by my wife) is WinXP. New laptop is a MacBook Pro.

I need to keep some specific folders synced between these systems (my research documents, EndNote library, iTunes and image folders). So far I can do it, but it's a pain in the butt.

My current method is to load WinXP under Parallels, then use local folder sharing, shared networking and the free MS SyncToy to compare and sync files. It works, but it would be nice not to have to load Parallels every time I want to update my files and folders. (Parallels install is on a BootCamp partition, so Parallels Explorer won't make this easier.)

What I need:
-2-way synchronization. The free utilities I am seeing (PsyncX, Unison) only do one-way (unless I am missing something here).
-Ability to restrict folders/filetypes to keep things sane (for example, don't copy thumbs.db to the Mac, and don't copy .DS_Store to Windows, etc.)
-Ability to mirror actions (ie, folder deleted on A is also deleted on B on next sync) if I wish to do so.
-Ability to define different sync profiles, so that I choose which folder pairs to sync rather than running all every time.

What I would prefer:
-Open source, if possible; free, definitely. I'm tired of paying for utilities that really ought to have been included in the OS.
-Cross-platform, if possible. I'm tired of finding the perfect program and then realizing that it only works on one OS.
-Direct system-to-system sync. I do not need to sync unless I am at home, on my home network.

I know there are non-free utilities that would do what I want. I do not currently have an extra $50 to $100 to spend on these programs.

I know that some programs can be picked up for free if one knows where to look. My MacBook is a University-owned system and I would rather not put software of dubious heritage on it.

I did look at Unison and I almost thought it would do what I wanted. However, the instructions for use made me feel that it would not. If there's a way to make it do so, I'd be greatly appreciative if you would enlighten me.

Which mind machines

growabrain — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 13:01:00 -0800

Mind machines – Do you currently use any particular model? I've been using "Mind Gear" and Theta’s "Voyager" for about 10 years, but they kept breaking, and now I want to get a new box. Which one would you recommend?

Stop synchronizing my files every time I'm online!

desjardins — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 11:22:12 -0800

I don't want to synchronize my files every time I connect to any wireless network. Make it stop! I'm on a laptop (Windows XP) that is set up to automatically synchronize with my home file server upon booting up and shutdown. When I'm at school, I'm obviously not connected to our home wireless. Therefore, any attempt at synchronization will fail. The school wireless can be kind of flaky, so when it drops off and picks back up, it attempts to synchronize again. This is annoying and interrupts what I'm doing. In the "setup" dialog box of the Windows synchronize utility, it's set to "LAN connection." How do I get it to only synchronize when I'm connected to my home network?

How can I sync Yahoo and Outlook (and/or Yahoo and Thunderbird)?

SampleSize — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 19:52:40 -0800

How can I sync Yahoo and Outlook (and/or Yahoo and Thunderbird)? I've been using the free Intellisync for Yahoo for years to sync Yahoo contacts and calendar with Outlook on my PC, but it has stopped working and there hasn't been a new version since forever. Googling for another product to achieve the same result has gotten me nowhere. Any suggestions?

Once I sync one last time, I plan on switching to Thunderbird. It would be great if, going forward, I could sync Yahoo with Thunderbird, so any suggestions for that would be appreciated too. If necessary, however, I'll just stop using my desktop calendar and contacts and go exclusively Yahoo.

Does the new iPod shuffle do hand-picked playlists better/faster/differently from the old one?

Doctor Barnett — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 08:19:34 -0800

I have an old shuffle. When I first got it, I could arrange its playlist on the iMac it syncs to without it actually being plugged in. This was fast, since it all happened on the computer. Then, I could plug in the shuffle and the actual synchronization would churn for about 30 sec (which I would not need to be present for). But in one of iTunes' famously regressive "upgrades," the ability to arrange tracks on my shuffle without it being plugged in vanished. Now, arranging tracks is a laborious process with delays between every user interaction. It sucks. No way am I buying a cute tiny colorful new one if it has the same crappy synchronization method. Does it? (I'm aware of iTunes' ability to pick random tracks from my library. No thanks!)

Help me locate a proof about distributed transactions

themel — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 02:09:06 -0800

A while back I was implementing a distributed transaction coordinator, and in the process also learned some of the pertaining theory. The only thing I can remember semi-vividly was a proof showing that you can't synchronize an action between two parties over an unreliable link, but I can't seem to find it any longer. The final step of the proof was something like "thus, if this was possible, you could shorten every conceivable protocol by one step, which reduces all protocols to the zero-step protocol, which is impossible". I'm pretty sure that it's a standard result of computer science, but I'm unable to find the right keywords to locate it. Help?

iCal / Google Calendar sync?

Envoy — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:41:09 -0800

It's been months now and I still can't find a synchronization solution for Google Calendar / iCal (or palm desktop) / Palm Pilot. The very fact that it's taken so long is making me suspect that there's some technical issue that makes it actually not possible. Is this correct? Is there a solution out there to sync (push data both ways) my google calendar with my palm pilot?

Synching Groupwise with Outlook - can it really be so difficult?

shelbaroo — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 12:44:04 -0800

Are there any (relatively) painless options for keeping my corporate groupwise calendar in synch with my own Outlook calendar? Help me MeFi! I'm stumped...
I started a new job and they run everything on Groupwise (6.5). I, on the other hand, finally have a system just the way I like it, and it involves using a combination of Outlook and Achieve Planner (which synchs with Outlook).

This is really about the calendar portion. I have pop3 access to my groupwise mail server and I don't need the tasks piece. Contact synching would be a bonus, but not absolutely necessary. It's really about finding something that can allow me to keep my own calendar reasonably up to date (say, synchronized once or twice a day) with my groupwise account.

Helpful responses will please refrain from extolling the virtues of Groupwise and why I should switch, or snarky comments about Outlook. I have my reasons for using the software I do.

Clap Your Hands Say WTF

ludwig_van — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 07:08:45 -0800

Multi-track recording synchronization issues with Audacity. I'm trying to record some acoustic demos in my room. I've previously made similar home recordings with Sonar and have had no problems. However, I don't have Sonar on my laptop, so I've been using Audacity (1.3b). I record with a condenser mic into a Presonus TubePre, then into my external Soundblaster Live USB, then into my laptop.

The problem is that nothing I record will be synchronized. If I generate a beat track in Audacity and then record a track of myself clapping along with each click, when I play the track back it begins synchronized and then slowly drifts more and more out of time, as if the length of the clip I just recorded is somehow altered slightly after I record it. The only way around this that I've found is to record only very short clips and then make small adjustments by hand when I need to, but this is obviously far from ideal.

Does anyone know why this is happening? Is it a software or hardware issue? I'm not monitoring what I'm recording and I don't need to, I just want the track to play back at the same tempo I recorded it.

How to synch Apple's Mail folders without using IMAP or iSynch.

tulseluper — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 12:31:09 -0800

AppleMailFilter: I’d like to synchronize my (non-smart) mailbox folders in Apple’s Mail program to use on two computers without using IMAP folders or iSynch… I spend roughly equal time working on a Powerbook and an iMac (both running 10.4.3) and would love to be able to synchronize the two-hundred or so mailboxes that I use so that when I transfer a message from my inbox into a folder on one computer, it’ll show up in that mailbox on the other (after some synchronization process). I have a couple of IMAP mailbox folders, but the bulk of the mailboxes are not stored on the server, as I don’t have enough storage space. I have a .Mac account, but again, the contents of the mailboxes far exceed the amount of room I have on my iDisk, and I’d rather not store the mail on a server in the first place. What I’m looking for is a program (or trick!) that will enable the computers to talk to one another and fill in each other’s gaps. The computers will be on the same network (at least when I bring my laptop home) if that makes any difference. Any ideas?

How to sync an older PDA with a Mac

LouMac — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 14:21:24 -0800

How can I synchronize my old PDA with my new Mac without paying? I have an old PDA that I still rely on, an Sony Clie SJ-30. A few months ago, I bought a new 12" iBook, but haven't been able to find a free application to import my contacts and appointments into Address Book and iCal from my Clie. I know about The Missing Sync, but I don't want to shell out the $40 for it. Any suggestions on getting this done without paying for it (and without entering it all by manually)?

V3 Razr File Exchange

Toolshed — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 07:24:23 -0800

How can I transfer files to/from a Motorola V3 Razr and a new Powerbook if the Bluetooth File Exchange seemingly can't do it? It recognizes the phone, but can't see the internal structure of the phone's storage system. Motorola's Mobile Phone Tools has no Mac version. I can sync contacts and calendars with iSync and via Bluetooth, but I have a friend who has the same phone, but the inverse problem: he can transfer files with Bluetooth, but can't get the phone to sync contacts and calendars.

MediaWiki windows server synchronisation

suleikacasilda — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 15:09:47 -0800

How can I synchronise a local wiki installation (preferably MediaWiki) with an online server installation? I have been a longtime user of wiki's. I keep more and more of my stuff locally on WikidPad (which is lovely and has just gone opensource) and online I have tried quite a few online wiki installations, including TikiWiki and PMWiki. I had always intended to find a wiki to which I could import text files from my desktop wiki and set up some kind of synchronisation. But now, since getting to know WikiPedia by editing it, I am seriously in love with MediaWiki, and it occurs to me that I could use it on my Windows PC by creating a server there. Could I perhaps even synchronise it with an online mediawiki? Even if it were a one-way import from desktop to server that would make me very happy.

In the past I have successfully used Mambo stand alone server on my PC and it seemed to worked fast enough, so I wonder if something like WAMP would keep things simple. (I once attempted separate installations of MySQL, php and apache and failed to make it all work.)

Does anyone have experience of doing this kind of thing? Will the speed (on WindowsXP, 1.3GHz, 512MbRam) drive me insane? Are php/SQL applications too slow to use on a PC? Any pitfalls?

PCRDist where art thou?

chrisroberts — Wed, 16 Mar 2005 10:01:50 -0800

Where is PCRDist and what has become of the source? Last year I stumbled upon pyzzo software which was the company name of the person that created PCRDist. At the time I found the site, he was closing up shop and was releasing PCRDist to the community as an open source project to allow for the program to continue. The problem is, I can't find it anywhere. The site to head up the new open sourced version, www.pcrdist.org appears to be gone. Searching has only turned up pages about different places that are running PCRDist. So, can anyone tell me what has happened to it and if I can still find it anywhere?

Successfully sync Entourage v.X with a Palm Zire 72?

tommasz — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 10:22:32 -0800

Is there any way to successfully sync Entourage v.X with a Palm Zire 72? Microsoft's conduit doesn't support the "new" Palm apps and QueueSync produces wildly varying (and incorrect) results. [mi] It works fine with Outlook on XP, naturally. QueueSync has a problem with alarm times, drops recurring appointments, etc. I have Missing Sync so I can easily switch to Apple's iCal/Addressbook for most of what I need, but is there an OS X equivalent to Memos? I really like the Zire but it's been way more trouble than my late, lamented Palm V. Thanks!

Help me find a decent PDA/GPS combo

skwm — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 08:39:42 -0800

PDA recommendations:
Needs: Must have CF slot, 802.11b.
Wants: External GPS unit which will work with both my laptop & the PDA
Budget: 399$ or less, not including GPS/additional memory. Must come with standard accessories - cradle, cable, charger, etc.
Etc: Add-on software for viewing PDFs, Word/Excel files, map software.

Calender synchronization?

stupidsexyFlanders — Fri, 04 Jun 2004 06:00:33 -0800

Calendar synchronization question. I keep all my appointments, work and personal (and those in the "gray area") on Outlook at work. My wife keeps all family appointments (soccer games, dentist, parties) on a paper calendar at home. We'd like all these in one place. More inside, if you please. Can anyone recommend a web service or app that can read my Outlook calendar, and that my wife can also log into from the kitchen PC to add her stuff? I won't be able to open up access to our exchange server for real-time synching, but I won't mind manually synching every day. We don't want PDAs, my home PC is WinXP and at work I'm on Win2000.

I'm certain there are a million solutions out there, and I want to hear what you all like before I wade in.