This Evaluator's Guide is designed to walk you through the initial setup of SureSync. Reviewing this guide will familiarize you with using SureSync and the Communications Agent.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- System Requirements
- Contact Information
- About the Communications Agent
- SureSync Managed File Transfer (MFT)
- Our Scenario
- Installation
- Launching SureSync for the First Time
- Importing a License
- Installing the SureSync Scheduler Service
- Configuring the Communications Agent Machines
- Creating the Job
- Communications Agent Compression and Encryption
- Creating a Real-Time Monitor
- Configuring E-mail Alerts
- Monitoring the Environment
Introduction
SureSync is a robust file synchronization and replication solution that can ensure users on your network always work with the most recent version of critical files for disaster recovery purposes, software distribution, and more.
This guide will walk you through the initial setup of SureSync. SureSync is capable of synchronizing and replicating data to machines on a Scheduled basis via UNC path or with advanced features such as real-time monitoring when using the Communications Agent provided in SureSync Pro.
System Requirements
The System Requirements for SureSync can be found here.
Contact Information
If you need further information about SureSync or clarification on anything in this guide, please contact our support team, who will gladly assist.
Software Pursuits, Inc.
140 Chestnut Ln
San Mateo, CA 94403
Phone: +1-650-372-0900
Fax: +1-650-372-2912
Sales e-mail: sales@softwarepursuits.com
Support e-mail: support@softwarepursuits.com
Technical support is available between 7AM and 4PM PST Monday through Friday.
About the Communications Agent
The Communications Agent provided in SureSync Pro has many powerful performance-enhancing features.
- Real-Time Monitors: Process changes as they occur using the NTFS Change Journal.
- Change Journal Support for Schedules: Minimize the amount of overhead caused by full directory scans, increasing the performance of scheduled Jobs.
- Remote Differential Compression (RDC): RDC copies only the changed portions of a file, reducing synchronization time and decreasing the consumption of network resources.
- RDC to Non-Windows Machines: If you map a non-Windows drive to a drive letter on a Windows machine, you can process delta copies to that non-Windows machine. This can provide bandwidth savings between any machine, regardless of the OS.
- File Compression: Reduce the amount of data transfer via compression during transfer. This is particularly useful on slow network connections.
- File Encryption: Ensure your files are being transmitted securely by encrypting each file transmission. This is especially useful and necessary when transmitting files across the Internet.
- TCP Communications: TCP communications enable the synchronization of data with machines anywhere in the world over the Internet.
SureSync Managed File Transfer (MFT)
Looking for file locking, the most advanced replication engine, file auditing features and more? Check out our top-of-the-line solution, SureSync MFT.
Our Scenario
This guide will walk you through the configuration of SureSync using the Communications Agent to accomplish a multi-directional synchronization between 3 servers using a Real-Time Monitor. The three machines we will use are named DEV40, SPITEST-WIN2K16, and SPITEST-WIN2K19. The folder being synchronized will be C:\SalesData on each machine.
The same scenario can be configured using UNC paths if the machines involved are not running Windows. When configuring a Job with UNC paths, it must be run with a Schedule. The features of the Communications Agent are only available on Windows.
With this common scenario, users on any of the machines can make changes to the monitored directories and have those changes reflected on the other servers. This will include additions, deletions, and modifications.
While this guide will show you how to run the synchronization in a Real-Time Monitor, you can use the exact same steps to configure the synchronization to run in a Schedule. The only difference is that you would create a Schedule instead of a Real-Time Monitor. The rest of the configuration is identical.
This type of configuration is commonly used to allow users to collaborate on the same documents in multiple offices. This multi-directional real-time scenario can be further enhanced using File Locking to prevent users from modifying the same file concurrently in multiple offices. File Locking is available in SureSync Managed File Transfer (MFT).
Installation
To begin your SureSync trial, you must install the correct SureSync components on the right machines. SureSync is installed using a Windows Installer (MSI) driven installation application. SureSync and all Add-On products are installed using the same installer.
For this scenario, the full SureSync application will be installed on one machine (DEV40), and the Communications Agent will be installed on the other two machines (SPITEST-WIN2K16 and SPITEST-WIN2K19), as illustrated below.
On the DEV40 machine, we will run SureSync9Setup.exe and select SureSync as the installation type in the installer. This will install the complete SureSync application and designate DEV40 as the machine where we configure and run our synchronization job.
On the SPITEST-WIN2K16 and SPITEST-WIN2K19 machines, the Communications Agent installation should be performed. This is accomplished by launching SureSync9Setup.exe on those machines and selecting “Communications Agent” as the installation type.
Launch SureSync for the First Time
Now that the required components have been installed, we can continue with the configuration. To launch SureSync for the first time, go to the Start menu, select the SureSync 9 folder and click on the SureSync 9 Desktop icon. This will launch the SureSync Desktop where you will perform your entire synchronization job configuration.
On the first launch of the application, SureSync will present you with a series of questions to aid in completing the initial configuration.
Creating a SureSync Database
The first step is to create your database. The database is used to store your synchronization/replication configuration and related information.
Click on the ‘Create a new database’ button to continue.
Enter the following information to create the SureSync database:
- Name of the SQL Server and any Instance Name: Enter the name of the SQL server and an instance name if used. For example, dev40\sqlexpress.
- Name of any Failover Partner (mirrored) SQL Server: This is an optional field that allows you to use a SQL Failover Partner. This functionality has been deprecated from SQL but is currently still available. Should be defined as machinename\instancename.
- Name of SQL Database: Enter the name of the SQL database that should be created.
- Full path and file name of the new SQL database: Enter the path on the SQL server where the database files should be created. This folder must already exist. For example, G:\Databases\SureSync.mdf.
If you want to use Windows authentication with the SQL database, you can click ‘Continue’ to create the database.
If you want to use SQL authentication with the SQL database, you will click on the ‘Set SQL Database Credentials’ button to provide the credential. After that, you can click ‘Continue’ to create the database.
Next, the following dialog will be displayed:
Click ‘OK’ to continue. The help file will be displayed that can either be reviewed now or closed.
Configuring the Local Communications Agent
The next step in the initial configuration involves defining a credential for the local Communications Agent to run under.
Click “OK,” and the Communications Agent Configuration panel will be launched.
The local Communications Agent must be given a credential for SureSync to function properly. We recommend this account be either a local administrator on the machine or a domain administrator to ensure rights to all the files and folders being synchronized. The local Communications Agent must be configured even if you’re not licensed for the Communications Agent. The additional functionality is enabled by a license but the Communications Agent on the SureSync machine is responsible for all the basic I/O as well.
When the “Create Computer Configuration” wizard loads, the name of the computer SureSync is installed on is automatically filled in. For this example, the machine name is dev40. Click “Next” to continue.
The “Computer Information” panel of the wizard is where you define the user account and password that the Communications Agent should use to access the files on the machine.
To ease initial configuration, the “Run a Communications Agent on this machine” option will be checked.
Click on the "Set Credentials for Accessing this Agent" button.
If you want the Communications Agent to run under a different user account, you can change it here. The account must be in domain\user or machinename\user format. You can also enter .\username to define a local account.
Enter the password for the defined account twice in the password fields.
When a Communications Agent configuration is saved, a default connections for TCP port 9031 is created automatically. In most environments, only the default connection is used.
To test the connection, click the “Test Connections to Agent” button.
Click “Finish” to complete Communications Agent configuration for the local agent. You will be taken to the SureSync Desktop.
Importing a License
A license file should be installed in the new database. This can be a trial license obtained from the Software Pursuits sales team or a purchased license.
If you are new to SureSync, you should request a trial license from https://www.softwarepursuits.com/suresync. A license file will be generated and sent to you via e-mail. You can also call our sales team at 1-800-367-4823.
Once a license file has been provided to you, click the "Licenses" button (
) in the ribbon bar of the SureSync Desktop and click on the "Import License..." button to import the new license file.
Installing the SureSync Scheduler Service
The SureSync Scheduler is a Windows service that runs on the main SureSync machine. This service is responsible for launching Schedules at the correct times and for running Real-Time Monitors. You must have a Scheduler running for Jobs to execute automatically.
To install the SureSync Scheduler service, click on the Home button in the upper left-hand corner of the SureSync Desktop and click on “Scheduler Services.”
To install the Scheduler, click the “Install” button.
The user account the Scheduler service runs under must be a member of the local administrators group on the SureSync machine.
The account must also be a DBOwner on the SureSync database. Depending on the account you’re using and how your SQL Server is configured, you may need to do this manually if the account is not automatically assigned DBOwner on newly created databases.
To do so, launch SQL Server Management Studio. Connect to the instance where the new SureSync 9 database is located. Expand Security and then Logins. Locate the account that the Scheduler will be running under. Right click and select Properties. Click on User Mappings. Make sure there is a checkmark next to the SureSync 9 database and that db_owner is checked for membership.
Enter the username formatted as machinename\username or domainname\username. This account must be an administrator on the machine. Click “Save” to install the service.
You will receive a confirmation dialog box that the Scheduler service was installed successfully, as shown below.
The Scheduler will appear in the dialog with the status of (Stopped).
Configuring the Communications Agent Machines
The next step in configuring the environment is to define the remote Communications Agent machines.
To configure a Communications Agent, launch SureSync and click on the “Computer” (
) button in the ribbon bar.
The “Computer Name” panel of the Computer wizard is where you define the name of the machine running the Communications Agent that SureSync will be connecting to. This name must be the NetBIOS computer name of the computer.
The computer name entered here must be the NetBIOS computer name of the computer in question. Using an IP address or a random name will result in the connection failing.
Enter the computer name into the field. For example, spitest-win2k16.
Click the “Next” button to continue.
The “Computer Information” panel of the wizard is where the credential used for accessing files on this Communications Agent machine is defined.
To ease initial configuration, the “Run a Communications Agent on this machine” option will be checked.
Click on the "Set Credentials for Accessing this Agent" button.
If you want the Communications Agent to run under a different user account, you can change it here. The account must be in domain\user or machinename\user format. You can also enter .\username to define a local account.
Enter the password for the defined account twice in the password fields.
When a Communications Agent configuration is saved, a default connections for TCP port 9031 is created automatically. In most environments, only the default connection is used.
To test the connection, click the “Test Connections to Agent” button.
If the Test Connections to Agent button fails, please consult the Test Connections to Agent button in SureSync 9 fails with a failed to connect error KB article for possible solutions.
Click “Finish” to complete Communications Agent configuration for the local agent.
These steps should be done for each Communications Agent that will be used. In the example scenario, SPITEST-WIN2K16 and SPITEST-WIN2K19 would be defined.
Creating the Job
Jobs are the basic building blocks of SureSync. Each Job contains the root paths (source and destination paths) that apply to that Job and options for the Job. Each Job also contains one or more Rules that tell SureSync how to replicate / synchronize data. The Job and the Rule are created together in one wizard.
The wizards are designed to quickly and easily configure the basic options needed to get a Job up and running. SureSync is an extremely flexible product with many advanced options. Additional options can be specified on the properties panels for the Job after it has been created.
Click on the Job button () in the ribbon bar to launch the Job Wizard. The Job Wizard will be used to configure your synchronization / replication.
Name Your Job
The first panel in the wizard allows you to name your Job. Enter the name of the Job and an optional description, and click “Next” to continue. The Job name used for this example will be “Sales Data”.
Specifying Root Paths
The next panel is used to specify the paths that you want to synchronize. All the paths involved in the synchronization must be listed here.
If you do not define at least two root paths on this panel, the only Rule methods available later in the wizard will be “Delete” and “Skip.”
Root paths are added by clicking the “Add” button at the bottom of the panel to display the “Select a new root path” panel shown below.
For this example, our root paths are:
- C:\SalesData on DEV40
- C:\SalesData on SPITEST-WIN2K16
- C:\SalesData on SPITEST-WIN2K19
When configuring a Communications Agent path, it is always defined as a local path from the perspective of that specific Agent machine. If defining a UNC path, select an agent and enter the path in as \\ServerName\ShareName. If you need to define a different credential for use with the UNC path, click on the path and then click on the "Edit" button. On the Options tab and then on the "Change..." button for the "User Id for UNC Path Access" option.
First, we will select the local path on DEV40 by selecting DEV40 from the “Path to be accessed via this Communications Agent” drop-down and then browsing for the C:\SalesData path.
Once that path has been added, we must add the paths for the remote machines. Click the “Add’ button again to add a new path. Then you will select the machine name from the “Path will be accessed via this Communications Agent” drop-down menu, browse to the path, and then click “OK.”
When selecting a remote Communications Agent from the drop-down, the browse panel will display the drives and folders from that remote machine as if you were sitting down in front of the computer.
Click “OK” to add the path. Continue clicking “New” and adding paths until all the paths involved in the synchronization are present.
Once all the paths have been entered, press the “Next” button to continue.
Determining the Best Rule
SureSync offers several different replication & synchronization methods, allowing a great deal of flexibility in how your data is handled. A chart detailing each of these Rules can be found in the help file under “Rule Methods Summary.”
Selecting Your Rule & Defining Folder Exclusions
On this next panel we will specify the Rule to use for this job.
If the panel indicates that only the "Delete" and "Skip" Rules are available, you have selected only one root path. To correct the problem, you should click the “Back” button on the wizard and add the additional path(s) that will be processed by the Job.
The type of Rule we will be using in this example is "Multi-Mirror." The panel will load looking like the screenshot below.
To select the Rule Type, pull down the “Rule Type” drop-down and select “Multi-Mirror.”
The “This rule applies to the following subfolders” section of the panel allows you to include or exclude specific subfolders. The default “\” means to include all subfolders. You can enter subfolders into the text field or select them using the checkboxes in the browse dialog on the lower portion of the wizard panel. Folders are excluded by placing a minus character (-) in front of the folder name. Multiple folder entries are separated by the vertical bar character (|).
Examples
To synchronize only two subfolders named “FolderA” and “FolderB,” you would enter the following:
\FolderA\ | \FolderB\
To synchronize all subdirectories except for subfolders “FolderA” and “FolderB,” you would enter the following:
\ | -\FolderA\ | -\FolderB\
For our example scenario, the default “\” option will be used to process all subfolders.
To learn more about how to include and exclude subfolders, press the “F1” key on this panel.
Click the "Next" button to continue.
Filtering Based on File Masks
The next panel displayed will let you indicate the files to be included or excluded from the synchronization. Each entry in this panel should be separated by a vertical bar (|) character. To exclude a file name or file type, place a minus sign (-) in front of the mask.
The default file mask is *.* which includes all files. Some common exclusions you could consider adding are: -*.tmp | -~*.doc | -~$.doc? | -~$.xls?. This excludes tmp files and some Microsoft Office temporary files.
Examples
To synchronize only *.doc files and a file named “Test.txt,” you would enter the following:
*.doc | Test.txt
To exclude *.tmp files, *.doc files, and a file named “Test.txt,” you would enter the following:
*.* | -*.tmp | -*.doc | -Test.txt
To learn more about how to include and exclude files based on file masks, press the “F1” key on this panel.
Clicking the “Finish” button will create your Job. The Job Wizard only displays a subset of essential options for a Job. Many other options can be configured by modifying the Job properties using the SureSync Desktop. Pressing the “F1” key on any tab in the application will display context-sensitive help detailing the options on that tab.
Previewing Your Job
SureSync provides two methods to preview the actions that a Job will perform. The first option is the Preview, which provides a graphical user interface display of all actions that would be performed without actually doing them. To launch a Preview, click on the Job in the SureSync Desktop and click on the Preview button in the Ribbon Bar. Further details about Preview are available in the SureSync help file.
The second option is called a Trial Run. This method produces a tab-delimited file containing the actions that would be performed. This file can easily be opened and viewed in Microsoft Excel. To run a Trial Run, right-click on the Job and select “Trial Run.” Further details about Trial Run are available in the SureSync help file.
Communications Agent Compression and Encryption
The Communications Agent Add-On provides the ability to compress data during transmission. This feature is useful when processing data over slow connections or public networks such as the Internet.
Encryption is always enabled when using the Communications Agent. The default encryption method is United States Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) certified Transport Layer Security (TLS) with Certificate encryption. A series of other encryption methods are available. Additional details can be found in the SureSync help file in the “Communications Agent Configuration – Connections” topic.
To enable compression, you must click on the “Performance” tab of the Job in question and check the “Use Compression” option. Keep in mind that compression consumes CPU time. It is recommended to turn compression on only when there are bandwidth concerns.
Creating a Real-Time Monitor
Real-Time Monitor is used instead of a Schedule to monitor file changes constantly. When a change is detected, the associated Job/Rule is applied, and the synchronization is immediately performed.
Real-Time Monitors require the Communications Agent to be installed on each machine involved in the real-time synchronization. A Communications Agent license is also required for the local machine that will be running the job (if that machine is involved in the synchronization).
In this example, we will create a Real-Time Monitor to process changes to our Job as they occur. A Schedule is completed using a very similar Schedule wizard accessed in the Ribbon Bar of the SureSync Desktop.
A Job can only be running in one instance at a given time. If you are planning to run a Job with a Real-Time Monitor then you should not attempt to run a Schedule of that same Job at the same time. You will get errors about the Job already being busy. If a Schedule exists to run a Job you’re going to run with a Real-Time Monitor, it should be placed on hold or deleted.
To begin configuring your Real-Time Monitor click on the Job button (
) in the ribbon bar. This will launch the Real-Time Monitor wizard.
The wizards are designed to quickly and easily configure the basic options needed to get a Real-Time Monitor up and running. SureSync is a highly flexible product with many advanced options. Additional options can be specified on the properties panels for the Real-Time Monitor after it has been created.
Name Your Monitor
The first panel allows you to name your Real-Time Monitor. Enter the name of the Real-Time Monitor and an optional description. Then click “Next” to continue.
Selecting What Job(s) to Run
The next panel is where you specify which Job you would like this Real-Time Monitor to run. Jobs are selected by performing a drag-and-drop operation from the “Available Jobs” column to the “Selected Jobs” column.
Multiple Jobs can be run under one Real-Time Monitor. To do so, add all the Jobs you want this Real-Time Monitor to run under the “Selected Jobs” column.
Click the “Finish” button to create the Real-Time Monitor.
Modifying and Running Your Real-Time Monitor
When the wizard is complete, you will be returned to the SureSync desktop, and the Real-Time Monitor you created will be displayed.
You can change the options for your Real-Time Monitor in the main SureSync window by first clicking on the Real-Time monitor you wish to modify. You can then look through the tabs on the right side for options to change. Pressing “F1” while on any tab will bring up context sensitive help describing the options in detail.
Now that the Real-Time Monitor is created, it may be started by selecting the Monitor and clicking the “Start” button in the Ribbon Bar. The Real-Time Monitor will switch to an “Active” status.
Configuring E-mail Alerts
E-mail alerts are part of the Alert system within SureSync and can be a useful way of notifying the SureSync administrator of a problem that should be investigated.
Configuring an SMTP Profile
To start the configuration of e-mail alerts, you should click on the Options (
) button in the Ribbon bar. Click on the “Alerts” tab to access the appropriate configuration panel.
The first item configured is the SMTP Profile. The SMTP Profile provides SureSync with the necessary details about your SMTP e-mail server so the program can send e-mail messages to you.
To create an SMTP Profile, click on the “New” button on the SMTP Profiles tab.
The following fields must be configured:
- Profile Name: The name of the profile that you are configuring. For example, you might use the name of the SMTP server.
- SMTP Server: The server address of the SMTP server. For example, smtp.mail.com.
- Port: The SMTP port for the SMTP server. The default SMTP port is 25.
- Use TLS Encryption: If your SMTP server requires encryption, check this box.
- Sender Name: The name that will appear in the From: field of messages sent by SureSync.
- Sender Address: The e-mail address that will appear on messages sent by SureSync.
- Reply Address: The reply address that will appear on messages sent by SureSync.
You can also define SMTP Server Authentication settings if your SMTP server requires a valid login to send messages (most do). To define a credential, click the ‘Click to set the SMTP server credentials’ button. The following fields will be presented:
- User Name: The username that SureSync will log into this SMTP server with when sending an e-mail alert.
- Password: The password for the username defined in "User Name" should be entered here.
- Repeat Password: The password for the username defined in "User Name" should be confirmed here.
Click “Apply” to save the SMTP Profile.
Configuring an Alert Profile
The second part of configuring E-mail Alerts is to define an Alert Profile. The Alert Profile defines the e-mail address(s) that will be sent messages when errors occur. To configure an Alert Profile, click on the Alert Profiles tab and click the “New” button.
The following fields need to be configured:
- Profile Name: The name of the profile.
- Recipient Address(es): The e-mail address(es) to which SureSync will send the alert messages.
- SMTP Profile: The SMTP profile that will be used to send the message.
Multiple e-mail addresses can be added by separating the addresses with commas (,) or semi-colons (;). This allows you to send messages to a group of SureSync administrators easily.
Configuring the Real-Time Monitor to Send Alerts
The final step for receiving e-mail alerts from the Real-Time Monitor is to define an Alert Filter on the Real-Time Monitor.
A global Alert Filter can be defined on the Alerts tab of Options. These global Alert Filter settings are inherited by all Jobs, Schedules and Real-Time Monitors defined in the database. Global Alert Filters can be overwritten for a specific Job, Schedule or Real-Time Monitor as appropriate.
You can also define an Alert Filter on a specific Job, Schedule or Real-Time Monitor. This is what will be done in this guide.
Click on the “Sales Data” Real-Time Monitor and click on the “Alert Filters” tab.
Click on the “New Alert Filter” button.
From the drop-down menu on the “Select Alert Profile” panel, select the Alert Profile you want to configure. Click “Next” to continue.
In the next panel, you can define the types of alerts you want to receive via e-mail. For a complete description of all available options, press F1 to launch the context-sensitive help.
Click “Finish” to create the Alert Filter. It will be displayed in the Real-Time Monitor properties.
Monitoring the Environment
Monitoring your jobs is essential, and SureSync makes this process easy by using two different status panels.
Detailed Status
The Detailed Status panel will show you file-level activity for a current job as well as common counters such as files added and files deleted. If you want to take an in-depth look at a particular job, you will want to use Detailed Status.
To launch Detailed Status, right-click on the job and select “Job Status.”
You can also select the job and click on the “Status” button (
) in the Ribbon Bar.
Enterprise Status
The Enterprise Status panel can be used to view the status of jobs from SureSync installations anywhere on your network. The Enterprise Status panel provides an easy way to stay current on the status of your jobs, no matter where they are running.
Enterprise Status can be launched by going to the Start menu, selecting SureSync 9, and then “SureSync 9 Enterprise Status.”
You can also click on the "Ent Status" button (
) in the Ribbon Bar.
