DirSync Pro
Directory Synchronize Pro
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the system requirements to run DirSync Pro?

DirSync Pro is developed in Java and it is multi-platform. It means DirSync Pro could be run under any Operating System which has Java Runtime Environment (JRE). You can download JRE at java.com for free.

DirSync Pro is compiled to run on JRE 1.7.0 and higher. The version of your JRE should at least 1.7.0. We suggest you download and install the latest JRE (1.7.x). Java 1.7.x is available for every modern operating system.

Please note: for 32-bit version OS X you may need to install Sun Java 1.7.x mannually in addition to the Java version that is already installed on your system (perhaps 1.5.x). Use then the manually installed of Java 1.7.x to start DirSync Pro.

Do I have to install or uninstall DirSyncPro?

No! DirSync Pro is a fully portable application. This means you do not need to install or uninstall it. You may download and save it and you are ready to run the application. Please note that need Java JRE to run DirSync Pro. Please read the section 'Requirements' for more information. If you wish not to delete DirSync Pro, you may just delete the downloaded files/folder.

How do I run DirSync Pro?

On MS Windows just dubble click DirSyncPro.exe (or dirsyncpro.jar in case you have proper JRE installed.)

On all other Operating Systems run on the command line: java -jar dirsyncpro.jar

How do I allocate more memroy while running DirSync Pro from the command line?

If you run DirSync Pro through the command line, you may need to allocate more memory for example when synchronizing massive number of files. If you want to allocate more memory to DirSyncPro, use the following command to run DirSync Pro with 512MB ( adjust to own will): java -Xmx512M -jar dirsyncpro.jar

If you start DirSync Pro through the wrapper DirSyncPro.exe under MS Windows, the wrapper DirSyncPro.exe itself already uses 512MB memory.

How do I report bugs or request a feature for the next releases?

To submit bugs, please use this form at our sourceforge project page.
To submit feature requests, please use this form at our sourceforge project page.

In case of reporting bugs, please make sure logging is enabled and is set to Excessive. Please send us you log(s) and any information that could help us debug your problem.

Does DirSync Pro support encrypted transfers?

DirSync Pro synchronizes files locally. If a file is encrypted already, it will be synchronized encrypted. DirSync Pro does not encrypt files.

Can DirSync Pro schedule synchronization tasks?

Yes! As of version 1.4, DirSync Pro has a powerful synchronization engine with lots of customizable scheduling features to run synchronization tasks on a certain time in the future or recurrently (Minutely, Hourly, Daily, Weekly and Monthly).

I need to run cron or MS Task Scheduler to run a sync task. How do I do it?

If, for whatever reason, the existing scheduling features aren't enough for your purpose, you may use existing scheduling tools in your operating system (like cron in Linux and Windows Task Scheduler in Microsoft Windows) to setup scheduled tasks to run a synchronization with DirSync Pro. This is how you can do it:

  1. Use DirSync Pro user interface to setup your synchronization.
  2. Save your configuration file.
  3. Use the command line generator tool to create your command line with with /quit and /sync en eventually /nogui options. Save this command line to a batch file.
  4. Use your system scheduler to run the created batch file as you like.
How do I run DirSyncPro automatically under MS Windows as soon a USB drive is plugged?

You may want DirSync Pro to start automatically when you plug a USB drive under MS Windows. To do so, create a file called autorun.inf with the following content:

[AutoRun]
ACTION=Backup
Open=java -jar dirsyncpro.jar ConfigFile.dsc /sync /quit

In which the ConfigFile.dsc is your corresponding preconfigured and saved sync config file. Please note that you may need to mention the full path to the java command, the dirsyncpro.jar or the ConfigFile.dsc file according to your system setup.

Thanks to Guillem Sola for this FAQ!

Where do I found the DirSync Pro manual?

The DirSync Pro manual (PDF) is included in the download package. You may also download a copy in the download page.

Can I synchronize with my mobile phone using DirSync Pro?

It depends on how your operating system (OS) handles your device and mounts it. If your OS is able to mount your device as a normal disk (like a harddisk or a USB-stick) and Java is able to see the mount point then you can use DirSync Pro to synchronize files with your mobile phone. If that is the case, then your mobile phone shows up in the directory listing while browsing for directories within DirSync Pro. If not, you may try to mount your mobile phone in your OS prior to using DirSync Pro (e.g. assign a drive letter to it in MS Windows or create a mount point in Linux-like systems. This may not be possible for every device. Please check the documentations of your device for the possibilities.

I have Mac OS X. Where do I get Java 1.7.x?

If you are using the 64-bit version of Mac OS X, you may upgrade your Java to 1.7.x through the normal system update-process. If you are using the 32-bit version, you may need to install Sun Java 1.7.x mannually in addition to the Java version that is already installed on your system (perhaps 1.5.x). Use then the manually installed of Java 1.7.x to start DirSync Pro.

Does DirSync Pro copy/filter MS Windows file attriutes (Read Only, Archive, Hidden, System) or Posix file permissions/ownerships?

Yes it does! As of version 1.45 DirSync Pro uses Java 1.7.x to fully support DOS file attributes, Posix file permissions and ownerships. You can both filter on these data and preserve them when synchronizing files/directories.

How does DirSync Pro handle Linux symlinks?

DirSync Pro can either ignore symbolic links or copy them verbatim form the source to the destination when synchronizing. This means DirSync Pro truly copies the symbolic links (creates symbolic links in the destination folder).

How do I start DirSync Pro automatically when my computer starts?

To do so, you can create a batch file (using the build-in batch file generator in the 'Tools' menu) and put this batch file into your auto-start folder (MS Windows), in your bash-startup script (Linux like systems) or somewhere else your OS would start it automatically.

When I start DirSync Pro on my Mac OSX Lion, I cannot browse to other folders than my personal folders. What is wrong?

The Java Run-time Environment (JRE) which ships in recent Mac OSX's (like Lion) limits unfortunately the users access to other files/folders other than his/her personal files/folders. This limitation affects all Java applications (including DirSync Pro) which means no Java application can go beyond your personal files. We have no idea why Apple enforces this limitation to JRE for Mac users. The only way to eliminate this limitation is to install and use the original JRE from Sun/Oracle.