Automatic Synchronisation of FTP directory

[Dan Shoop]

At 7:49 PM +1000 7/14/07, Terry Allen wrote:
>Hi again,
>	I have a slightly unusual taks to get done as a temporary 
>backup solution for a client - they have 3 separate sites, all with 
>hardware based NAS, which have Windows file sharing & FTP. We need 
>to set up an automated system, with an OSX machine doing a directory 
>sync every day for a few weeks from the FTP server running on the 
>NAS (no, rsync or other options aren't available - must be FTP).
>	Can anyone suggest say a command line I can add as a cronjob, 
>or some open source software which might allow us to do this? It 
>basically needs to log into the FTP server as the username/password, 
>check the list of files (& any changes to those files) & back up 
>those which have changed, then log back out once the job is 
>completed.
>	Any assistance would be appreciated on this.

What you are describing is not so much a backup as data replication.

Why must you use FTP if the NAS box has SMB? That would seem to be 
the way to go, and then just use rsync (with all its caveats.)

Otherwise consider using `find` to locate files that have changed or 
been added, with again all the associated caveats about what that 
means, and ftp these files. You'd just need to keep track of when the 
last time you performed the replication.

You also don't talk about deleting files that are no longer present 
on the source. You should consider this in your thinking.
-- 

-dhan

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Shoop                                                   AIM: iWiring
Systems & Networks Architect                      http://www.ustsvs.com/
shoop at iwiring.net                                http://www.iwiring.net/
1-714-363-1174