Question

how to avoid that robocopy in mirror mode copies again and again same files from a server to a webdav folder ?

Asked by: stephaneroze

Hi, I synchronize data from my server (Win 2003 but it's the same with my vista PC) to a webdav folder with robocopy /MIR and other options and the matter is that the first time where all is fine, but the second time robocopy copies again my files because it finds that the files are changed, but they aren't.
I had made some test with the same robocopy command line from my server to my server and all is fine.
I had made the same test on my server where my folder is hosted and all is fine too.
There is only between them.

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Asked On
2007-09-09 at 13:57:02ID22816466
Tags

robocopy

,

mirror

Topics

Operating Systems Miscellaneous

,

Internet Protocols

,

Microsoft Windows Operating Systems

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Answers

 

by: angelIIIPosted on 2007-09-09 at 22:52:57ID: 19859103

let's see this:
http://www.stevelu.com/TechnicalArticles/DevTools/1206.aspx

<...>
Handling FAT File Times on NTFS Drives

File-time granularity is 100 nanoseconds on NTFS, and two seconds on FAT, so copying a file from NTFS to FAT causes file times to be rounded to a value that the FAT file system can manage.
...
<...>

is that what you have? one drive on NTFS and the other in FAT?

 

by: stephanerozePosted on 2007-09-10 at 02:31:09ID: 19859707

Thanks, but all my drive are NTFS. But I don't know if Windows see a webdav folder (on a NTFS drive) like a NTFS drive.

 

by: angelIIIPosted on 2007-09-10 at 02:50:03ID: 19859765

how do you pass the webdav folder as argument to the robocopy?
please show how you use it...

 

by: stephanerozePosted on 2007-09-10 at 03:09:00ID: 19859818

My webdav folder is already mount by a net use command as a drive letter.
My Robocopy arguments are : "\\SERVER\My datas" "T:\Backup" /TBD /TEE /MIR /E /Z /XX /R:3 /W:5
(where T: is the drive letter for my webdav folder).

NB: I have alredy tested with the /FFT argument, and I have tried to synchronize my servers from the same time server too but without success.

 

by: angelIIIPosted on 2007-09-10 at 03:23:26ID: 19859853

having /MIR, /E is included...

do you really need the /Z?

 

by: stephanerozePosted on 2007-09-10 at 04:27:46ID: 19860053

Yes because I need that the transfer restarts if the wan is disconnect.

 

by: stephanerozePosted on 2007-09-10 at 04:32:48ID: 19860068

For your information, I've tried without /Z and it's still the same.

 

by: BillBachPosted on 2007-09-10 at 07:17:53ID: 19861114

Probably a silly question, but have you tried other COPY tools, like XXCOPY (www.xxcopy.com) or (my favorite) Beyond Compare (www.scootersoftware.com)?

 

by: stephanerozePosted on 2007-09-10 at 08:40:38ID: 19861746

It 's impossible, I must use Robocopy.

 

by: scrathcyboyPosted on 2007-09-10 at 20:36:07ID: 19865844

You are missing the point of robocopy -- it has the SAME LIMITATIONS as XCOPY -- specifically --

NEITHER PROGRAM CAN COMY FILES OPEN AND LOCKED BY THE SYSTEM.

All the windows registry, the NTUSER.DAT files, and a slew of open and locked files in the windows system directory and open and locked by the OS when running anc CANNOT be copied by robocopy.

If you want a TRUE CLONE of a hard disk, you only have 2 options under XP --

(1)  remove th drive and put it as slave on another system -- then it will truly robocopy perfectly, or
(2)  get software that will do LIVE STATE BACKUP -- i.e. copy the open system files in real time using the MS Snapshot technology.

Ghost, acronis, and MS backup, veritas backup exec, and a few others can do this snapshot backup of the system state.  ROBOCOPY CANNOT, as XCOPy CANNOT, while XP is running.

I have tested this endlessly, I am right on this subject -- 100% guaranteed.

 

by: stephanerozePosted on 2007-09-11 at 09:56:51ID: 19870223

The files are Microsoft office files, it is not system files

 

by: stephanerozePosted on 2007-09-11 at 13:10:33ID: 19871883

I have a new information : In fact the date of the same file is not the same when I see it on my server directly (where my webdav folder is) and when I see the date throw IE or throw my Network drive. It's incredible. Have you got an explanation !!! It's probably why Robocopy send the same file again and agin because it sees the date on the server which is different than the original file.

 

by: stephanerozePosted on 2007-09-11 at 13:50:11ID: 19872156

I finally find the problem, it's because of a bug in the webdav redirector dll in windows XP and windows 2003. Thanks to all the people who try to help me.

 

by: Computer101Posted on 2008-02-20 at 15:50:03ID: 20943403

PAQed with points refunded (500)

Computer101
Community Support Moderator

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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