Timestamp problems with NAS (Maxtor, others) and solutions

CJM · Guest

I recently added a network attached hard drive (NAS). I can’t seem to get ViceVersa Pro to work with it. It’s always complaining about the timestamp even when I go under the advanced setup and tell it to “synchronize files even if timestamp changes after initial comparison”. I get an error “Invalid ‘Created’ timestamp of the file …” Also it wants to synchronize all files even if none of them have changed. I set the clocks to the same time and I turned on all ignore options under the timestamp options. What other setting could be causing this to fail? (I have full permissions on the NAS drive).

TGRMN Software · Site Admin Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 8771

Recently we had some similar feedback from another user using ViceVersa with a NAS. Apparently there are some NAS that do not properly handle timestamp of files and because of that the synchronization fails.

To check if this is the reason also in your case, select a file on the NAS using the Windows Explorer. Right click and select "Properties" from the context menu. In the properties check the created, modified, etc. timestamps. Are they in the future (eg >2020)? Or are they in too much in the past (eg <1970)? If so ViceVersa will skip these files because their timestamp is invalid.

Maybe this is not the problem in your case, let me know.

thanks
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CJM · Guest

Two things I noticed. The file creation date is marked March 1, 30828 (yes that's 30000 years in the future). The modified and accessed dates are today. The modified date changes with each run of Vice Versa Pro.

The other thing I noticed was they were marked as Archive files. I turned off the Archive attribute and most of them sync. Others still failed. Vice Versa does however re-copy all the files with each sync.

How do I changed the created date on 1000's of files to make Vice Versa work? Also does the Archive attribute matter to Vice Versa and if so, how do I turn it off for 1000's of files? Thanks.

TGRMN Software · Site Admin Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 8771

To change the file timestamps look for "change file timestamp" on a search engine. There are many tools that can do that.

What brand/model is the NAS you are using?

ViceVersa does not look at the archive attribute of files. Switching it off must have an effect on other parts of the system (NAS driver?)
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CJM · Guest

I am using a SimpleTech SimpleShare drive (http://www.simpletech.com/commercial/simpleshare/index.php)

I sent in a support email telling them that each time I create a file it's dated 30000 years into the future. I'm awaiting their response.

In the mean time I will search for timestamp changing software.

TGRMN Software · Site Admin Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 8771

Another user reported that the Maxtor NAS could have the same issue with the created timestamp. The Maxtor NAS removes the created date, as well as changing the modified & accessed timestamps when the file is compared by VV. Maxtor has made a fix available.
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CJM · Guest

SimpleTech sent me the latest firmware and my dates returned to normal. I was able to turn off all the ignore switches and run VV without any errors. Thank you for your support. Once again your product worked without any flaws and your support actually solved a problem from my hardware manufacturer.

TGRMN Software · Site Admin Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 8771

Thanks, great to hear that VV and the NAS are working now.
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Guest · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2005 2:47 pm Post subject: Maxtor Shared Storage NAS

I have a Maxtor Shared Storage NAS drive which has invalid "Created" timestamps on about 1,000 (out of 250,000) files. When I view the timestamp in file properties dialog box of Windows Explorer I see that the date is missing, but the time is visible. I read this post and noticed that I was running firmware version 1.2.0 while Maxtor has posted an updated firmware 1.2.2 which I downloaded and installed hoping to fix the problem. After the firmware upgrade you can see the setup screen change to indicate the new firware version in the upper left hand corner. I assumed that this meant the drive had been upgraded and rebooted with the new firmware, but I was wrong. At that point the problem with the timestamps still existed and I was a bit frustrated. It wasn't until I shut down the unit completely and restarted it that the timestamps returned to normal. I thought I would post my experience here so that others would not make the same mistake. PS - There is no reboot option in the web administration so you have to do it on the unit itself by holding down the front button for 5 seconds until the light turns yellow (instead of green) indicating that it is shutting down. When the light goes out you can press it again to start the unit back up.

brewlabs · Guest

I am using an external USB hard drive for sync purposes and everything worked fine with version VV1.3.1 - now with VV2.0 the 'source' files are all seen as having timestamps before Jan 1, 1970. File properties show correct dates (all between 2002 to present).
These files are all offline files in win2k - worked fine in previous version though. Thoughts

TGRMN Software · Site Admin Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 8771

Can you please send screenshots of ViceVersa and file properties to support@tgrmn.com ? thank you. Also the ViceVersa log file if you have set one up.
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TFredrick · Guest

i had the same problem at first but i seem to have resolved it by using the same time server on the nas as i do in vice-versa.

TGRMN Software · Site Admin Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 8771

The Maxtor Shared Storage Update v1.2.2, available from their website, fixes the timestamp errors.
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Nabes · Guest

In relation to the Maxtor drive fix does this relate to a drive formatted in ntfs or Fat, I was wanting to use NTFS but Maxtor emailed me back saying that the creation time thing was not fixed due to the Ext3 File System.

Quote:
Linux with Ext3 File System is installed in Maxtor Shared Storage.
Which means it doesn't have creation time in the file system

Has anyone actually implemented the maxtore shared storage drive and have it syncing with the timestamps?

TGRMN Software · Site Admin Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 8771

Our Maxtor Shared Storage that we use for file sync and file backup is formatted as NTFS and it works fine with the latest Maxtor firmware 1.2.2

I do not recall the possibility to format as FAT but I may be wrong. As far as I recall the Maxtor Shared Storage drives come already installed with Linux on them.
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