File Locking and Delta Only Transfers = WAFS

[xionoix]

Apparently with VVLauncher the program supports real time file synching where when a file changes that it is monitoring it updates the source/targe of the project. According to this Wish List forum, a future version will allow for multiple sources and destinations.

What would be nice is if in addition to the above, ViceVersa had the ability to lock out a file that is currently being used, and when the file was done being used it would transfer just the changes that were made to the file.

Here's the scenario:
Company has office in NYC and LA. High speed network line is still too slow when factoring in VPN tunneling, CIFS, high no of users, no of files transfered, size of files transfered, etc., etc.

To combat this the company decides to keep a copy of the data in both offices and uses Vice Versa with VVLauncher to sync the data in real time. Then the users access the local copies of the data rather then other offices'.

Problem: What happens when Bill in NYC and Suzy in LA both want to edit the file at the same time. Bill gets to it first opens and it works on it. Then while Bill is still working on it Suzy opens the same file. While she is working on it Bill saves the file and ViceVersa syncs it. Now Suzy is done working on her file and saves it. ViceVersa syncs her copy back to NYC, the whole process essentially "undoes" the changes that Bill did.

Solution: Lock the file out while Bill is using it, and then Suzy does inadvertantly overwrite Bills changes.


Speaking of changes.... why not incorporate a Delta only sync into the real time mix. This way even less bandwidth is being used to sync the files between NYC and LA.

Add these two features to the software along with the multiple sources and destinations, and companies can save a lot of time/money.

Adiitional savings besides the ability of leasing cheaper network lines, is fewer backup devices. Users can centralize their backups and run just one set.

If users use versioning such as Shadow Copy in their environment they can disable for all except the centralized backup server. This will ease disk space consumption while still adding the ability to recover previous versions of their files.

The end result is a much more reasonable solution for WAFS then some of the products from Riverbed, Cisco, DoubleTake to name a few.

The most reasonable solution I have found so far for this type of usage is called Availl. Which sells for several thousand per site. Add these features as an addon pack to ViceVersa and charge another $100....people will come.

Now port your program over to Linux (gain more customers, I saw the posts) put the product on 1U rack mount machine with 1TB of storage, and go compete with the likes of Riverbed and Cisco with their WAFS appliances.

Just don't forget your customers that got you there, and continue developing the ViceVersa product for the same $40 license fee.