I'm in need of a reliable solution to synchronize network shares between multiple offices that are physically separated but connected through site-to-site VPN tunnels. To give you a clearer picture, we're dealing with large image files (1-5GB each) and various accompanying smaller files, with up to 30TB of total data on each share. We create new images potentially 20 times a day that need to be replicated to all sites as quickly as possible, preferably within 2 hours. Remote viewing of these files isn't viable due to issues with latency and jitter, hence the need for on-premises solutions. Currently, we're using Microsoft AFS but have faced significant costs and inefficiencies with data transfer. We've explored several other options like Resilio Sync and Syncthing without success due to costs and lack of support. I'm looking for recommendations on vendor-supported solutions that can handle two-way replication of Windows file shares reliably without relying on cloud services.
8 Answers
Have you considered using a Document Management System instead? That might streamline access and sync across your sites without the hassle.
You might find Tiger Bridge useful. It operates similarly to AFS but offers compatibility with various cloud providers and might be cost-effective for your needs. Definitely worth considering!
You might consider having all workers connect to VM workstations at the main site instead of copying files across locations. This could eliminate the whole problem of syncing files.
DFS has been pretty solid in my experience for years. I wouldn't shy away from it based on others’ stories.
Have you thought about using a combination of rsync and robocopy? You could set up robocopy to run on a task scheduler, and get a local managed service provider to maintain and support it. Just keep in mind that for two-way sync, those options might not work seamlessly, especially given the size of your data.
You should check out Storage Replica in synchronous mode, which is included in Windows Server. Just a heads up, you might need the Datacenter edition to unlock all the features. Alternatively, FileCloud could work with your existing on-premises setup too.
Just know that Storage Replica is more of an active/passive setup, not exactly designed for two-way sync.
I've used DFS-R for a long time without issues, keeping file shares in sync across multiple sites. Sure, you might run into conflicts with edits, but that could happen with most tools. One idea is to have a one-way sync from the central server to each site and a separate one-way sync back from each site to avoid those sync issues altogether.
The challenge here is there isn't really a central server since each site generates its own data. So, it seems like file locking could get complicated.
Exactly, in the medical field, you need the images to be accessible almost instantly since they’re often needed during consultations.
Is it essential for the solution to be Windows-based? If you could expand your options, ZFS with features like ZFS send/receive could be a great fit for your requirements.
Unfortunately, we really need a Windows-only solution due to the specific vendors and software we’re using.
Yeah, with 30TB, managing that could become quite a challenge. You might want to stagger the syncs to manage the load better.