IBM Aspera HST Admin Manual page 12

File delivery or
synchronization
File system monitoring
Transfer schedules
Growing file support
Database space
requirements
Best for
Limitations
Hot Folders
File delivery:
Files and folders added to
or modified within a Hot
Folder on the source are
automatically sent to the
destination folder. Files
deleted from the source
are not deleted on the
destination.
Windows operating system
notifications.
• Immediate (as soon as
a file system change
in the Hot Folder is
detected)
• On a user-specified
schedule
No
None
• Automatic push and
pull delivery with a
simple GUI interface
that does not require
Console
• Windows only
• GUI must remain open
• In pull mode, pull files
even if they are in use
| Comparison of Aspera File Delivery and Synchronization Tools | 12
Watch Folders
File delivery:
Files and folders added to
or modified within a watch
folder on the source are
automatically sent to the
destination folder. Files
deleted from the source
are not deleted on the
destination.
File system snapshots
collected by asperawatchd.
• Immediate (as soon as
a difference between
snapshots is detected)
Yes (on HST Server)
At least 2 GB free per 1
million files, 3 GB free per
1 million files on Windows
• Automatic push and
pull delivery with a
simple GUI interface
that does not require
Console
• Managing and
monitoring push
delivery through
Console
• Transfer rate of millions
of small files can
become limited by the
speed at which database
metadata can be written
Aspera Sync
Synchronization:
All file system changes
(additions, deletions,
and modifications) are
synchronized from source
to destination (push or pull)
or synchronized between
source and destination
(bidirectional).
• In continuous mode:
file system notifications
• In scan (on-demand)
mode: Aspera Sync
scans the file system
on the source side
and compares it to the
Aspera Sync database
• asperawatchd
• Immediate (in
continuous mode
or when using
Aspera Sync with
asperawatchd)
• On a user-specified
schedule (Aspera Sync
run as a cron job)
No
At least 2 GB free per 1
million files, 3 GB free per
1 million files on Windows
• Precise synchronization
between two endpoints
of all file system
changes (including
deletions)
• Bidirectional
synchronization
• Very large file sets - up
to 100 million items
across thousands of
directories
• Continuous mode
available only for
Windows and Linux
sources
• Transfer rate of millions
of small files can