Robocopy vs. Windiff

[Oscar Otto]

Hello,

I'm having the following problem: I have a script that runs every night to
backup all changed files on a server to a USB harddisk which is changed
daily. I'm using robocopy for this action with the following syntax:

robocopy f:\data e:\data /mir

F: is the source drive, E: the backup disk. I'm using the /mir option so
that robocopy copies all files that have been changed in the source to the
destination and removes deleted files in the source from the destination.

Periodically, I use windiff after a backup action to check if all files on
the destination are the same as the ones on the source. Windiff though, seems
to see more "difference" in files than robocopy does, because windiff reports
quite some files to be different from each other, but robocopy doesn't copy
them. The date/time and file size of both files are the same (that's why
robocopy doesn't copy them), but windiff reports them to be different.

What properties does windiff look at in checking if two files are equal? Is
there a way to make robocopy look at the same properties? What properties
could make both files different?

I hope someone can help me on this..! Thanks!

Oscar

[grigsoft@gmail.com]

Try using "fc file1 file2" to binary compare your files byte-by-byte,
to see who is right. Windiff could generate CRC for files comparison,
but I doubt. If your files are located on different partions types (FAT
vs NTFS) windiff could miss daylight saving feature. Check file date
carefully in windiff report - it may differ several full hours or just
1 sec, which Windiff could also miss.

Igor Green
http://www.grigsoft.com/
Compare It! + Synchronize It! - files and folders comparison never was
easier!

[Brains,None]

Dear Oscar,

there is a DOS utility called comp-tree, by alan hoiberg (warning, name
is utf-8, with European characters)

It will handily compare entire directory trees at one go, and give a
log. It has many options for control, also.

If your backup drive's tree is to be an exact copy of your source
drive's directory tree, go look it up!!!

If you can't find it, lemme know in this thread.. I'll watch it for a
few days..

Jim

Oscar Otto wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I'm having the following problem: I have a script that runs every night to
> backup all changed files on a server to a USB harddisk which is changed
> daily. I'm using robocopy for this action with the following syntax:
>
> robocopy f:\data e:\data /mir
>
> F: is the source drive, E: the backup disk. I'm using the /mir option so
> that robocopy copies all files that have been changed in the source to the
> destination and removes deleted files in the source from the destination.
>
> Periodically, I use windiff after a backup action to check if all files on
> the destination are the same as the ones on the source. Windiff though, seems
> to see more "difference" in files than robocopy does, because windiff reports
> quite some files to be different from each other, but robocopy doesn't copy
> them. The date/time and file size of both files are the same (that's why
> robocopy doesn't copy them), but windiff reports them to be different.
>
> What properties does windiff look at in checking if two files are equal? Is
> there a way to make robocopy look at the same properties? What properties
> could make both files different?
>
> I hope someone can help me on this..! Thanks!
>
> Oscar

[Maxi]

Hi, anyone knows if robocopy o windiff can notify by mail if it´s finds
difference?

Thank You!

"Brains,None" wrote:

> Dear Oscar,
>
> there is a DOS utility called comp-tree, by alan hoiberg (warning, name
> is utf-8, with European characters)
>
> It will handily compare entire directory trees at one go, and give a
> log. It has many options for control, also.
>
> If your backup drive's tree is to be an exact copy of your source
> drive's directory tree, go look it up!!!
>
> If you can't find it, lemme know in this thread.. I'll watch it for a
> few days..
>
> Jim
>
> Oscar Otto wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > I'm having the following problem: I have a script that runs every night to
> > backup all changed files on a server to a USB harddisk which is changed
> > daily. I'm using robocopy for this action with the following syntax:
> >
> > robocopy f:\data e:\data /mir
> >
> > F: is the source drive, E: the backup disk. I'm using the /mir option so
> > that robocopy copies all files that have been changed in the source to the
> > destination and removes deleted files in the source from the destination.
> >
> > Periodically, I use windiff after a backup action to check if all files on
> > the destination are the same as the ones on the source. Windiff though, seems
> > to see more "difference" in files than robocopy does, because windiff reports
> > quite some files to be different from each other, but robocopy doesn't copy
> > them. The date/time and file size of both files are the same (that's why
> > robocopy doesn't copy them), but windiff reports them to be different.
> >
> > What properties does windiff look at in checking if two files are equal? Is
> > there a way to make robocopy look at the same properties? What properties
> > could make both files different?
> >
> > I hope someone can help me on this..! Thanks!
> >
> > Oscar
>

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Maxi" <Maxi@discussions.microsoft.com>

| Hi, anyone knows if robocopy o windiff can notify by mail if it´s finds
| difference?
|
| Thank You!
|


Neither !

RoboCopy -- Robust Copy - is a utility tpo copy by file and tree structure as well as NTFS
permissions.

WinDiff is a utilitily that compares two files and finds differences in them.

--
Dave
http://www.claymania.com/removal-trojan-adware.html
http://www.ik-cs.com/got-a-virus.htm

[LJB]

"David H. Lipman" <DLipman~nospam~@Verizon.Net> wrote in message
news:O8gjtMwIHHA.4112@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> From: "Maxi" <Maxi@discussions.microsoft.com>
>
> | Hi, anyone knows if robocopy o windiff can notify by mail if it´s finds
> | difference?
> |
> | Thank You!
> |
>
>
> Neither !
>
> RoboCopy -- Robust Copy - is a utility tpo copy by file and tree structure
> as well as NTFS
> permissions.
>
> WinDiff is a utilitily that compares two files and finds differences in
> them.
>
> --
> Dave
> http://www.claymania.com/removal-trojan-adware.html
> http://www.ik-cs.com/got-a-virus.htm
>
>

I think Robocopy could do it since it generates return codes 0 through 16.
Zero means nothing changed. One indicates some files were copied. Perhaps
the log file could be e-mailed.

LJB