Serge NOEL
147 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
147 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
<!DOCTYPE html>
|
|
<html lang="en">
|
|
<head>
|
|
<meta name="generator" content="HTML Tidy for HTML5 for Apple macOS version 5.8.0">
|
|
<title>JMRI Setup - Sharing Files with DropBox</title>
|
|
<meta name="keywords" content="java model railroad JMRI install Dropbox">
|
|
<!--#include virtual="/help/en/parts/Style.shtml" -->
|
|
</head>
|
|
<body>
|
|
<!--#include virtual="/help/en/parts/Header.shtml" -->
|
|
|
|
<div id="mBody">
|
|
<!--#include virtual="Sidebar.shtml" -->
|
|
|
|
<div id="mainContent">
|
|
<!-- Page Body -->
|
|
|
|
<h1>JMRI Setup: Sharing Files with Dropbox</h1>
|
|
|
|
<p><a href="https://www.dropbox.com" target="_blank">Dropbox</a> <a href=
|
|
"https://www.dropbox.com" target="_blank"><img src=
|
|
"images/dropbox-logos_dropbox-vertical-blue.png" width="85" height="85" class="floatRight"
|
|
alt="dropbox logo"></a> is a free service that lets you share files between multiple
|
|
computers across a network. Once you've signed up with Dropbox, you can configure JMRI to use
|
|
it to share Rosters, layout configuration files and other information between multiple
|
|
computers.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Using <a href="https://www.dropbox.com" target="_blank">Dropbox</a> rather than a shared
|
|
folder or network drive has a number of advantages:</p>
|
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>Dropbox keeps a full local copy of all files on every computer, bringing a number of
|
|
benefits.</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>JMRI will continue to work even if only one computer is on, and even if there is no
|
|
network connection.</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>There will be no speed penalty when accessing files, as there with a network
|
|
connection.</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>JMRI data files are not designed for simultaneous update access, as can happen with a
|
|
network connection and lead to data corruption. Dropbox works on separate copies of files
|
|
and any simultaneous update is handled gracefully by Dropbox. Both versions are saved (with
|
|
one renamed) and if necessary you can choose which one to keep.</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>Dropbox protects your files by providing hardware redundancy. If a computer fails, the
|
|
files are still on the Dropbox servers and any other computers configured to use the same
|
|
Dropbox account. A shared network drive does not provide hardware redundancy by
|
|
default.</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>Dropbox protects your files by providing a limited backup recovery facility. You can
|
|
recover any file version or deleted file for the past 30 days, so mistakes can be easily
|
|
reverted. A shared network drive does not provide retrievable backup history by
|
|
default.</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>Dropbox protects your files by providing an off-site copy of both current and recent
|
|
(30 days) backup versions. A shared network drive does not provide any off-site copy by
|
|
default.</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>Dropbox provides clients for Windows, Mac OS and Linux computers. All the files in
|
|
JMRI's <a href="../../package/apps/TabbedPreferences.shtml#FileLocations" target="_blank">
|
|
User Files Location</a> are stored in an operating-system-independent format so can be
|
|
shared by any JMRI client with Dropbox installed. A shared network drive may not
|
|
necessarily provide cross-platform sharing.
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>Note that neither Dropbox or a shared network drive provide a fully isolated non-live
|
|
off-line copy (external device such as USB drive or CD/DVD) by default. That responsibility
|
|
is still up to you.
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<p>The following approach should also work with other cloud-based file-synchronisation
|
|
services such as <a href="https://www.google.com.au/drive/" target="_blank">Google Drive</a>
|
|
and <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/onedrive/online-cloud-storage"
|
|
target="_blank">OneDrive</a>. However the <a href="https://www.dropbox.com" target=
|
|
"_blank">Dropbox</a> solution is well tested, having been used by a number of JMRI developers
|
|
and users for quite some time.
|
|
You can also use a revision control system like Git;
|
|
<a href="git.shtml">those instructions</a>
|
|
are somewhat different.</li>
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<h3>Step 1</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>To set up a shared User File Location on the web:</p>
|
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>Create a JMRI folder in Dropbox on the first computer.</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>If you have already created items (roster entries, panels etc.) go to
|
|
Help‑>File Locations and press Open User Files Location.<br>
|
|
<a href="images/Help_Locations.png"><img src="images/Help_Locations.png" width="682"
|
|
height="139" alt="user files location"></a><br>
|
|
This will open a window on your desktop showing a directory. Remember where that is,
|
|
because you'll move items from there later.
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>Still on the Help‑>File Locations window, check to see if your Roster Location is
|
|
different from the User Files Location. If so, click Open Roster Location to open a window
|
|
on that location. You'll copy files from there later.<br>
|
|
<a href="images/Help_Locations_Roster.png"><img src="images/Help_Locations_Roster.png"
|
|
width="682" height="139" alt="roster location"></a>
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>Preferences‑>Roster‑>Roster‑>Roster Location‑>Reset. Do not enter a Roster
|
|
Location. That way it will follow the setting for the User Files Location.<br>
|
|
<a href="images/Roster_Reset.png"><img src="images/Roster_Reset.png" width="416" height=
|
|
"159" alt="roster reset"></a>
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>Preferences‑>File Locations‑>User Files Location and set it to the JMRI folder
|
|
you created in Dropbox.<br>
|
|
<a href="images/Locations_Files.png"><img src="images/Locations_Files.png" width="418"
|
|
height="157" alt="roster set"></a>
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>Restart JMRI and use Help ‑> File Locations to make sure everything is changed
|
|
correctly.</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>If you have already created any files of the types listed at this link (see <a href=
|
|
"../../package/apps/TabbedPreferences.shtml#FileLocations" target="_blank">this page</a>
|
|
for help), move them from the old location to your new location. For example, your files in
|
|
the User Files window we opened at the first step should be moved to the new User Files
|
|
Location you just created.
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<h3>Step 2-...</h3>
|
|
|
|
<p>The only steps you need to do on subsequent computers are:</p>
|
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>Preferences ‑> Roster ‑> Roster ‑> Roster Location ‑> Reset. Do not enter a
|
|
Roster Location. That way it will follow the User Files Location.</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>Preferences ‑> File Locations ‑> User Files Location and set it to the JMRI folder you
|
|
created in Dropbox.</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
<!--#include virtual="/help/en/parts/Footer.shtml" -->
|
|
</div>
|
|
<!-- closes #mainContent-->
|
|
</div>
|
|
<!-- closes #mBody-->
|
|
<script src="/js/help.js"></script>
|
|
</body>
|
|
</html>
|