Backup Synchronization on Different Operating Systems

Abstract

The processes of backing up and synchronizing computer data are common. Backups may be retained in multiple computers or storage devices to protect data from risks such as hard disk failure, computer theft or even accidental deletion. There are many software applications which are designed for synchronizing backups but few of them are able to work across different operating systems and platforms. The undertaken policies and methods in these applications make the common synchronizing process time-consuming. Moreover it is not easy to manage large-sized backups across relatively slow networks like the Internet. In this research we present a systematic model which is able to synchronize large sized backups, in terms of mirroring the name and quantity of the files, across different operating systems. Time and cost efficiency are two main factors in this study. We present a meta-analysis and review of the literature. Several software applications with similar capabilities are reviewed in which their strengths and weaknesses have been analyzed and synthesized to achieve the objectives of the research. Computer data and the associated backups in both source and target locations will be checked for synchronization. However, the model does not check for file modifications because this may affect the speed of the sync-ing process. This study presents a meta-analysis of selected literature and also develops a synchronization application for large-sized backups which work across different operating systems.