GoodSync Connect Manual and Ver 9 new features

To be used with GoodSync version 9 and higher.

GoodSync Connect allows users to connect two computers directly,
in a peer-to-peer fashion, without using intermediate servers that store files.

This greatly increases speed of file transfer and enhances
privacy of your files by not storing them on 3rd party servers.

GoodSync Connect features and benefits are described here.

GoodSync Connect Advanced Topics are described here.

Quick Start Guide

Tutorial:

Imagine for a moment that your name is John Smith and you have two computers named dell-kitchen and hp-office and you want to keep the folder My Documents on both computers in sync. The text below walks you through setting up synchronization between these two computers.

Install GoodSync

On the first computer named dell-kitchen proceed as follows:
* Install GoodSync ver 9 from GoodSync-Setup.exe
* When you start GoodSync after installing it, it shows the GoodSync Connect Setup dialog.
* If it does not, you can open it from 'Tools > GoodSync Connect Setup'.
* On the 2nd page select 'Create a new GoodSync Connect Account', if you do not have one yet.
* Creating and using a GoodSync Connect Account is free, you pay only for the software.
* Enter your computer name into Computer ID field: dell-kitchen
* Enter your User Id: john-smith (use your favorite Skype/Facebook/Email handle).
* Enter your password for the account john-smith -- enter it twice and memorize it well.
* Keep your password secret and hard to guess, so that others cannot gain access to your information.
* Enter your full name, it will be used for account recovery purposes.
* Enter your email address, it may be used by us for account / password recovery.
* Click 'Next' to register your new account.
* This page shows which Windows user will own the files created by GoodSync. We strongly recommend to enter your Windows Account password here, as without it GoodSync Server cannot impersonate your account, so it will not be able to write and read certain folders and files.
* Click 'Apply' to complete the GoodSync Connect setup.

On the second computer named hp-work proceed as follows:
* Install GoodSync version 9 from GoodSync-Setup.exe
* When you start GoodSync after installing it, it shows the GoodSync Connect Setup dialog.
* If it does not, you can open it from 'Tools > GoodSync Connect Setup'.
* On the 2nd page select 'Use existing GoodSync Connect Account', as you have created it already.
* Enter 'hp-work' into the Computer ID field (it will be prefilled with your Windows computer name).
* Enter 'john-smith' into the User ID field -- it must be the same as the User ID on the 1st computer.
* Enter the secret password that you memorized in the password field.
* Click 'Next', review the data on the Impersonation page, click 'Next' again.
* Click 'Apply' to complete the setup.

GoodSync Explorer: Making sure that you established a connection

* On the 2nd computer named hp-work click the 'GoodSync Explorer' icon on desktop.
* This starts GoodSync Explorer which is like Windows Explorer for the GoodSync file systems.
* Click on the file system selector that says 'My Computer' and select 'GoodSync Connect'.
* Your GoodSync Connect User ID and Password are pre-filled.
* GoodSync Explorer shows all computers registered in the account 'john-smith'.
* You should see hp-work.john-smith.goodsync and dell-kitchen.john-smith.goodsync.
* You can browse all files on these computers, in all folders.
* You can also perform common file operations such as upload, download, rename, and delete.

GoodSync: Setting up a sync job between two computers

* On the 2nd computer named hp-work, click the 'GoodSync' icon on desktop.
* Click the left-hand side 'Browse' button.
* In 'My Computer' select the folder to sync, it will be something like '~John Smith\Documents'.
* Click 'OK' to confirm the folder selection.
* Click the right-hand side 'Browse' button.
* Click 'GoodSync Connect' in the left-hand navigation to show a list of your computers.
* Open your other computer 'dell-kitchen.goodsync.com'.
* Select the JohnSmith user folder, then the Documents folder.
* Click 'OK' to confirm the folder selection.
* Click the 'Analyze' button to see the differences between the folders.
* Click the 'Sync' button to confirm the sync actions proposed by GoodSync.
* Now you can setup an automatic synchronization, if the results of the manual sync are OK.

Introduction

GoodSync version 9 incorporates its own GoodSync server and GSTP file transfer protocol.

Earlier GoodSync versions used publicly available protocols to access files on remote computers, and servers that were supplied by other companies or individuals. These were SMB, AFP (Mac), FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, etc.

However, since these protocols have some deficiencies, we decided to design our own file transfer protocol and implement a client and server for it in GoodSync 9.

The Protocol is named GSTP which stands for GoodSync Transfer Protocol.
Its URLs have gstp:// or gstps:// prefix.

GoodSync Connect Account, Direct and Mediated Addressing

To address a GoodSync Server you can use:
- Direct IP addressing, such as gstp://my.server.com or gstp://11.22.33.44, or
- GoodSync Connect Mediated addressing, such as gstp://computerid.userid.goodsync

.goodsync is a fictitious top-level domain that signals to the GSTP client that the computer 'computerid' of GoodSync Connect user 'userid' must be looked up using the GoodSync Mediator, a DNS-like server that translates computerid and userid into an IP address.

This addressing scheme is needed when your computer (usually a personal computer) does not have a static or stable IP address, because it is a client computer connected via NAT, WiFi or by similar means.

So to start using GoodSync client-server in this scheme, you should create a GoodSync Connect Account, which can be done when you install GoodSync version 9 or GoodSync Explorer version 9.

In GoodSync, go to Tools > Setup GoodSync Connect, and select the New Account option.
In GoodSync Explorer, go to File > Manage GoodSync Connect.

Your GoodSync Connect account requires a password, so only you (or a person who knows both GoodSync Connect UserID and password) will be able to register and list the computers.

Each active GoodSync Server computer registers with the GoodSync Mediator server.
Then the GoodSync client will find the IP address of the GoodSync server that it wants to connect to by calling the Mediator and getting the IP address from it.

* GoodSync can list all servers belonging to an authenticated user.
* Fast local discovery is done for GoodSync servers on a local network.
* All operations are performed only for authenticated users, we use digest authentication on servers.

Direct Server Access and Forwarder (P2P)

If a GoodSync client can connect to GoodSync server directly (by TCP/IP) then you will obtain the maximum speed of transfer.

However this may be not possible for a personal computer that accesses the Internet from behind NAT, a firewall and security software.

So when the GoodSync client cannot connect to a GoodSync server, they try to arrange a meeting via a go-between server that we call Forwarder. The Forwarder should be accessible from both client and server. The Forwarder is appointed dynamically by Mediator, based on the visibility of client and server.

This is an automatic process; the user does not have to intervene.

Configuring GoodSync Server via Web User Interface

GoodSync Server may be configured via its Web User Interface, which is a web server that GoodSync Server runs on your computer, at http://localhost:4444.

Use Primary user credentials (userID and password) to login.

This is what you can do in the Web UI:
- Add, Modify, and Delete secondary users.
- Change the server options.
- Turn server components on and off.

You can setup a Home Folder for a secondary user, so that this user will only see files and folders inside this Home Folder. Home Folder is a URL, for example: file:///c:/folder1 is the same as c:\folder1

Ports Used - Summary

GoodSync Server uses these TCP/IP and UDP ports:
- TCP port 33333: GoodSync client calls GoodSync server on this port to download/upload files.
- TCP port 4444: Browser calls GoodSync server on this local-only port to display GS Server Web UI.
- TCP port 33000: GoodSync Clients and Servers call mediator.goodsync.com on this port, to coordinate connections.
- UDP port 33338 and 33339: used for local discovery (broadcast) of GoodSync Servers by GoodSync clients.
- TCP port 22222: GoodSync Server serves its files via WebDAV protocol on this port, if enabled.
- TCP port 33334: GoodSync server accepts Manage API commands on this port, local only.

Achieving Direct Connection

When GoodSync client cannot connect to the GoodSync server directly, it does so via Forwarder, which is our own server that forwards file blocks but does not store them.

Transfer speed will decrease if forwarder is used. You can get much better speed and latency when you achieve direct connection to the GoodSync Server.

Usually the GS Server is blocked by your Internet router, modem, or firewall:
- GoodSync Server tries to make a hole for its port 33333 in your router/modem using UPNP.
- These attempts are not always successful, as your router may not support UPNP.
- If GoodSync cannot make a hole, instruct your router / DSL modem / cable modem
to forward an external port of your router to port 33333 of the computer where GS Server runs.
- If you have more than one computer with GS server, use a different external port for each computer.
- Notify each GS server what is its external port, the one that you assigned, see below.
- GoodSync will report this external port to the Mediator.
- GoodSync client will contact your GoodSync server on this external port.

Example of achieving direc connection to two computers HOME and WORK:
- On your router forward external port 3330 of router to port 33333 of computer HOME
- In Web UI of computer HOME instruct GS server to use external port 3330.
- On your router forward external port 3331 of router to port 33333 of computer WORK.
- In Web UI of computer WORK instruct GS server to use external port 3331.

Another point of connection loss may be your ISP:
- Your router / modem does not have a real IP address, as it is connected via NAT.
This is called Double NAT and it cannot be fixed, the forwarder will have to be used.
- Your ISP blocks the port that the GS server has selected.
To fix it, use a non-blocked external port and manually forward it to the GS server.

On both on the client and server side your security software may be blocking GoodSync.
- GoodSync creates exceptions in Windows Firewall on both the client and server end.
- If such blocking still occurs, create an exception for GoodSync in your security software.

Assigning an External Port to GoodSync Server

If GoodSync cannot drill a hole in your firewall and you create a port forwarding rule yourself,
you should set the port in GoodSync Server, so that it can pass it on to the Mediator.

This is how.
* Start GoodSync and select Tools > Server Advanced Options.
* This starts a special local 'web site' that you can use to configure GoodSync Server.
* This web site requires a login. This is the login of your primary GoodSync Connect user.
* After logging in, go to Server Settings.
* Check 'External Port: Manually map external port to Internal port'.
* Enter external port number that forwards TCP/IP connection to the port 33333 of this computer.
* In the example above, in computer HOME computer's config enter '3330' into this 'manual external port'.

Real Time Remote Sync

Starting with ver 9.1.4, GoodSync can perform real-time file monitoring and syncing, even if one of the computers is the remote GS server. Read this for for details.

More Questions

Read this for more FAQ items.