Syncing and networked computers
I'm a long-time user of zotero, but have yet to set up any form of sync since it has become available. I'd like to understand how it would affect my current set-up before I risk messing with my ~2000 articles and attachments I'm depending on for my ongoing dissertation :-). At the moment, I have my zotero library housed on my desktop computer, and I access it on my laptop periodically via my home network (I switch between the computers while I'm working because I can't sit at my desk for too long thanks to back problems). Zotero on my laptop points across my network to the zotero folder on my desktop, and I just make sure that I only have one location open at a single point in time. Also, I have my laptop make the entire zotero folder "available offline", so it keeps a cached copy of the folder in sync for those occasions when I need to use my library away from my home network. This has worked pretty well for me for a few years now.
I'm interested in the sync feature now though, primarily due to the apps that are available for smartphones- the idea of adding books by scanning barcodes sounds like a real time-saver, but it appears I'd need to have sync set up.
So I'm wondering- if I set up just my desktop to sync with the zotero server (metadata, not file storage), and leave the rest of my system as is, will everything continue to work as usual? Or will my desktop syncing somehow interfere with my ability to access the entire library across my network? Will I then HAVE to set up my laptop to sync as well, and therefore need to find an alternative solution for keeping my attachments in sync?
Sorry for the long post, but I would appreciate any thoughts and advice!
Thanks.
I'm interested in the sync feature now though, primarily due to the apps that are available for smartphones- the idea of adding books by scanning barcodes sounds like a real time-saver, but it appears I'd need to have sync set up.
So I'm wondering- if I set up just my desktop to sync with the zotero server (metadata, not file storage), and leave the rest of my system as is, will everything continue to work as usual? Or will my desktop syncing somehow interfere with my ability to access the entire library across my network? Will I then HAVE to set up my laptop to sync as well, and therefore need to find an alternative solution for keeping my attachments in sync?
Sorry for the long post, but I would appreciate any thoughts and advice!
Thanks.
As an aside, you seem happy with your set-up, so by all means keep using it, but you should be aware that what you're doing really is risky. Having two computers point to the same Zotero folder has a high risk of corrupting your database if you ever, by accident, have Zotero open in both locations. If this happens it may be unfixable and you're on your own. Given Murphy's law, this is prone to happen about 12hs before an important deadline. It's up to you, but don't say you haven't been warned.
Edit: If you allow me to add a plug here - since you point out that you don't intend to be using zotero sync for your attachment sync I assume that the reason for that might be that you have a specific concern with syncing to the filespace at zotero.org. If this is the case and you are otherwise interested in attachment storage (if only for backup purposes, or to enable using sync to keep your laptop and desktop synced) you could use my free and very easy to install and use phpZoteroWebDAV script that enables the use of any php enabled webserver you might have access to (or feel sufficiently inclined to set up) to use as a storage sync destination as well as library and attachment viewer (e.g. for when you are away from both computers).
I'm contemplating setting up sync- and maybe just finding the money somehow to go with zotero's storage if that is the least likely to cause problems and lead to hours of troubleshooting. I have checked out the php script you referred to, but I don't think I have access to any useful space (my Uni allotment is too small for my library, which is nearing 2GB).
I guess I'm just not sure how it would all work in practice (even with zotero storage). Would the end experience of accessing my files through Firefox be the same as it is now? Can I still edit pdfs using an external viewer (for annotations and highlights)? Maybe these are obvious questions, but it's the simple things that are holding me back and mean I keep defaulting to what has been working up to now....
The only thing that sync does is to upload any changes that you make to these local (or networked in your case) copies to the cloud and then download them on any computers that are not in sync (if you don't change your setup this would never happen since both computers access the same copy, unless you use a third party app to add items to your online library).
So yes, you can still access your files the same as you do now through your FF extension, you can continue to view or edit pdfs (or any attachment, really) with external programs.
P.S. on a side note, I have just tested one of the smartphone apps (BibUp) for scanning barcodes and it turns out that you do not have to use sync to use it.
For 95%+ of all users, sync just works. _If_ there are problems, they are usually in data syncing, so you can just test that without paying for storage.
At this point, I'm strongly leaning towards just setting up Zotero storage. My system has worked fine for me so far, but I've only been using my two computers. If I'm going to set up at the very least the data sync, and start accessing the library with my phone, then I'm adding more variables to the mix- and I'm likely on borrowed time at this point as it is, given the probability of something going wrong with the way I'm set up over my network. Given the amount of time and energy this silly PhD has taken so far, to have a ton of work become inaccessible via a corrupted database, all for the savings of $5 a month... from that perspective it seems a little ridiculous :-)
So my next questions become: Are all files that are stored in the zotero library (i.e. not linked) synced via file sync (i.e. regardless of type, pdf, docx, ppt, audio, etc.)? Are linked files referenced somehow, even if they are not accessible (so you could see you had a copy of a particular item, even if it was too large to store itself in zotero- e.g. an encrypted ebook)? Lastly, does the sync process work best if you do it all at once- data & files together- or would it be best to do the data sync first to make sure there were no issues, then set up file sync? And I'm assuming that the best procedure is to set up everything on my desktop, get sync working, then set up my laptop to sync from an empty zotero library starting point (to avoid duplicates)?
Thanks again for all your help!
On links and syncing I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure that yes, local links are shown.
MiscBec wrote: I am pretty certain that they would - behind the scenes the zotero library creates an additional dedicated library item for each attachment which is then linked to its parent item by being dedicated as a child item of that parent. This child (attachment) library item is separate from the actual stored copy of the attachment file even though they are linked by sharing the same itemKey (the itemkey of the child item is the folder name of the attachment file in the storage folder) and since this child library item gets synced independent of what happens to the actual attachment file reference to it should be preserved. Anyway, I am getting carried away with details....
What I did want to make sure you understand is this: the attachment sync is not selective. I.e. you cannot exclude individual items from the sync, for example on the account that they are large ebook files. It's just sync or don't sync. (although I think it should be possible to move the items you don't want to be synced to a group library as you can specify different sync settings for group libraries, but that comes with its own set of issues)
The most important piece of information in this thread, however, warrants repeating:
adamsmith wrote:
Thanks!