Correct setup of Dropbox via Cloud Tasks Push or Pull or Both?

[thinkjarvis]

The documentation on this is vague and does not cover the issue below. I wondered if a user could help me?

I have a HP MicroServer Gen8 running TrueNAS Core.

The plan is to use it as an onsite copy of our current Dropbox service.

Do I need a Push or a Pull action or BOTH?

Cloud Sync with Dropbox gives me a push and a pull option both of which can be set to sync.

Heres the issue.

If I set it to PULL and SYNC - Does this mean that if I add a new file to the copy on the Nas drive it wont then PUSH to Dropbox?

If I set it to PUSH and SYNC -Does this mean that if I work remotely on a laptop and change a file on Dropbox that it wont Sync to the copy on the Nas drive?

Therefore - Do I need two cloud tasks? One to push and sync data from the Nas to Dropbox and one to pull and sync data from Dropbox to the Nas?

 

[thinkjarvis]

Currently downloading PULL and SYNC action.
Once its done I'll do a test and see if it is able to sync if I add new files to the Nas copy.

As it stands - I think I will need two cloud actions - One PUSH / SYNC and One PULL / SYNC.

The Logic
If Dropbox is being used as an offsite backup for files on the NAS then you would only want to go one way as the NAS is your master copy. However if Dropbox is the master copy and the nas is a backup of dropbox then you would only want to go the other way.

So my understanding is in order to transfer both ways you need to have a Push and Pull action set to sync.

I'll update the thread once Ive tested it.
My dropbox has over 1million files in it. I think it will take about 4 days for the server to pull the data down.

Server
I have a HP Microserver Gen 8.
Its a 4 bay Nas but you can actually run 6 drives internal as below:
Xeon E3-1220LV2 2.3/2.5ghz 2 core 4 thread
12gb of ram - New 8gb stick and reuse current 4gb
OS boots from 120gb SSD connected to internal USB
120gb Quick data transfer SSD in CD drive caddy connected to ODD Sata Port - STRIPE Config
2tb/2tb NAS HDD Drives in bay 3 and 4 Raid
TBC - Final upgrade will either be 2 more HDD for bay 1 and 2 or 2 SSDs in adaptors in bay 1 and 2.

Wish I had spent a bit more and got one of these off Ebay - Xeon E3-1265L V2 (4 core / 8 threads)

 

[thinkjarvis]

SOLUTION / ANSWERR FOUND:
I have a solution and explanation below as to how this could work longterm.

In my use case Dropbox is essentially providing GeoRedundancy and file recovery.

So I need to make a decision - Do I run the NAS Drive as the master record or Dropbox as the master record?

The reason for using the NAS in the first place is so that when I employ people they will be able to access the data at the same time as me without giving them a whole local copy of the Dropbox.

Dropbox would be a security risk as master record in this situation and defeats the point of having a NAS
An employee could purge the whole dropbox for example or take their sync copy of the whole dropbox with them if they quit. There would of course be nothing stopping someone taking an entire copy of the server locally to an external drive - But this is less likely to happen because it requires an Active not passive action to copy the data.

So once I have employees here the NAS must be master record.

Now the long term bit.

1. Move the Main Dropbox folder down one level. Then sync that folder NAS=Master Sync and PUSH
2. Create a second folder designed to move remote work back to the server within the Dropbox for this folder: Dropbox=Master Sync and PULL
3. This means I can still use Dropbox sensibly and just move new files back into the NAS file structure on return to the office.
4. All files will therefore be present on the NAS and present in Dropbox
5. BUT will require a manual action to sort them into the correct locations on the NAS
6. A third folder may be required to be used as a file transfer for clients - This is a secure way to send files without opening up the whole dropbox to the client or leaving old share links active.

This is a limitation of TrueNAS and lack of a native application to allow bidirectional support.

 

[ftech]

Hi Thinkjarvis!

I propose this configuration that I have already set up and which works very well.

Install Nextcloud with a jail and mount point that will allow you to work on your NAS files and have instant synchronization in both directions.

Comment installer Nextcloud sur TrueNAS Core 12 - Tech2Tech | News, Astuces, Tutos, Vidéos autour de l'informatique

TrueNAS permet de stocker ses données facilement, cependant, pour pousser les fonctionnalités de vot

www.tech2tech.fr

Then for the backups you can do a cloud synchronization task to Dropbox: Push -> Copy that you will switch to Push-Sync regularly, once a month for example, so as not to saturate the Dropbox storage.