High Hardware Requirements

The hardware requirements specified for operation are relatively high: 12GB of RAM and four CPU cores are required for a single-server installation as an appliance. However, this is quite normal for an application relying on Java and Tomcat. For larger, distributed installations, the requirements are leveled out to some extent.

Filr is mainly designed to provide access to existing internal filesystems; it currently lacks the ability to integrate external storage. Linux desktops are also not part of the target group: Novell offers Filr synchronization clients for Windows and Mac OS X. In terms of mobile clients, the selection is comprehensive, including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry 10. The administrator decides whether or not to allow specific items on their own system.

Conclusions: Filr is an interesting and, in part, flexible FSS solution for Novell OES customers and companies with a strong focus on a Windows infrastructure.

Git-annex

Linux Magazine already featured the file synchronization software git-annex [6] just over a year ago [7].

The main advantage of git-annex compared with a plain vanilla Git solution, such as SparkleShare, is the way you retrieve data from the repository [8]. This is what really gives the user a useful way of storing large files or creating their own Git repositories. Users with little inclination to visit the command line will appreciate git-annex assistant, which became part of the project after a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign by the developer. It lets users synchronize their own files with git-annex through a web interface.

In the Repositories

The software is included in the standard of many popular Linux distributions, although sometimes in older versions. More recent releases – like the OS X port and the still beta Windows Installer – can be found on the project page. Also, the Android app is still in beta and thus, for now, is only available from the project website.

Conclusions: Git-based synchronization without the disadvantages of Git.