Allway Sync is a Windows file synchronization program for keeping folders aligned across computers, removable drives, network locations and remote storage. It supports changes flowing in both directions, several folders participating in one job, and one-way copying for backup. GoodSync is now the destination for new users and the migration path for existing Allway Sync license holders.
Folder jobs
A synchronization job defines the folders involved and how their contents should relate. Two folders can exchange changes, or a source folder can supply files to a destination in one direction. Allway Sync also lets you add further folders to the same job, so a synchronized set need not stop at a pair.
Separate jobs retain their own parameters. A folder shared between two computers can therefore use different rules from a backup to an external disk. Filtering rules determine which files participate. Job configurations can be exported and imported when moving those settings to another computer.
How Allway Sync tracks changes and deletions
Allway Sync keeps a database of file and folder information from synchronization sessions. It uses that history alongside file attributes, sizes and timestamps to recognize changes. This matters when computers have different clocks or a remote server changes timestamps during uploads: a later timestamp alone does not determine which copy should replace another.
The history also distinguishes a deletion from a file that has not yet been copied. Deleted files and folders can consequently be removed from the other participating locations. Deletion propagation can be disabled if those removals should stay local. When Allway Sync cannot establish which file is newer, it asks the user to resolve the uncertainty.
Difference analysis
An analysis phase reports differences before synchronization starts. At this point, the direction for an individual item can be changed. Selecting several items exposes group actions that apply the chosen direction to the selection, allowing the same decision to cover a collection of files.
The unit of synchronization is a whole file. Allway Sync chooses which copy replaces another; it does not combine edited paragraphs, merge database records or reconcile individual messages inside an Outlook PST file. Changes made inside two copies of the same document therefore require a choice between those copies or separate editing outside the program.
Backup copies
One-way synchronization can maintain a copy of a source folder on another drive or computer. The resulting files remain available for ordinary access in the destination folder. The direction and deletion settings determine how closely that copy follows the source, including whether source removals carry through.
When replacing a destination file, Allway Sync first copies the incoming data to a temporary file. It replaces the existing file after that copy completes. An interrupted connection therefore interrupts the temporary copy before replacement; synchronization can be run again once the connection returns.
Storage targets
Besides local folders and network locations, Allway Sync supports FTP, SFTP and WebDAV servers. A removable drive can also act as an intermediary between computers that are not directly connected. Its drive-binding option recognizes a USB device by its characteristics when Windows assigns it a different drive letter.
Compression and encryption can be enabled for a selected synchronization location. Each file is placed in its own archive, with a password controlling access to encrypted files. Remote transfers have no bandwidth-throttling control and cannot resume an interrupted upload or download.
Sync licensing
The free edition is for noncommercial use and normally limits processing to 40,000 files in a consecutive 30-day period. That processing limit is waived when synchronizing local files with an Allway Cloud account. Commercial use and higher processing volumes require Pro licensing.
A desktop Pro license covers one computer. The portable Allway Sync ‘n’ Go Pro license instead covers one removable device that can be used on multiple computers. A remote computer accessed only as a network synchronization target does not require a separate Pro license for that role.
