Configuring Liferay Sync

Sync Connector lets you manage how, or if, clients connect to your Liferay DXP server. You can also configure default file permissions on a per-Site basis, and manage the devices that connect to your Liferay DXP instance. To access Sync Connector, select Control Panel → Configuration → Sync Connector Admin.

Sync Connector Admin has three tabs:

1. Settings: Control Sync’s general behavior. These settings apply globally to Sync.

   

   Figure 1: The Control Panel's Configuration section contains Sync Connector Admin.

   Allow the use of Sync?: Whether Sync is enabled.

   Allow users to sync their personal Sites?: Whether users can sync data with their personal Sites.

   Allow LAN Syncing?: Whether desktop clients attempt to download updates from other desktop clients on the same local network before downloading from the server. This can help reduce server load and increase data transfer speeds. Note that LAN syncing only works with clients that also enable it.

   Max Connections: The maximum number of simultaneous connections each client is allowed per account. For example, if Max Connections is three, a client can simultaneously upload or download up to three files for each account. Note, this setting operates on a per client basis. If Max Connections is set to three and a user has two clients connected to an account (which is possible if Sync is installed on two different machines), then the user is effectively allowed six simultaneous connections. While increasing Max Connections can speed up file transfers it also places a heavier load on the server. Max Connections is set to one by default.

   Poll Interval: The frequency in seconds that clients automatically check the Liferay DXP instance for updates. For example, if set to ten, connected clients check the instance for updates every ten seconds. The default Poll Interval is five.

   Max Download Rate: The maximum transfer rate, in bytes, at which clients can download. A value of 0 specifies no limit. This setting takes precedence over clients’ download rate setting.

   Max Upload Rate: The maximum transfer rate, in bytes, at which clients can upload. A value of 0 specifies no limit. This setting takes precedence over clients’ upload rate setting.

   Force Security Mode: Whether to force security mode on mobile clients. Security mode encrypts Sync files on the device and requires a passcode when accessing the Sync mobile app.

2. Sites: Control Sync on a per-Site basis.

   

   Figure 2: Sync Connector Admin's Sites tab lets you manage Sync on a per-Site basis.

   For each Site in the Liferay DXP instance, the Sites tab lists each Site’s default file permissions (more on this in a moment) and whether Sync is enabled for that Site. Sync is enabled by default for all Sites. To disable Sync for a Site, click the Site’s Actions button () and select Disable Sync Site. Please use caution when disabling Sync for a Site, as doing so deletes files for that Site from the Sync clients. Disabling Sync for a Site, however, doesn’t affect the Site’s files on the server.

   Warning: Disabling Sync for specific Sites from Sync Connector Admin can result in data loss across clients. If Sync is disabled for a Site users are currently syncing, any files in the clients’ sync folders for that Site are automatically deleted from their clients. If a user is offline when Sync is disabled for a Site, any offline changes or additions they make are deleted upon client reconnection.

   You can enable Sync for a Site by selecting Enable Sync Site from its Actions button. Make sure that each Site for which Sync is enabled has a Documents and Media app on at least one of its pages. If a Site doesn’t have the app on any of its pages and users click the Open Website link from their Sync menus, the error message The requested resource was not found appears.

   The Sites tab also sets default file permissions for files uploaded from Sync clients. The process for setting permissions is nearly the same as for enabling or disabling Sync for Sites. To set the default file permissions for a single Site, click its Actions button and select Default File Permissions. This lets you select the default file permissions for that Site. Click Choose for the permissions you want to use.

   

   Figure 3: Click *Choose* to select the default file permissions for a Site in Sync.

   To set the default file permissions for several Sites, select the checkboxes for the Sites, click the Default File Permissions link that appears above the table, and select the permissions you want to use. Default file permissions might behave differently than you’d expect. They control only the permissions for new files uploaded through the Sync clients; they don’t affect permissions for uploading or restrict document owners (the user who originally uploaded a document) in any way. For example, even if you set a Site’s default file permissions to View Only, that Site’s users can still upload new documents to the Site. The file’s owner has edit permission; the rest of the Site’s users have the View Only permission.

3. Devices: View and manage the devices registered with Sync.

   

   Figure 4: Sync Connector Admin's Devices tab lists all the devices Sync has registered.

   Each row in the Devices tab’s table represents a device. The Name column lists the user that registered the device. The remaining columns list each device’s location, client type, client build number, last connection date, and status. Each device’s Actions button () manages that device. You can change a device’s status from Active to Inactive by selecting Actions → Disable Sync Device. Inactive devices can’t sync. Inactive mobile devices also can’t access local Sync files. Once a device is Inactive, you can erase Sync files from it by selecting Actions → Wipe Sync Device. This also signs the device out and removes the account from the client. If the device is offline, this happens when it tries to reconnect. The Actions menu also enables or deletes an Inactive device. Deleting a device only removes it from the list of registered devices; it can still reconnect and reregister.