dittohead

A secure one-way file synchronizer that never forgets anything.

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• Client README
• Server README

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About

We needed a platform-agnostic tool that can securely send data to a locked-down final location that the user themselves may not have final read or write access to.

It is a one-way file sync that does not destroy data.

If data is re-copied multiple times with the same path and name, all versions are conserved.

We use a two-step process of a copier client and a watcher daemon. It is relatively agnostic about the file structure on both sides.

We do not plan to support simultaneous uploads from two machines to the same directory.

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Documentation

For data collectors

How to upload new data files

1. Launch dittohead.
2. Select your preset in the list on the left. A preview of what files will be sent will display.
3. A list of recent users will be filled in and you can select yourself or type in your account name. (This is your BI account.)
4. Enter your password.
5. Click Copy.

How to hook up a new study

1. Launch dittohead.
2. Click Add Preset.
3. Fill in the preset name, so you and others can easily remember what this is.
4. Fill in the study name. This is the abbreviation as you see it on the study drive.
5. Fill in the subdirectory. This is the directory inside raw-data where your files will end up. For example, you may want to store them in eprime or biopac.
6. Click Browse by the local directory and choose where the local data files for this study are collected.
7. Hit OK. You are now ready to upload data!

To change file locations for a preset

1. Launch dittohead.
2. Select the preset you want to edit
3. Click Edit Preset

Advanced editing

The metadata for the presets is stored locally in presets.yaml and can be edited directly there if needed.

For study runners

Dittohead is simply a tool to take local files on collection machines and securely upload them to locked-down study locations that cannot be edited later.

It operates by using the user's account credentials to copy files over SSH to a temporary location. Once it is done copying, it renames the temporary directory to notify the dittohead daemon that the sync is complete.

At that point, the dittohead watcher daemon on the server fires a copy procedure that moves the files into the final destination in a secure manner, assuring that no previous files get overridden.

The original user is notified by email when this process is complete, and additional users can be set per-study to be notified as well.

Acknowledgements

• Icon from http://ic8.link/901