Brain Imaging & Analysis Center

VSync keeps track of all project files and other information using XML text files. To compare the status of local project files, the client VSync application downloads the current project XML file from the host and compares its short description of each file with the current status of that file locally. Files that are missing or appear to be different are indicated and can be selectively updated.

current.xml
This indicates which project version (major version number) is current. It can specify different versions for different computer platforms, and can also identify separate alpha, beta, and stable release versions of the project. Authorized user names and passwords can also be stored here for password protected projects.

vsync_PROJECTNAME_xxx.xml
This describes all files in the project. Each upload creates a new project sub-version (identified by number XXX). This file provides all the information needed to synchronize the local project to match the status of the specified sub-version.

vsync_PROJECTNAME.xml
This is a copy of the most recent vsync_PROJECTNAME_xxx.xml file.

vsync_project.xml
This indicates which projects are active and should be compared on the remote host. It also stores remote host, platform, and user authentication parameters if necessary. Multiple projects can be listed together in a single vsync_project file.

vsync_PROJECTNAME.xml
This is the local equivalent of the remote file of the same name. This file describes the status of all local project files. This file saves time when checking file status because local files will only need to be read entirely if their size or modification date differs from what is in the XML file. If the XML file is not fuond or is out of date VSync will update it automatically.

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