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Managing Sync Backup Plans

This guide covers how sync plans behave after creation: running syncs, tracking progress, pausing schedules, editing settings, and removing plans safely.

Running Syncs​

Scheduled Runs​

Once a sync plan is active, Pluton runs it on the saved schedule.

Scheduled syncs:

  • mirror source changes to the destination
  • record a sync task entry in history
  • update tracked change metadata
  • follow the current plan settings for revisions, exclusions, and performance

Manual Sync​

Use Sync Now when you want to run a sync immediately instead of waiting for the next interval.

Manual sync is useful when:

  • you just changed the plan settings
  • you want to catch up after a pause
  • you want to verify the destination right away

Current behavior:

  • you cannot start a second sync while one is already running for that plan
  • manual sync does not replace the saved schedule
  • pausing a plan pauses scheduled runs only; manual sync is a separate action

Monitoring an Active Sync​

During an active sync, the plan details page shows live status for the running task.

Available progress details include:

  • bytes transferred
  • transfer speed
  • active transfers
  • file checks
  • estimated time remaining
  • error count

If a sync is stuck or started by mistake, you can cancel it from the active progress view.

Reviewing Sync History​

Each completed sync creates a history entry in the plan details page.

Use sync history to review:

  • when a sync ran
  • whether it completed or failed
  • which files were added, modified, or removed
  • which sync task you may want to inspect or restore from later

Keep in mind:

  • file-change history is capped by the plan's tracked-change limit
  • very large runs may not keep a complete per-file list in the UI

Pausing and Resuming​

What Pause Does​

Pausing a sync plan disables its schedule.

It does not:

  • delete any synced data
  • remove revision history
  • change the destination contents immediately

Use pause when:

  • the source device is temporarily unavailable
  • you want to stop scheduled propagation of changes
  • you are doing maintenance on the source or destination

What Resume Does​

Resuming re-enables the schedule.

Important behavior:

  • resume does not trigger an immediate sync by itself
  • use Sync Now if you want an immediate catch-up run after resuming

Things to Expect After a Pause​

  • source and destination can drift while the plan is paused
  • the next sync reconciles those accumulated changes
  • a long pause may make the next run noticeably larger

Editing a Sync Plan​

Most sync-plan settings can be updated after creation, but a few core identity fields are fixed.

Settings You Can Change​

  • plan name and description
  • source path and exclude patterns
  • destination subfolder path
  • schedule
  • revision settings
  • performance settings
  • notification settings
  • tags

Settings You Cannot Change​

  • source device
  • storage backend
  • plan method

Source and Destination Updates​

When editing the source side:

  • keep the plan focused on one source root
  • review exclude patterns carefully before saving

Important behavior:

  • when you add newly excluded paths, Pluton removes matching files from the destination on update so the mirror stays aligned

Revision Updates​

You can change:

  • whether revisions are enabled
  • how long revisions are retained
  • the threshold for skipping revisions on very large change sets
  • the number of tracked file-change records per sync

Remember:

  • sync revision retention is age-based
  • disabling revisions stops creating new revision copies, but existing revision data remains until cleaned up

Integrity Settings​

You can edit the integrity tab values, but sync integrity checks are currently run manually from the plan actions rather than on an automatic recurring schedule.

Removing a Sync Plan​

Removing a sync plan deletes the plan configuration and stops future syncs.

You can choose whether to also remove the destination data.

Remove Plan Only​

Choose this when:

  • you want to stop using Pluton for the mirror
  • you still want the synced files to remain in storage

Remove Plan and Remote Data​

Choose this only when you are sure the mirrored destination should be deleted.

This removes:

  • the mirrored destination data
  • any sync revision data stored under .pluton
  • the plan record and sync history in Pluton

Before confirming removal:

  • make sure no sync is currently running
  • confirm the destination is not your last remaining copy
  • decide whether you want to preserve the mirrored files outside Pluton

Practical Management Tips​

  1. Use Sync Now after major plan edits so you can verify the result immediately.
  2. Pause schedules before planned maintenance windows.
  3. Review recent sync history after changing excludes or retention settings.
  4. Keep separate sync plans for separate source roots.
  5. Run manual integrity checks for important sync plans after large changes or storage maintenance.