Sync Backup Plan Maintenance

This guide covers essential maintenance tasks for sync backup plans to keep your synced data healthy and storage optimized.

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Cleanup / Prune Old Revisions

If you have revision history enabled, pruning removes old file versions based on your retention policy, freeing up storage space.

When to Prune

• Automatic: Revision cleanup happens automatically during sync operations
• Manual: Run prune when you need to immediately reclaim storage space
• After changing retention: When you reduce the "Revisions to Keep" setting
• Storage space concerns: When destination storage is running low

How Revision Pruning Works

When revision history is enabled, your sync plan maintains specified number of previous versions for each file. When you run prune:

• File versions exceeding your retention limit are removed
• Only old versions are deleted (current files remain)
• Storage space is freed as old versions are removed
• The history folder is cleaned up

Important Difference from Backup Plans:

• Sync plans don't have snapshots
• Pruning only affects revision history (old file versions)
• Current synced files are never pruned
• If revision history is disabled, there's nothing to prune

Running Manual Prune

1. Navigate to your sync plan details page
2. Click the More Options (⋮) button in the header
3. Select "Clean Up" or "Prune Revisions"
4. Review the prune summary:
   • Current revision count
   • Number of revisions to be removed
   • Storage space to be reclaimed
   • Retention policy settings
5. Click "Yes, Remove Old Revisions" to confirm

What You'll See:

• If revisions exceed your retention limit: Shows how many will be removed
• If within retention limit: "There are no excess revisions to clean up"
• If revision history is disabled: "No revision history configured"

Important Notes:

• Pruning cannot be undone
• The process may take several minutes for many revisions
• Current synced files are never affected
• You cannot prune while a sync is in progress
• Only the history folder is affected

Best Practices

• Let automatic cleanup handle routine revision removal
• Manually prune after significantly reducing retention settings
• Run prune during off-hours to avoid performance impact
• Verify storage space after pruning (may take time to reflect)
• Don't prune too aggressively - keep sufficient revision history for recovery

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View Plan Logs

Plan logs provide detailed information about all sync operations, useful for troubleshooting and monitoring.

Accessing Logs

1. Navigate to your sync plan details page
2. Click the More Options (⋮) button in the header
3. Select "View Logs"
4. A side panel opens with the complete log history

Understanding Log Entries

Logs display chronologically with newest entries at the top. Each entry includes:

Timestamp: Exact date and time of the event

Level: Log severity

• Info - Normal operations (sync started, completed)
• Warn - Non-critical issues (retries, warnings)
• Error - Failures requiring attention

Message: Description of what happened

Common Log Events:

• Sync Plan created - Plan initialized
• Sync started - Sync execution began
• Sync completed successfully - Sync finished normally
• Sync failed - Sync encountered errors
• Plan paused/resumed - Schedule changes
• Sync Plan updated - Configuration modified
• Revision cleanup performed - Old versions removed
• X files added, Y modified, Z removed - Change summary

Filtering and Searching Logs

• Use the search box to find specific events or errors
• Filter by log level (Info, Warn, Error)
• Search for specific file names or paths
• Click on individual entries to expand full details
• Scroll through history to track patterns

Downloading Logs

To save logs for offline review or support:

1. While viewing logs, click "Download Logs" button
2. Logs download as a .log file
3. Open with any text editor
4. Share with support if needed for troubleshooting

Downloaded Log Format:

• JSON format for structured analysis
• Each line is a complete log entry
• Includes all metadata (timestamps, levels, context)
• Contains file-level operation details

Reading Sync Progress in Logs

During active syncs, logs show:

• Files being scanned and compared
• Files being added, modified, or removed
• Transfer progress and speed
• Any files skipped or excluded
• Errors encountered during operation
• Revision history operations

Using Logs for Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Log Indicators:

"Permission denied" errors:

• Check source paths have proper access rights
• Verify destination storage permissions
• Check service account permissions

"Connection refused/timeout":

• Storage connectivity issues
• Check network and storage configuration
• Verify credentials are valid

"File in use" or "Access denied":

• Files locked by another process
• Wait for files to be released
• Exclude locked files if necessary

"Out of space" errors:

• Destination storage quota exceeded
• Run prune or add storage capacity
• Review revision history settings

"No such file or directory":

• Source paths moved or deleted
• Update plan source configuration
• Check for renamed folders

"Checksum mismatch" errors:

• Data corruption during transfer
• Network issues
• Storage reliability problems

Log Retention

• Logs are stored in data/logs/ directory
• Log file named sync-{planId}.log
• Logs persist until plan is deleted
• Large log files may be rotated automatically
• No automatic cleanup - manage manually if needed

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Verify Sync Integrity

Periodically verify that your synced data at destination matches the source.

Manual Verification

1. Navigate to your sync plan details page
2. Click "Sync Now" to run a fresh sync
3. Review the sync results:
   • If no changes: Source and destination are in sync
   • If changes detected: Review what changed and verify it's expected

Automated Verification

Sync plans automatically verify on each sync:

• Compare file sizes
• Compare modification times
• Optionally compare checksums (if configured)

Using Checksum Verification

For critical data, use checksum-based sync strategy:

1. Edit your sync plan
2. Go to Advanced Settings → Performance
3. Set Sync Strategy to "Checksum"
4. Save changes

Checksum Verification:

• ✅ More accurate - detects content changes even if size/time unchanged
• ✅ Catches corruption or subtle modifications
• ⚠️ Slower - requires reading entire files
• ⚠️ More CPU intensive

When to Use:

• Critical data requiring high integrity
• When size/modtime comparison isn't reliable
• After storage migrations
• Periodic integrity audits

Reviewing Sync History

Check sync history regularly to ensure:

• Syncs are completing successfully
• Change patterns are as expected
• No unexpected file removals
• No consistent errors

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Monitor Storage Usage

Keep track of storage consumption to prevent space issues.

Viewing Storage Statistics

1. Navigate to Storages page
2. Find the storage used by your sync plan
3. View storage usage statistics:
   • Total space used
   • Available space
   • Number of files

Tracking Growth Over Time

Monitor your sync plan's data growth:

1. Navigate to plan details
2. Review the statistics section
3. Check:
   • Total synced data size
   • Number of synced files
   • Revision history size (if enabled)

Managing Storage Space

If Running Low on Space:

1. Prune old revisions - Clean up revision history
2. Reduce retention - Keep fewer revisions
3. Review excludes - Ensure unnecessary files aren't synced
4. Disable revisions - For non-critical data
5. Upgrade storage - Add more capacity if needed

Preventing Space Issues:

• Set up storage alerts (if supported by provider)
• Monitor storage usage weekly
• Set appropriate revision retention
• Use exclude patterns effectively
• Regular pruning schedule

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Best Practices for Maintenance

Regular Monitoring

• Review logs weekly for any warnings or errors
• Check sync history to ensure syncs are completing
• Monitor storage usage in the Storages page
• Verify sync success - ensure recent syncs completed
• Review change patterns - unexpected changes may indicate issues

Preventive Maintenance

• Don't over-retain revisions - Balance protection vs. storage
• Review exclude patterns - Ensure they're still appropriate
• Test storage connectivity - Verify access regularly
• Document configuration - Note important settings and changes
• Monitor performance - Track sync durations over time

When to Perform Maintenance

Prune Revisions:

• Weekly if using high retention settings
• After reducing "Revisions to Keep" setting
• When storage space is low
• Never during active syncs

Review Logs:

• After sync failures
• When investigating performance issues
• Before making plan changes
• When syncs take longer than expected
• After storage or network changes
• Weekly routine review

Verify Integrity:

• Monthly with standard sync strategy
• After major system changes
• After storage migrations
• Before critical operations
• When data corruption is suspected

Storage Optimization

1. Review retention policies - Balance history vs. storage costs
2. Use exclude patterns - Don't sync unnecessary files
3. Prune regularly - Remove unneeded revisions
4. Monitor growth - Track data size trends over time
5. Clean test plans - Remove experimental or test sync plans
6. Consider compression - Enable if not already active

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

Syncs Running Slow

Symptoms: Syncs take much longer than expected

Diagnosis:

• Check logs for large numbers of files
• Review file sizes being transferred
• Check network speed
• Monitor CPU and memory usage

Solutions:

• Reduce sync frequency to allow more time
• Increase transfer concurrency in performance settings
• Use exclude patterns to reduce file count
• Split large sync plans into smaller ones
• Upgrade network or storage if bottleneck

Files Not Syncing Correctly

Symptoms: Some files don't appear at destination or are outdated

Diagnosis:

• Check logs for specific file errors
• Review exclude patterns
• Verify file permissions
• Check modification times

Solutions:

• Remove problematic files from excludes
• Fix file permissions at source
• Run manual sync to catch up
• Use checksum sync strategy for accuracy
• Verify source paths are correct

Revisions Not Being Saved

Symptoms: Old versions aren't in history folder

Diagnosis:

• Verify revision history is enabled
• Check "Revisions to Keep" value
• Review storage space availability
• Check history folder exists

Solutions:

• Enable revision history in plan settings
• Set "Revisions to Keep" to > 0
• Free up storage space
• Verify history folder isn't excluded
• Run manual sync to start saving revisions

Storage Space Exhausted

Symptoms: Syncs fail with out of space errors

Diagnosis:

• Check storage usage in Storages page
• Review revision history size
• Identify large files or file growth

Solutions:

• Prune old revisions immediately
• Reduce "Revisions to Keep" setting
• Add more storage capacity
• Review and update exclude patterns
• Consider disabling revisions temporarily

Sync Conflicts

Symptoms: Files at destination don't match source expectation

Diagnosis:

• Review sync logs for conflict messages
• Check if multiple processes modify destination
• Verify sync strategy (source wins by default)

Solutions:

• Ensure only Pluton modifies destination
• Don't manually edit synced files at destination
• If using bi-directional sync, review conflict resolution
• Run manual sync to force source version
• Check for concurrent sync plans to same destination

Network Interruptions

Symptoms: Syncs fail or hang due to network issues

Diagnosis:

• Check logs for connection errors
• Test storage connectivity manually
• Review network stability

Solutions:

• Enable retry settings (should be default)
• Increase retry delay for poor networks
• Use more resilient storage providers
• Monitor network quality
• Consider offline mode for agents (if applicable)

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Maintenance Checklist

Use this checklist for routine sync plan health checks:

Daily (for critical syncs)

• Recent syncs completed successfully
• No errors in latest logs
• Change patterns are as expected

Weekly

• Review sync history for past week
• Check for any persistent warnings/errors in logs
• Verify storage usage is within acceptable limits
• Spot-check destination to confirm files are current
• Ensure sync times are consistent

Monthly

• Full log review
• Verify revision retention settings
• Prune revisions if needed
• Review and optimize exclude patterns
• Test sample file restore from revisions
• Check sync schedule still appropriate
• Review storage growth trends

Quarterly

• Comprehensive integrity verification (checksum sync)
• Review and optimize performance settings
• Audit source and destination for consistency
• Update retention policies if needed
• Test failover or recovery procedures
• Document any configuration changes

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Quick Reference

Task	When	How	Effect
Prune Revisions	Storage optimization needed	More Options → Clean Up	Removes old file versions
View Logs	Troubleshooting issues	More Options → View Logs	Shows detailed operation history
Download Logs	Need offline analysis	In logs panel → Download	Saves logs as file
Verify Integrity	Monthly or after major changes	Run manual sync	Confirms source/destination match
Check Storage	Weekly monitoring	Visit Storages page	Monitor space usage
Review Sync History	After changes or troubleshooting	Plan details → History	See past sync operations
Update Excludes	Unnecessary files being synced	Edit plan → Source	Optimize what gets synced
Adjust Retention	Balance protection vs space	Edit plan → Schedule	Control revision history size
Tune Performance	Syncs too slow or network issues	Edit plan → Advanced	Optimize transfer settings

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Advanced Maintenance

Migrating to New Storage

If you need to move your synced data to new storage:

1. Create new storage configuration in Pluton
2. Pause the current sync plan
3. Manually copy data from old to new storage (outside Pluton)
4. Create new sync plan pointing to new storage
5. Verify first sync (should show no changes if copy was successful)
6. Delete old plan after verification

Note: Cannot change storage destination of existing plan - must create new plan.

Handling Large Datasets

For very large sync plans (TB+):

• Break into multiple smaller sync plans by folder
• Use higher transfer concurrency settings
• Monitor network bandwidth usage
• Consider running syncs during off-peak hours
• Use local caching if available
• Optimize exclude patterns aggressively

Dealing with Many Small Files

For plans syncing thousands of small files:

• Increase transfer concurrency (8-16 transfers)
• Use "size only" sync strategy for speed
• Consider archiving/compressing before sync
• Review if real-time sync is necessary
• May be better suited for backup plan

Revision History Best Practices

For critical documents:

• Keep 30-50 revisions
• Enable checksums
• Regular prune schedule

For development files:

• Keep 10-20 revisions
• Standard sync strategy
• More frequent pruning

For media files:

• Keep 3-5 revisions or disable
• Revisions consume significant space
• May not need version history

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Regular maintenance ensures your sync plans remain efficient, reliable, and effective at keeping your data synchronized.