Help newbie setup for file transfers (2 Nodes)

Hi y’all, Friendly supporters !

Will you help setting up Syncthing for the following simple scenario, between 2 mutually trusted nodes (Windows 7) on the Internet :

Goal: on demand, securely send a handfull of new files from A to B. Similarly, accept (different) files from B to A. Immutable files, no synchronizing wanted after succesful transfer.

The question is : how to setup the directories/folders that Syncthing will use ? Shall we use TWO folders on each node, one per direction ? Or is the one “default” folder which Synthing would have created (on both sides) sufficient ?

As a modus operandi shall we start the Syncthing manually whenever there is something to send/receive, and then stop it after all transfers done ? Conversely IF the Syncthing.exe be left running, what is the safe procedure, after the person on the receiving side has (re)moved received files to some (non sync’d) folders on their machine, how to “tell” Syncthing (at both ends) to “forget” about the files ?

PLZ excuse the stupid extreme-newbie-ity ! For this use case we had been using “Gbridge” for years, that unfortunately relied on some now defunct piece of the Google infrastructure. TYIA & regards !

Drop a file in A in a directory that is shared with syncthing.

On B move the file out of the directory : the file will be removed on A

@Cosas ; OK, got it. Now the question remains, for symetricity, the operators at A and B each would want to “own” one shared folder, right ?

I guess this question may look lame, but I am not in the position to just try alternatives at this time, yet I have to grasp it enough to plan accurate instructions for the remote, untechnical partner when s/he is ready to march.

There is no ownership in syncthing. So nobody can own anything. You can choose to refuse someone elses changes, but that doesn’t imply ownership.

Hmmm. Let"s see if I can recap and understand : thus each party (A and B) shall share/sync exactly one local directory used for both received/sent files ?

On my side (A) I’ve re-LABELed the share : “SHARE on A”. The folder ID kept as 'default". || I would thus instruct the remote operator to change the LABEL for their view of the “default” share to be, let’s aay, “SHARE on B” ? And would be all set to begin sending and receiving (sharing) files ? Am I getting it right ?

I really do appreciate your kind tutoring and guidance…

Labels are meaningless and are only used only for users to identify what’s what. If the ID is the same and it’s shared with each other it should work.

Most of what you are asking is covered in the getting started guide potentially howto’s on the internet and even youtube videos.

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One last important thing - I certainly don’t want to abuse patiences - how does an operator know when the files she’s been sharing has been received reomtely and then when s/he can SAFELY remove the original/template from their side of the link ? Edit : I’ve read and reread the Guide, yet did not seem to grasp the concepts. Hence my coming to the “friendly forum”…

You have a remote device completion, but that isn’t 100% safe and it isn’t how Syncthing is intended to work, it is a program for continuous synchronization. For “single transfer” like behaviour the intuitive thing would be for A to put something into the shared folder and forget it. B notices this file and moves it to another location outside of the shared path. Then the file will also be deleted on A.

@Simon : OK. Thank you all, I think I am armed well enough now for making the great jump.

I’ll come back, if and as new questions arise after awhile experimenting in real conditions.

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