Many machines at home: how optimal config should look like

[wkoszek (Adam Koszek)]

I’m trying to figure if the way I configure Syncthing is incorrect. I have several boxes at home, and right now I’ve added syncthing on them, and it’s a simple setup: ~/Sync is shared all across big-server, small-server, macbook, lenovo. Config on each device is: I’ve added them all to one another. So it’s a star topology. It’s a cumbersome, but my “big-server” is up 5% of time and small server is 75% up.

Now I notice that sometimes laptops aren’t in sync. Does Syncthing support this type of config where all those devices should be syncing from one another?

Or is it rather that some device (small-server) will have to be there 100% of time, and I should configure everything in a simpler manner: every laptop will get just 1 small-server device added as a share. Or perhaps I need a small VPS.

[martinleben]

Welcome here @wkoszek !

@wkoszek

~/Sync is shared all across big-server, small-server, macbook, lenovo. Config on each device is: I’ve added them all to one another. So it’s a star topology.

It is usually called mesh topology.

@wkoszek

Now I notice that sometimes laptops aren’t in sync. Does Syncthing support this type of config where all those devices should be syncing from one another?

Yes, this is definitely supported. Actually, the topology you decide on using is entirely up to you. Some like mesh (all devices share with each other), others like hub (one central device) while others use something else.

Please describe the problem you are experiencing in detail. Screenshots from devices where you experience problems would be very helpful.

[wkoszek (Adam Koszek)]

Ok, thanks. And I’m assuming that for the mesh config, right now, we don’t have a better way to just go through the setup for each of the devices separately, right? I had to loop through all the devices and add them all individually to the config.

[chaos]

Introducer Configuration — Syncthing documentation

But with only four Devices, I would configure them all manually. I have three Devices and nine total shared Folders, and I figure I could reproduce the configurations from scratch in around three minutes per Device.

[martinleben]

(I believe that thinking about the “Introducer” feature in this case is a distraction, so I suggest we forget about that for a while.)

I suggest we stick to what I initially wrote:

@martinleben

Please describe the problem you are experiencing in detail. Screenshots from devices where you experience problems would be very helpful.

[wkoszek (Adam Koszek)]

In my mesh config “sometimes” I see some files aren’t synced. I’ll try to grab screenshots.

[martinleben]

Thanks! And description. All details might matter.

[martinleben]

Just thinking… Have you by any chance changed any of the default settings? In particular settings related to relay and discovery? By default those are ON and everything just works (unless some very restrictive firewall is involved).