Wuala Blog

Hi there!

I'm just about finishing my first work day here at Wuala. I will spend the next five months here doing my internship. So you might already have guessed it, I'm still a CS student at ETH.

I'm really looking forward to get an insight into the Wuala world and forget about the study duties :-)

Greetings
Luki

The following posting is written by guest blogger Michael Schmid. Michael is CTO at Amazee and owner of x-foto.ch. Be sure to check out his amazing portfolio or follow him on Twitter.

As a photographer you are producing a lot of pictures, meaning a lot of data. Carrying this data around is a real hassle, after all you do not always have your notebook with you and an USB stick does not solve the problem either.

I'm not working as a full-time photographer, but as with Murphy's law, there are times when I desperately need a picture. Mostly it is a client needing a picture in full resolution, something I could not guarantee if I’m on the road while the pictures are on my notebook at home. Since I don't want to disappoint my clients, I searched for a good and simple solution to solve my problem, and voilà, I found it!

The Good Thing About Wuala Backups
What I really appreciate is that I do not have to carry around my pictures and still have access to them on the go. Further, all my pictures are encrypted with the best security available, an important aspect for not only me but also for other photographers.

How My Setup Works
I'm using Aperture and have shot around 200'000 pictures during the past eight years. All these pictures are saved on a NAS at my home. Every picture tagged with at least one star or more is stored in a separate folder on the NAS. It is this folder that is backed up via the Wuala functionality. So even if the NAS were to crash or my house were to burn down, I would still have my best pictures available in the Wuala Cloud.

So what happens when I need access to a picture when I’m not at home? I can open my Aperture Picture database, look in which folder the file is and download this folder from the Wuala Cloud, point the Aperture database to this folder and edit the pictures on my local notebook. Or if I don't have my notebook with me, I can access all my files through the web by starting Wuala directly in the browser. I can even give the client direct access to the folder with a secure key, in order for him to choose the picture he wants. The good thing is that the client doesn’t need to register or install anything.

The bottom line: Wuala allows me to respond quickly to a client’s request by directly sharing a folder with a secure key in the web and without needing to take along all my pictures. Further, I don't need to worry about hardware failures of my NAS, since all my pictures are stored in Wuala.

Two weeks ago we started our new series by explaining why Wuala does not know your password. Today we will continue with a topic of current interest: Sync.

The Difference Between Backup and Sync Folders
Let's start off with the differences between backup and sync folders. Though you may think that backup and sync folders are similar there are certain aspects which distinguish them.

Backup folders are read only and backups can be scheduled (every minute, hourly, daily, weekly, monthly). This means that you cannot edit files in your backup folder, but you can share the backup folder and you can download the folder if you like.

With sync folders you can sync files online and across multiple computers. Files can be edited directly on your local computer and on your Wuala sync folder, and are updated a short time after a change has taken place. Sync folders can be shared with friends.

Hence, the major difference is that your Wuala backup folder is read only, while your Wuala sync folder allows you to add and edit files directly.

The Details
Since we have released sync last week, we have received many specific questions on how sync works. I would like to pick up those questions and answer them.

How many previous versions are saved?
10 versions. The first version and the last version are always available.

Can I delete old versions?
In order to delete an old version, you would need to delete the whole file.

Are old versions of files saved when using sync?
Yes, old versions of files are saved. However, if you delete a file and then empty the trash on Wuala, the file and all its old versions will be permanently deleted.

How are conflicts handled in sync folders?
A copy of the conflicting files is made.

What happens when I delete a file in my local folder?
When you delete a file in your local folder it will be deleted in your Wuala sync folder and on all other folders which you have linked to your Wuala sync folder. However, with the time travel feature you can restore the file again. Select your sync folder and go to View > Show Time Travel. With the slider at the bottom you can move back and forth in time and select deleted files. If you want to restore a file, select it and go to File > Restore.

The Advanced Option
When setting up a sync folder (read the previous posting on How To Set Up Sync in Three Steps) you can also define where you want to create your sync folder within Wuala. Click on 'Advanced' in the 'Add Sync' dialog. You can now select the location of your sync folder on Wuala and set a folder name. This is convenient if you want to have your Sync folder in a special location on Wuala.

Let me know if you have any further questions or topics we should consider in this series.

With our recent update it is possible to sync your files online and across multiple computers. This is convenient if you want to sync your files from your home computer to your work computer or if you want to have a copy of your music collection on all your computers. Just follow the steps below and you'll be in sync instantly.

Step 1: Add your local folder
Click on the 'Sync' tab and go to 'Add Sync'. A new window will open. Click on 'Select folder' to select your local folder. A new window will show you the path to your local folder. Click 'Ok' to confirm.

Step 2: View your sync folder
The folder will be synced automatically. You can see an overview of your online Wuala sync folder. If you want to disable sync, please click on 'Unlink'.


Step 3: Add another folder to your online Wuala Sync folder
Start Wuala on another computer. A new window will appear asking you if you want to sync the folder. Select the sync folder and click on OK. You may change the path of the sync folder by clicking on '...'. The sync overview shows you which local folders have been linked to your online Wuala sync folder.
Now you can edit files directly in your local folders (even if you're offline) or drop something into your online Wuala sync folder. Wuala will automatically adjust the changes, keeping your files up to date.

It's our two-year anniversary and we're excited to share the news:

Sync
Your wish is our command. With our newest feature, you can now sync your files online and across multiple computers. Simply choose the folders on your notebook and home computer, and link them to your Wuala Sync folder. Edits on your home computer will immediately be synced to your notebook, while anything added to your online Wuala Sync folder will instantly appear on all your associated systems. Make your edits directly on your desktop - just like you are used to - while Wuala will work quietly in the background without you even noticing.

Today we are kicking off our new series 'Top Ten Tech Questions and Their Answers'. Our newest series is aimed at answering those tech questions we hear quite often. Let us know if you have any further tech questions we should answer in this series.

Wuala encrypts and decrypts all your files locally. When creating an account, your Wuala client generates a 'master key' that is used for encryption. This key is generated automatically and is not related to your username and password.

In order to enable you to access your files everywhere, this 'master key' has to be saved on our server and is sent to your client every time you login. In order to not affect your account, the 'master key' is encrypted with a key derived from your username and password and is sent to our server (in an encrypted archive).

When you log in, we will send you the archive that belongs to your username. This archive will be decrypted locally on your computer by entering your username and password. If you do not know the correct password, the decryption will fail.

This concept enables you to access your account from everywhere even though your password never leaves your computer. It also allows you to change your password easily without the need of changing the encryption of your files. When changing your password, the 'master key' (used to encrypt your files) will encrypt with your new password, while the archive on our server will be updated with this new package. After this change, you will need your new password in order to log in to your account again.

Résumé: Always remember your password and do not forget it. Be cautious when changing your password.