Wuala Blog

Last week we gave you a few tips on how to protect yourself from catching a virus. This week will will explain the local cache and its role.

One of Wuala's main characteristics is that all data is encrypted before it is transmitted. This means that no one can access your files without your approval.

While uploading files, an encrypted version of the complete file must be created first. This encrypted file is saved in the local cache. Once created, the file is split into many fragments and sent to our servers before it is being maintained in the Wuala Cloud.

The Role of the Cache
The main role of the cache is to store encrypted versions of your files during the upload process. In addition, files which have been downloaded will be stored in the local cache and maintained in the Wuala Cloud, if necessary.

The local cache will be filled up until the maximum size is reached (per default 5 GB). Once full, completely uploaded files will be deleted in order to free space for new files. If uploading a large amount of files results in an exceedance of the cache, the encryption process will pause during the insertion. It will proceed as soon as the previous files have been uploaded in order to free space for the subsequent unencrypted files.

In this case, we recommend to change the size of the local cache to speed up the upload. Just go to Tools > Options > Local Cache (Win/Linux) or Preferences > Local Cache (Mac). If you have plenty of local storage, you can also set the cache size to large values like 50 GB. If you do so, large files won't fall out of the cache that fast and you won't need to download them twice.

Last week talked about our new feature sync. This week we want to follow up with something completely different: Malware.

One of the frequent questions we hear sometimes is: Can I get a virus if I download a file from Wuala?

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.