ACLs

Access Control Lists

Each bucket and its content have individual access rights. These are provided by Access Control Lists, ACLs. The default is to set everything private to the owner, you. If this is what you want, e.g. for backups, then you can ignore ACLs altogether.

Lets consider wanting to host a web site, then you require the bucket and files to be publicly readable, so read on.

Firstly did you set the ACL of the bucket correctly. If you wanted the bucket for your own use the default would select back up mode and the canned policy of None (which defaults to private). If you set the bucket mode to plain and wanted to host a web site then you really should have set the canned policy to public. If not, do not worry ACLs can be altered, but we cover that latter.

It is a good idea to set the default ACLs before you upload a large number of files, this is done via the Options /Options/ under the Canned Policies tab. All uploads will now use this as its default settings.

Ok, you did not read this and you have discovered that all your files for your web site can not be accessed as they are private, what do I do. Changing a lot of ACLs is a multi staged process.

1. Read an ACL for one of your files, edit it which can include extending the ACL, test it out and when this has been successfully achieved "Keep" it, that is use the Keep button to keep the ACL. The word keep is used as against store as the ACL is only remembered while the program is running.
2. The ACL button on the remote control panel is now enabled and you can now select files and folders to which you wish this ACL to be applied and click the ACL button. It must deal with each file individually, so wait.

Synchronization

There are 3 types of Synchronization, choose wisely, as deletions can occur.

Abbreviations:
LERD - Local exists remote does not
RELD - Remote exists local does not
LNR - Local newer than remote
RNL - Remote newer than local

• Local is synchronization master.
  LERD - Copy local to remote
  RELD - Delete remote
  LNR - Copy local to remote
  RNL - Do Nothing
• Remote is synchronization master
  LERD - Delete local
  RELD - Copy remote to local
  LNR - Do Nothing
  RNL - Copy remote to local
• True Synchronization
  LERD - Copy local to remote
  RELD - Copy remote to local
  LNR - Copy local to remote
  RNL - Copy remote to local

For the first 2 choices above there exists 2 options

• Local is synchronization master.
  Inhibit remote deletions
  
• Remote is synchronization master
  Inhibit local deletions
  

Amazon S3 Failures

Any failures with S3 are repeated a number of times as set in the Option dialogue and also applies the time delay specified in the same Option dialogue. After these repeats have occurred a message box presents the error details and asks if you wish to retry or ignore this operation.

Under Options menu there is a Reset menu item. The reset is an admittance that problems have occurred and will most probably reoccur that require its use. This attempts to abort the S3 operations thread and return the GUI to a sensible state.

Advice

Transferring a large file

Set number of repeats low or even zero.
Set the ReadWriteTimeout large 20 min = 20 * 60 *1000 = 1200000

Transferring lots of small / medium files

Set number of repeats high 3/4/5.
Set the ReadWriteTimeout small 1 min = 60000

Modes

Create buckets in the correct mode Plain / Backup.
Not correctable latter.

ACLs

ACLs can be corrected / altered at any time, but it will save time if set before transfer.