Dropbox sync issues

[witch]

Please excuse my ignorance on this issue. The DH, in his wisdom, has decided that the staff should use dropbox to upload and share lesson plans. Apparently they couldn't use a secure area on our VLE- accessible from everywhere - because people have to log in and it takes too long... Not that they asked me or the ICT co-ordinator our opinions..

 

Dropbox is installed on the teacher's laptops but the DH doesn't want it installed on any of the PCs because it would mean that children could potentially access it.

 

So he has told the TAs etc to go to http://www.dropbox.com and sign in and then upload their data. (This was after I pointed out that teachers were GIVING THEIR LAPTOPS LOGGED IN AS THEMSELVES to the TAs to use.)

 

My question is this: will the data synchronise if it is uploaded from a computer that doesn't have dropbox actually installed? (and if so, why install it?)

There seem to be some issues at the moment and I am trying to get a handle on the problem.

[X-13]

wut

 

To get around having to go to a website, login and upload the file(s), your DH is suggesting going to a website, logging in and uploading files...

[TechSupp]

What about DropBox on a USB? or is too much data involved?

[theriver]

Hello. Should do. So if I log into the web interface and drop a file in, it'll appear in my folder via the normal Dropbox sync process.

[theriver]

Also - is this of use? EduGeek.net - Is DropBox ok to use?

[witch]

Hello. Should do. So if I log into the web interface and drop a file in, it'll appear in my folder via the normal Dropbox sync process.

@X-13 Yes, I agree - but the staff don't have to login on their laptops so that saves them so much time...

@theriver Thanks - but does it overwrite a previous version? We are getting multiple copies of files at different stages of editing. @TechSupp - too much data for a stick, unfortunately

[X-13]

@X-13 Yes, I agree - but the staff don't have to login on their laptops so that saves them so much time...

 

Surely, that's a data protection issue?

[witch]

No, I mean that once they have logged on to their laptop, because Dropbox is installed, they just have to click on the icon and they are in. Which is why the DH won't allow it on any of the PCs - which makes sense

[X-13]

No, I mean that once they have logged on to their laptop, because Dropbox is installed, they just have to click on the icon and they are in. Which is why the DH won't allow it on any of the PCs - which makes sense

 

Ah, I thought you were saying they didn't need to login to the laptop.

[witch]

Ah, I thought you were saying they didn't need to login to the laptop.

 

Would I allow that? Would I??

[X-13]

Would I allow that? Would I??

 

Could you defy SMT? Could you??

[witch]

Could you defy SMT? Could you??

I could. I do.

[theriver]

@witch - Dropbox doesn't do file locking, such that if a file is opened on machine A, machine B gets a warning if it tries to open the 'same' file. You have three copies of the file - one in the cloud and one on each machine, so the following can occur:

 

- A opens a.doc (local)

- B opens a.doc (local)

- A makes an edit and saves (syncs A's changes to cloud)

- B makes an edit and saves (sync's B's changes to cloud, effectively reverting A's changes)

- A closes file

- A's Dropbox sees that the file is now not locked by Word and so sync's B's version back to A. A loses changes.

[Dom_]

@witch - Dropbox doesn't do file locking, such that if a file is opened on machine A, machine B gets a warning if it tries to open the 'same' file. You have three copies of the file - one in the cloud and one on each machine, so the following can occur:

 

- A opens a.doc (local)

- B opens a.doc (local)

- A makes an edit and saves (syncs A's changes to cloud)

- B makes an edit and saves (sync's B's changes to cloud, effectively reverting A's changes)

- A closes file

- A's Dropbox sees that the file is now not locked by Word and so sync's B's version back to A. A loses changes.

 

You're wrong here - if the file is amended by someone else while you're amending it, when you save it creates a 'conflicted copy' - with the editors name, date and time on.

 

Do the TA's have to login to your systems? Once installed the dropbox folder is only accessible to the user who created it, so if TA's were to use a laptop/PC with dropbox installed, then a kid logged in they wouldn't be able to access the TA's dropbox even if it was on C:/

[witch]

There's only one dropbox account for the whole school....I am really talking about if the staff left the computers logged on

[Dom_]

Right ok - so is there no other information stored on the staff logins, staff shared areas and the like?

 

You could always create a policy to lock the PC after 5 minutes for TA's, if you're using windows 7 it won't render the machine unusable as they'll just be able to switch user, but also covers your back if they do leave it logged in?

 

There's no reason to just use one account for all - best bet is to have everyone sign up for an account, then invite them to a shared folder which they can contribute to. This would also allow the conflicted files to work as intended, so staff wouldn't lose changes to documents. You'd also have a history of who edited/deleted what if anything goes wrong!

 

You can also have different shared folders for different staff - for example SLT could have a folder that only SLT have access to, you can have a governors folder etc. using one account gives everyone access to everything.