Windows Tip: Robocopy just got better
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If you're an IT pro you probably have a few favorite tools that you always rely on. One of my favorites is Robocopy, which has been around at least since the Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit and probably earlier (except my brain is too shot right now to remember -- occupational hazard of being in IT).
Robocopy, which stands for Robust File Copy Utility (bet you didn't know that!), is a command-line tool that copies files and makes it easy to mirror folder trees in multiple locations, either on the same computer or across a network. Robocopy also lets you maintain such folder trees by only copying changes, not the entire tree. Robocopy is fast, easy to use, and works over any connection including slow WAN links. A lot of administrators I know swear by it.
Well, it turns out Robocopy just got better. Microsoft has released a GUI version of this tool that makes it even easier to use, you can download Robocopy GUI here (executable file) from the Microsoft Download Center. Installing this GUI also installs the latest command-line version of Robocopy, which can also be obtained separately as part of the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools. You'll need to install the .NET Framework 2.0.50727 before you install Robocopy GUI and you can get this from here.
So what's the great thing about having a GUI? Well, besides being easier to use for IT pros like me who didn't come from a Unix background, the GUI also adds multithreaded support so you can start one file copy and then launch another while the first one is running. Plus it lets you save your default settings for the tool so you don't have to specify them each time you use it. Finally, the GUI lets you create Robocopy scripts and save them without running them -- great for building up a toolbox of your favorite scripts.
Got a favorite tool or script you'd like to share with other ITworld readers? Email me and I'll try to cover it in a future newsletter.
Resources:
Download Robocopy (executable file)
Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools
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