git-annex/doc/git-annex-sync.mdwn

# NAME

git-annex sync - synchronize local repository with remotes

# SYNOPSIS

git annex sync `[remote ...]`

# DESCRIPTION

Use this command when you want to synchronize the local repository with
one or more of its remotes. You can specify the remotes (or remote
groups) to sync with by name; the default if none are specified is to
sync with all remotes.

The sync process involves first committing any local changes to files
that have previously been added to the repository,
then fetching and merging the `synced/master` and the `git-annex` branch
from the remote repositories, and finally pushing the changes back to
those branches on the remote repositories. You can use standard git
commands to do each of those steps by hand, or if you don't want to
worry about the details, you can use sync.

The content of annexed objects is not synced by default, but the --content
option (see below) can make that also be synchronized.

Merge conflicts are automatically handled by sync. When two conflicting
versions of a file have been committed, both will be added to the tree,
under different filenames. For example, file "foo" would be replaced
with "foo.somekey" and "foo.otherkey".

Note that syncing with a remote will not update the remote's working
tree with changes made to the local repository. However, those changes
are pushed to the remote, so they can be merged into its working tree
by running "git annex sync" on the remote.

# OPTIONS

* `--message=msg`

  Use this option to specify a commit message.

* `--fast`

  Only sync with the remotes with the lowest annex-cost value configured.

* `--content`

  Normally, syncing does not transfer the contents of annexed files.
  This option causes the content of files in the work tree
  to also be uploaded and downloaded as necessary.  

  By default, this tries to get each annexed file in the work tree
  that the local repository  does not yet have, and then copies each
  file in the work tree to every remote that it is syncing with.
  This behavior can be overridden by configuring the preferred content
  of a repository. See [[git-annex-preferred-content]](1).

* `--all`

  This option, when combined with `--content`, makes all available versions
  of all files be synced, when preferred content settings allow.

  Note that preferred content settings that use `include=` or `exclude=`
  will only match the version of files currently in the work tree, but not
  past versions of files.

* `--jobs=N` `-JN`

  Enables parallel syncing with up to the specified number of jobs
  running at once. For example: `-J10`

  When there are multiple git remotes, pushes will be made to them in
  parallel. Pulls are not done in parallel because that tends to be
  less efficient. When --content is synced, the files are processed
  in parallel as well.

# SEE ALSO

[[git-annex]](1)

[[git-annex-preferred-content]](1)

# AUTHOR

Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>

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