iFolder Help

The iFolder client is an open source, peer-to-peer, collaboration software solution that allows your local files to automatically follow you everywhere---online, offline, all the time---across multiple workstations. You can also share your files with multiple users in a collaborative relationship. You simply select a local folder and convert it to an iFolder to begin the collaboration and synchronization functions for its files.

iFolders are meant to be shared with other users or with additional workstations or laptops you normally use. The iFolder client provides an address book where you manage information about users, or contacts, with whom you share files. Participation in a shared iFolder is by invitation only. For each iFolder you own or administer, you specify who can participate and control the access rights for each member.

When you share an iFolder, your computer becomes the primary host for the iFolder workgroup. Member iFolders connect to your machine to synchronize files. If you participate in multiple iFolders, your computer performs its role in each iFolder workgroup independently, as a host or as a member. As you work with files in an iFolder, the iFolder client intelligently tracks and logs updates to your files. It can automatically and transparently synchronize those changes with files in member iFolders, using your existing network connections.

With iFolder, you can work collaboratively, without having to e-mail files or deal with complicated remote logins or temperamental VPN clients. You no longer need to worry about keeping track of your files, because your work environment now revolves around you, and your data is with you, wherever you are.

This help system describes how to use and manage the iFolder client. It is intended for users and includes the following sections:


Additional Documentation

For iFolder user and developer online documentation, see the iFolder Documentation Project.


Documentation Updates

The most recent version of iFolder online documentation is available at the iFolder Documentation Project.

For emerging issues with the iFolder workgroup client, see the iFolder Readme, available at the iFolder Documentation Project.


The iFolder Documentation Project

For information about how to join and contribute to the iFolder Documentation Project, see the iFolder Doc Project Information.


Documentation Conventions

In this documentation, a greater-than symbol (>) is used to separate actions within a step and items within a cross-reference path.

A trademark symbol (®, TM, etc.) denotes a Novell trademark. An asterisk (*) denotes a third-party trademark.

When a single pathname can be written with a backslash for some platforms, or a forward slash for other platforms, the pathname is presented with a backslash. Users of platforms that require a forward slash, such as UNIX* and Linux* should use forward slashes, as required by the software.