Why WordPress Asks for Connection Info

One of the great features of WordPress is that it allows you to automatically install and upgrade plugins.

A common problem is that WordPress is unable to access the filesystem directly, which results in a page indicating that “To perform the requested action, connection information is required.“

 



If you feel that your WordPress installation should not be asking you for this information, or you simply do not want WordPress to use this method of plugin management, you may be able to work around it.

What is Causing This?

Whenever you use the WordPress control panel to automatically install, upgrade, or delete plugins, WordPress must make changes to files on the filesystem.

Before making any changes, WordPress first checks to see whether or not it has access to directly manipulate the file system.

If WordPress does not have the necessary permissions to modify the filesystem directly, you will be asked for FTP credentials so that WordPress can try to do what it needs to via FTP.

Why Can’t WordPress Write To The Filesystem?

In order to understand why WordPress can’t write to the filesystem, we need to take a look at some WordPress internals.

The following code is from the get_filesystem_method() method in the wp-admin/includes/file.php file:

if( function_exists('getmyuid') && function_exists('fileowner') ){
    $temp_file = wp_tempnam();
    if ( getmyuid() == fileowner($temp_file) )
        $method = 'direct';
    unlink($temp_file);
}

This code creates a temporary file and confirms that the file just created is owned by the same user that owns the script currently being run. In the case of installing plugins, the script being run is wp-admin/plugin-install.php.

This may seem a little counter-intuitive, since the only thing WordPress really needs to be able to do is write to the wp-content/plugins directory.

What Can I Do About It?

In order to fix this issue, you will need to make sure that the scripts which need to write to the filesystem are owned by the same user that apache is running as.

Many hosting companies will run your apache instance using your user account, and all of your files will be owned by the same account. In those cases, you will probably not have the issue described here.

If your hosting company is running apache as a system user, and your files are owned by your own account, your only option may be to enter your FTP credentials here and allow WordPress to use FTP.

If you are running on a hosting company that gives you root access, or you have installed WordPress on your own development machine at home or at work, you should be able to modify the filesystem permissions to allow WordPress to directly access the filesystem.

The easiest way to do this is to find out what user apache is running as and change ownership of the entire WordPress directory to that user. For example, if apache is running as ‘httpd’, you could use the following commands on your WordPress installation directory:

# chown -R httpd: wordpress

Note that not all versions of chown are equal. If that command does not work, see your local chown man page for usage information.

Tip: In order to find out what user your instance of apache is running as, create a test script with the following content:

<?php echo(exec("whoami")); ?>

Qubes OS: A Linux Distro For Security And Virtualization

We like to think that there is a Linux distribution for everything. There is a distribution for browsing the web, one for playing video games, one for privacy, and there is one for security – Qubes OS.

Based on the virtualization software Xen, Qubes OS composed of several light-weight virtual machines, each is isolated from the admin system and is dedicated to a special task, such as working, Internet browsing, personal activities, etc. The security comes from this virtualization process: each virtual machine comes with its own web browser, file system, etc., making sure that the different parts of your life are separated from each other, and therefore unreachable in case of breach. It is also very easy to create your own VMs, making the experience perfectly suited for your needs.

Installation

First of all, download the official DVD image on the website. The installation itself is very straight-forward. You might figure that for an advanced distribution, the process would be all in command line. However, it is surprisingly very easy and close to an Ubuntu live CD.



Everything is graphical, and the steps are more or less standard for a Linux installation: date and time, user name and password, type of installation, encryption, and reboot.



On the first launch, you will have to accept the license agreement and create the first set of VM. In general, if you have any doubt, I advise you to follow the default choices, which are perfectly appropriate for most cases.

Usage

Once you finish the installation, you will be surprised (or maybe not) to find a very traditional Fedora system with KDE.



The only thing that differentiates it from a Kubuntu is the little cubes applet at the bottom left: this is where the fun begins.



By clicking on the applet, you open a window that will let you run, stop, create, and update the virtual machines. It will also help you keep track of the memory usage, which is especially useful when you know how CPU-intensive virtual machines are.



So, you can go and launch your first VM. You will notice that each one has a specific color, as well as a set of software, which is by default composed of an Internet browser, an email client, a file manager, and a terminal.



If you create a new VM, you will choose a new color for it, and it will be derived from a Fedora template. The different colors make it easy to differentiate in which environment you are working. For example, the red Firefox is for “untrusted” activities such as random Internet browsing.



Meanwhile, the yellow is for the personal domain.



That way, if your computer is powerful enough, you will be able to simultaneously run multiple virtual machines, and yet keep track of what you are doing. With a little more configuration, it is possible to add new programs to the different environment from the launch menu (an Office Suite would be welcome). And since this is KDE, everything else is also easily configurable. Finally, it is also possible to update the Fedora template previously evoked, from which the virtual machines are derived, and keep them up to date.

Conclusion

Qubes OS is a very interesting distribution. I have to admit that I was seduced by the intention and the result. However, besides all the advantages, we can still question if such a system could one day replace the more common distributions. Right now, I don’t feel ready to switch completely to Qubes OS. As a last notice, if you consider trying Qubes OS in a virtual machine, give it at least 2 GB of RAM for creating the light-weight virtual machines inside of your main one (Inception?). We can guess that security has its price then.

What do you think about the concept/realization of Qubes OS? Are you seduced? Could you make it your main system? Please let us know in the comments.

How To Control Your PC Remotely Using Gmail Account [Windows]

Going on holidays where there is limited Internet access is a tough decision especially for those who are always connected to the Internet. If you are an Internet geek and never turn off your computer, it will be a hard work to go anywhere without your computer. But if it is necessary to go without your computer, you should setup your computer such that you can control it from a remote location if needed.

There are several utilities which can serve as a remote control for your computer. If you are in a hurry and want basic remote control over your computer with minimal configuration, you can do this by using a Gmail account. sRemote is a tiny portable application which is made for the exact purpose of controlling a computer remotely using a Gmail account. It allows some basic commands to be executed on the computer remotely through Gmail.

1. Download sRemote. It will come as a zipped file. You should unzip it in a folder so that it may be able to save settings (which will not be possible while residing inside the zip file itself). When you start sRemote for the first time, it will ask you to define a master password which will be used to access the computer on which sRemote is running.



Please note that you should never give this master password to anyone because anyone who has this password will be able to take control of your computer remotely.

2. The next step involves setting up your Gmail credentials for sRemote. Just click on Gmail settings and enter your Gmail email address, password and a reply to address which must also be a Gmail account.



One thing to note here is that if you have enabled two step authentication in your Gmail account, you will need to configure a new application password for sRemote. The original Gmail account password will not work.

3. After configuring the Gmail account settings, click on the Start monitoring button. This will trigger sRemote to check your Gmail account for new email. The default monitoring interval is 5 seconds. You can configure it according to your needs.



Now comes the exciting part where you will actually issue commands to your computer remotely. For this, you can use any email address and any device. Basically you will have to send an email with specific command syntax to the Gmail account configured before (in sRemote). For example, if I have configured mycomputer@gmail.com in sRemote, you can send an email from anyone@hotmail.com to mycomputer@gmail.com with the following syntax:

password();command();

Where “password();” is the master password we had configured when starting sRemote and “command();” is any command supported by sRemote. These commands have to be in the subject line of the email. Please note that the password needs to be specified before any command in the subject line. If the password is not found by sRemote, it will simply ignore the command email.



The following commands are supported by sRemote:

1. screenshot();


2. shutdown();


3. logoff();


4. restart();


5. abort();


6. run(program,parameters);


7. play(path);


8. msg(text);


9. log(text);


10. exit();


11. beep();


12. forceshut();


13. mail(sender,password,receiver,body,subject);


14. processes();


15. ping(address);


16. getfile(path);


17. delfile(path);


18. deldir(path);


19. uptime();


20. copy(oldpath,newpath);


21. move(oldpath,newpath);


22. help();

Overall sRemote is a handy program which becomes more useful when the person is in a hurry and wants to configure remote control settings in a few minutes. There are two areas that need to be improved in sRemote. One, sRemote does not support Google Apps addresses which also use the Gmail technology. Secondly, there is no confirmation if the command has been executed on the remote computer or not. In my opinion, one should get an email reply that the command has been successfully executed on the remote computer.

What are your thoughts about this nifty program? Will you be using it for your computer when you go remote?

10 Online Invoicing Softwares For Your Billing Needs

Be it a freelancer or an enterprise, every service provider has requirements for billing. And billing is not just restricted to recording and claiming the transaction, but also includes tracking invoices, late payments, estimates and time, as well as generating reports. Considering billing being not much of a leisurely task, here we have compiled a list of 10 online software that can help you manage and ease up your invoicing.

1. Invoicera

Invoicera is a clean online invoicing and billing app with a spartan time tracking ability which enables you to share your project from its different evolution stages to your clients in a diligent manner. It offers an array of added functionality like multi-language and currency support, data safety, multiple payment gateways, expense tracking and also synchronises with Google apps. With all these offerings, it’s not heavy on your wallet either (starts from $0 to $99 max). It’s truly worthy to use Invoicera to experience something more than invoicing.

2. FreshBooks

FreshBooks provides a nifty way to manage your clients with an automated payment reminder. With support for almost all popular currencies, it offers speedy online cash transactions and Google Chrome users also get some great FreshBooks apps/extensions. Though it offers a free account, the paid packages are a mere $19.95/month away.

3. CurdBee

If you consider your hectic business billing process a necessary evil, then CurdBee can be a breather with its intuitive and simple invoicing process. (Personally, I use this for all my billing tasks.) It offers users with some essential invoicing features like estimation, one-click recurring profile handling, time tracking all gathered within a clean interface. Convert your approved estimates within an invoice with a single click and it will slice down expensive hours breakdown by projects. An user can avail all these without spending a single buck by signing up for regular account or pro packages that are available for $5 to $20 per month.

4. Siwapp

Siwapp is an open source web app to create and manage invoicing online in a hassle free manner gratis. It’s easy to edit, search and list invoices on dashboard in a slap-up style. The best part is that it can automate generating invoices on a periodic basis with a unique serial number every time. With a printable PDF invoice feature, it wraps up a professional perspective. A growing community of developers are continuously contributing to uplift the functionality of Siwapp to make it a better tool.

5. Harvest

Are your business clients a bit low on financial standing or late on sending payments? If “yes”, then Harvest can help you with a unique feature of automating recurring pending invoice reminders. If you are a project manager and using Harvest, you are surely going to love the two most newly added features Team Status & Recent Tasks. They help you quit the hassle of asking your team. Pricing is flexible from $12 to $90 per month and a 10% discount is offered if you upgrade to a yearly plan. This might not be the best bang for your bucks, still it’s worth a try.

6. Sage Billing Boss

If the cluttered interface of your online invoicing tool is draining the last bit of your energy, then Sage Billing Boss might just be the comfort you are seeking for a long time. A normal user can create and send his first invoice with a couple of clicks using Sage Billing Boss. It integrates with popular payment gateways with features like recurring invoicing, quotes, online payment tracking and also collaborates with your accountants for better and faster business operations. With an existing 256 bit AES encrypted data transmission process, it can earn you a carefree sleep.

7. PHP Invoice

If you possess one of these professional identities – webmaster, freelancer or developer – and are looking for a versatile online invoicing software, then PHP Invoice is the right door to knock. With an unique integrated online shopping cart from where you can sell your product directly and immediately. It also offers HTACCESS and HTPASSWD for advanced page protection, automated advanced notifications, ticket support for better communication, announcements for your organisation and more. It’s free and easy to download, while professional versions are available with added benefits.

8. Zoho Invoice

Zoho Invoice is a simple yet elegant online invoicing service where users can choose and customise invoicing templates to their liking. If time saving is your foremost priority, then it has the ability to top the list as you can create new estimates and invoices by cloning similar ones; you don’t have to start from scratch every time. Create new invoices by a single click from estimates, brand it with your company logo, track and follow up your expenses. It offers easier currency conversions. You can import customer’s information from standard formats like Outlook Express and Zoho CRM. The tool has plenty more to offer. The pro version is valued at $30 a month, but you can opt for a free account as well.

9. Invoice Bubble

Invoicebubble is a free online invoicing software perfect for small businesses and freelancers. The invoicing application integrates with Paypal and offers most basic features for online invoicing with a professional hint. Sign up for a free account and start invoicing.

10. Greenerbilling

Greenerbilling lets you create and manage invoices and estimates in a fairly simple manner with a nifty user interface. It accepts PayPal payments, automates the scheduling of your invoices, clones invoice from similar ones, creates downloadable PDFs for datasheets, estimates, manages client profiles and also provides a round the clock effective customer support. The branding perspective is also not neglected in this simple yet robust billing tool.

There are notable names like Simple Invoice, Invoice Machine or Paypal’s inbuilt invoicing tool and a dozen more that can possibly handle the task like the ones mentioned here. However, to the best of my knowledge, these (ones included in the list) are the ones I can assure of being worthy of making the billing process an easy task for you.

How To Remove Gmail Ads in FireFox

Most free web services rely on ads to support their sites, and email is not an exception. As much as we love free email service, sometimes ads can be a minor nuisance. If you’re always distracted with advertisements in Gmail, or just want to get rid of the visual noise, this handy Firefox add-on can help with that.

Gmelius is a FireFox extension that enables you to strip the Gmail interface of distractions, including ads. The result is a clean, customized email experience that lets you focus more on your Inbox. Gmelius is free to use and is compatible with FireFox versions 10 to 14.

Downloading and enabling the extension should automatically remove ads from your Gmail account. If you don’t see the changes, you may have to restart FireFox and try again. You can also go to the browser settings and check if the extension is enabled. The Options screen of Gmelius not only shows ad-removing features, but other elements you can hide such as headers and footers.

Below is a comparison of an email before and after installing the add-on:

Before:

After:

As shown above, the ads to the right disappear after enabling Gmelius. Aside from a cleaner look, the page also loads faster than usual. The screen looks less cluttered and gets a more appealing, zen-like user interface.

To ensure that ads are removed, simply go to the Options page of the add-on and see that ”Remove Ads from Gmail” is checked. Other options are also available from this page and you only need to tick the boxes according to your preference. There are lots of options, so you’ll have to take time reading through and making sure you understand what gets changed or removed.



You can also remove the Chat sidebar (located to the left of the screen), footer and the pop-up that says “No new mail message”. Before installing this extension, the Chat window usually takes longer to load after everything else – which was a bit of a hassle if I’m in a hurry. However, disabling these elements should make loading times quicker.

For easier navigation, you can click on the black top bar to scroll up to the top of the page, just like Google +. Simply click on the top bar and watch as your Inbox scrolls to the first item on the list. This may not matter for most who rely on their mouse’s scrolling wheel, but clicking once on a bar sure beats scrolling up several times.



Other options include:

• Make the Google logo clickable to link to main view


• Change icons for email attachments


• Change highlight color


• Remove contacts and their status in the Chat box


• Move labels to the right side

With these added features, Gmelius is not only an ad-remover, but a complete Gmail makeover tool for more advanced users. At the same time, this extension allows for user-friendly controls even less savvy users can execute.

Sometimes less is more, and with Gmelius, this holds very true. For a more detailed overview of its features, visit their official website.

How to Back Up Your Linux Machine to Box

In a previous article, we took a look at Backintime for KDE, a nice client to automate your back-ups to an external hard drive or other local directory. But it’s good practice to keep a version of your back-ups off-site as well. In this article, we’ll use Deja Dup, the back-up application that comes with Ubuntu, to back up a directory to Box.

Backing Up to Box with Deja Dup

Deja Dup is available out-of-the-box from the “System” section of the “System Settings” in Ubuntu Precise.



Clicking on this item will display the “Overview” screen, which shows a couple of default settings, including Ubuntu One as the back-up’s destination, and your entire home directory as what will be backed up. First, let’s change this to just back up your Documents.

• Click on the “Folders” tab


• This will have your “Home” folder on the left-hand side, under “Folders to Back up,” and “Trash” and “Downloads” on the right-hand side as folders to be ignored.


• We can delete “Trash” and “Downloads” by selecting them and clicking the “-” button at the bottom of the window. We can also remove the “Home” folder in the same way.


• Next, click the “+” button on the left-hand side to display a dialog with your home directory folders. Select “Documents” from this window, and click the “Open” button.

Next, we’ll change this so the back up is sent to your Box account:

• Click on the “Storage” tab – this will already set to Ubuntu One


• Click the “Backup Location” pull-down, and select “WebDAV.”


• You’ll see some new fields there… fill these in as follows: the server name “www.box.com,” select the option for “Secure Connection,” enter 443 for the “Port,” the folder name where you want to store your back-up, and your Box username.

By default, automatic back-ups are turned off, but if you return to the “Overview” tab, you can test it out by clicking the “Back Up Now” button. Once you’re done, if you visit your Box account, you’ll see three files in the folder you specified:

• duplicity-full-signatures.[DATE AND TIME].sigtar.gz: This contains some signatures of the files in your backup


• duplicity-full.[DATE AND TIME].manifest: This contains some information about your backup


• *duplicity-full.20121015T230958Z.vol1.difftar.gz: Finally, this contains your files

However, you shouldn’t need to worry about these unless you want to “roll back” a change you made. Restoring the folder(s) you selected completely is as simple as selecting the “Restore” button from the “Overview” screen. You can also use the “Schedule” tab to run your back-up daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.

Backing Up to Box with Other Clients

There are other clients you can use for this as well:

rsync: By combining the directions to automount Box on login located here with the instructions on creating rsync-based backup’s here, we can create a simple shell script to mount the Box share (once you’ve configured it), run the rsync command, then unmount it again:

#!/bin/bash mount /path/as/configured/in/fstab && rsync -avz /folder/you/want/to/backup /path/as/configured/in/fstab && umount /path/as/configured/in/fstab

kbackup: This back-up application will, like all KDE apps, take advantage of kioslaves. First, set up your Box account in Dolphin by clicking the “Network” link on the left-hand side. Then, click “Add a Network Folder,” and select “WebDAV” as the protocol. Fill in a name, your username for Box, “www.box.com” for the Server, and “/dav” for the folder. Then, click the “Use encryption” option, and make sure the “Port” number changes to “443″ (as shown in the first figure below). Then click the “Save & Connect” button. On my machine, this will create a shortcut to the Box share and try to open it right away, although this fails for me. But the shortcut does work – use this to visit your Box account, and create a folder for your new backup.

Next, install kbackup with the following command:

sudo apt-get install kbackup

This application is as easy as it gets… on the left-hand side, pick out the folder(s) you want to back-up, then in the “Target -> Folder” field, use the folder button to bring up the file dialog. You can select “Network -> [name of the Box shortcut you created above] -> [folder you want to put the back-up in]” from this dialog, then hit the “OK” button. Hit the big ol’ “Start Backup” button, and you’re off and running.



With some of the big storage handouts Box has been making, it makes for a good option for cloud-based back-up, with lots of different ways to meet your back-up needs.

How to Know What Type of Data Websites Are Tracking From You

When you browse the Web, you’re constantly being followed. Different companies, such as ad networks and social networks, track users so that they can deliver personalized content based on: browsing history, Internet searches, likes and dislikes, and much more.

As an internet user, you may or may not be comfortable with this. If you’re not comfortable with it, luckily there’s something that you can do about it. Today we’ll show you just how to find out which companies are tracking you, and what type of data they’re tracking.

For this task, we’ll use an internet tool called Ghostery. This tool will show you a list of trackers for each Web page including: ad networks, behavioral data providers, web publishers, and more. Then you’ll be able to learn more about each one.

Here’s how:

1. Go to the download page for Ghostery and download the appropriate browser extensions; Ghostery is available for Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera, Internet Explorer and even iOS devices.

2. After Ghostery is installed, you’ll be taken through a quick wizard. The wizard introduces you to Ghostery and helps you choose the best options.

3. You’ll be asked whether or not to enable an alert bubble. If you want to be alerted automatically (without having to click on the browser icon) each time a company is tracking you on a Webb page, you should enable this.



4. Additionally, Ghostery can automatically block specific trackers and you can specify which ones (if any) to automatically block. You can choose to block: advertising, analytics, beacons, privacy and widgets.



For each category, you can go a step further and choose to block individual items. Personally, I like to keep widgets unblocked because many social sharing buttons on blogs and websites are in the widgets category.

5. Now browse to any Web page of your choice. If you’ve enabled the alert bubble, you’ll see it popup along with the items being tracked (crossed out in the bubble) and those not being tracked.



6. You can also click on the browser icon to view each tracker. To learn more about a specific tracker, click on the item in the list and you’ll be taken to an info page.



That’s it. Now you’ll know which companies are tracking you and why.

How to Set Up Email Delegation in Gmail For Google Apps

As a Google Apps user, did you know that you can delegate access to your Gmail account? That’s right, you can give out limited access to any users within your Google Apps domain; you cannot give access to anyone outside of your domain.

This person will not be able to change any of your account settings or chat on your behalf, they’ll only be able to read, send, and delete email messages in your Inbox. This can really come in handy if you want a spouse, coworker, personal assistant or someone else to help you manage your email and send messages on your behalf.

You can delegate access to up to 10 users and if you have a Google Apps for Business account, you can specify up to 25 users.

Here’s how to do it:

1. In your Inbox click on the gear icon in the top right corner and go to Settings.

2. Click on the Accounts tab and go down to the section titled “Grant access to your account.”



3. Now click on the “Add another account” link at the top of this section.

4. A window will popup asking for the email address of the Google account holder. As long as the email is valid and within your domain, it will be accepted. Click on the “Next Step” button.

5. You should see a confirmation message. Click on “send email to grant access” to verify that you indeed want to give this person access.

6. The delegate will receive a verification email and will need to confirm it. Once confirmed, their email address will show up in the “Grant access to your account” section of the Accounts tab.

All done. When that person sends an email from your account, your name will still be displayed along with the delegate’s name (i.e. Your Name (Sent by Delegate)).

Control Multiple PCs With A Single Set Of Keyboard & Mouse

If you use more than a PC at a time to do separate tasks, then you have already faced problem accommodating more than one pair of keyboard and mouse on your desk. Along with that, you can’t comfortably access all of them from your sitting position. One solution is use Multiplicity if you don’t want to spend a penny.

To start with, you need to install that software on all your computers. The free version lets you use two computers with same keyboard and mouse whereas the paid variant allows maximum 9 systems. Visit their site, enter your email address and download it. You need to choose a primary computer that is connected with a keyboard and mouse and denote another one as the secondary. Secondary computer is which can be controlled from your primary computer. After installing Multiplicity on both computers, you need to connect them together. If a scan for secondary machines doesn’t start automatically, click the ”Add Computer“ button and enter the name of your secondary computer. You will be instructed to give a password to ensure a secured connection to control another PC.



Multiplicity provides 3×3 grid structure where at the center you will find your primary machine. Place another machine in any other grid of your choice. If you move the mouse cursor in that directions from your primary machine you will see the cursor on the screen of another computer. This way you can control up to nine systems. Place other eight on the empty places on the grid while the primary stays at the center, it is as simple as that.



Under the ”Settings“ tab, you can set hot-keys to quickly switch between computers if you don’t want to scroll to the edge of the screen every time. Also, if you want more customization and control, just click on the button named ”Control switching based on mouse movement“ and you will find more useful mouse based controls.



The pricing for paid version is $39.95 for controlling a maximum of 9 PCs. Paid version has some more benefits like drop files and folders, send keyboard input to all PCs at once, locking all PCs with a single command etc. Also you can centralize audio from all your systems to one PC with the paid version.



This product is very easy to use and very useful for anyone who uses multiple computers like gamers, financial professionals, developers etc and the paid version seems a good fit for them. However, if you are just a normal user and happen to own a laptop and a desktop at home, this app can be used in multitude of ways like using your laptop as a remote control to watch movies on the bigger screen(desktop) while you sit back on a couch/bed which otherwise would have needed you a wireless mouse. So comfort at zero price is the most essential USP for the app and I recommend it for anyone who happens to own more than one PC.

How To Easily Transfer Files Between Different Cloud Storage Services

A few months back, Damien wrote an article about scheduling regular database backups to Dropbox. Then Dropbox can sync the database backup to your local computer. This is such a wonderful way of automatically backing up your database especially when the database size is quite large to fit to the email limits. The only limitation with this approach is that it works only with Dropbox. What if you want to sync the files across multiple cloud storage services?

Backup Box is a service which will let you transfer files from one cloud service to another. This process is completely web based and does not require any local computer resources or bandwidth. Backup Box supports several services including Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive, SugarSync, FTP and SFTP. It also supports full MySQL database and Amazon S3 transfers. You can transfer files from any service to any other service directly.

To start using Backup Box, just head on to the Backup Box site and create a new account.



After the sign up process, you will be taken to the step one. Backup Box wizard will guide you through the whole configuration process. The first step is about choosing the source location.



When you click the “Click to Connect” button, you will see a list of all the supported services which we have discussed earlier in the article. Just click on any of the service to configure its options.



For the sake of this tutorial, let’s select Dropbox as source. Every service will have its own configuration options. One thing common in all the services is that you will need to enter a display name of the service. This is for your ease of use.



When you press the “Add this connector” button, you will be taken to the actual connection window where you can connect your Backup Box to Dropbox or any other supported service.



Once this is completed, the source files will be shown on the next browser window.



Step two will allow us to choose the destination. The process is the same as step one. For the sake of this tutorial, I will be adding an FTP account as the destination.



The next screen will give you a better idea of what we are going to do. In this tutorial, we are actually transferring selected files and folders from our Dropbox account to an FTP location. You will need to select the files and folder that need to be transferred and also a destination folder. The two connected accounts can be browsed within the same webpage.

After you have selected the files and folders to be moved, you will have two options, either you can initiate the transfer immediately or schedule the transfer for later.

The scheduling options are quite comprehensive. You can schedule this as a recurring transfer meaning that the transfer process will be initiated after a specified time and this will keep on recurring until the schedule is deactivated.



One disadvantage of Backup Box is that it will actually move the files from one service to another. It would be a good option for the developers to let the user select whether he wants to copy the files or move them.

It has been a wonderful experience using this service until now. And since Backup Box is just a startup, hopefully the developers will put in more horse power and exciting features to make the service an essential part of cloud storage. What do you think?

Which cloud service are you using as your primary one? Do you intend to move to another cloud storage service? What methods do you have in mind to transfer your files from one cloud storage service to another?

Backup Box