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Cloud Sync

ROCKNIX has built in support for multiple cloud sync options. These can be used to sync save files, games and other files between multiple devices.

Syncthing

Syncthing is a tool that lets you synchronize the contents of folders across multiple devices. It is different from cloud storage in that devices are updated directly with the latest changes from their peer(s) whenever they are online at the same time. Some things you can use it for with ROCKNIX:

  • Keep your game library synchronized between your computer and ROCKNIX device(s),
  • Keep all your handhelds synchronized (including those that run Android),
  • Copy savegames as they are created and seamlessly continue playing on another device,
  • Keep a copy of your configuration files for easier editing.

Setup

Setup on ROCKNIX

  • Make sure you are connected to a WiFi network before continuing.
  • Go to "Network Settings" and set "Enable Syncthing" to "on". Make a note of your device's IP address, as well as the root password in the System Settings menu.
  • On a computer or mobile device in the same network, open a browser and point it to "http://a.b.c.d:8384" where "a.b.c.d" is the IP address of your ROCKNIX device.
  • When prompted for a user name and password, enter "root" as user and the password you noted earlier.
  • You should now be directed to a configuration page running on your ROCKNIX device - we'll come back to this shortly.

Setup on Peer(s)

Install Syncthing on the device or computer that you want to synchronize with your ROCKNIX device. If your other device also runs ROCKNIX, simply repeat the above steps. Otherwise go to https://syncthing.net to download Syncthing for your platform. You may also find it in your Linux distribution's package manager, the Android Play Store, etc. Generally it is not required to install the same version of Syncthing on all devices. You can synchronize a folder across any number of peers.

Connecting Folders

  1. Go to the web interface of your ROCKNIX device (see above). Don't worry about notices about upgrading or the file system being read-only, nothing you can do. (Note: You can also go to the web interface of any of the peers, it'll work the same - but for this documentation it is assumed that you're on a ROCKNIX device.)
  2. Under "Remote Devices", click "Add Remote Device". Enter the Device ID of the peer you want to synchronize with. If the remote is in the same network as your ROCKNIX device the ID will be shown automatically. Otherwise, you'll find it in the remote's web interface by clicking "Actions" at the top and then "Show ID". Give the device a name if you like.
  3. In the "Folders" section, click "Add Folder". In the popup window that opens, set a label and specify the path on the device (e.g. /storage/roms). This is the folder you will be sharing with other peers.
  4. In the same popup window, go to the "Sharing" tab and select the remote device you just set up. Optionally, go to the "Ignore Patterns" tab and configure those. Click "Save" to close the window.
  5. On the remote's interface you should receive a popup that a new device wants to connect. Click "Add Device" and then "Save" to accept. It should now show up under "Remote Devices".
  6. Still on the remote, you should receive a new popup saying that the ROCKNIX device wants to share a folder. Click "Add", then in the popup window, specify the path to an empty local folder to store the synchronized contents. Click "Save".
  7. The folder should now be copied from the ROCKNIX device to the remote.

Adding more Peers

  • To share the folder with more peers, first follow step 2 on your ROCKNIX device to add another remote.
  • Find the folder you want to add another peer to and click "Edit".
  • In the popup window, go to the "Sharing" tab. The new remote should appear as an option. Select it and then click "Save".
  • Follow steps 5 and 6 on the new remote to connect the folder.

Things to Keep in Mind

Syncthing is not a cloud storage

In order for devices to synchronize, they need to be online at the same time. Unless you have one peer that is always on, this is different from an online storage like Dropbox or Nextcloud. However, this behaviour can be emulated (no pun intended) by installing Syncthing on a cloud server or an always-on Raspberry Pi.

Syncthing is not a backup

Folders are synchronized with other peers immediately as they come online at the same time - this includes changes and deletions! Be sure to make regular backups of your folders.

Devices do not need to be on the same network

Syncthing uses relay servers to ensure communication between peers. This means that there does not need to be a direct connection between your devices, no port forwarding, etc - as soon as they are both online they will find each other and synchronize. Although file transfers are end-to-end encrypted when they are sent through relays, be aware of this if you plan on using Syncthing for anything more sensitive than your save files.

Using Syncthing for Saves/States

Using Syncthing for savegames is great because it allows you to seamlessly play a game across multiple handhelds, or even other devices. For example, you can play a game of Super Mario 64 on your RG353 while on the go, then launch the game on a RetroPie or PC running RetroArch and your save game will be transferred automatically to be continued on the big screen. However, this comes with a few caveats.

RetroArch differentiates between saves, i.e. the battery or memory card storage featured in the original game, and states, i.e. the save state feature that is part of the emulator. While saves are often compatible across different versions of RetroArch cores, states tend to break more frequently. This means that if you create states with two incompatible versions of an emulator and they are synchronized, you may lose one of them.

  • For maximum compatibility, make sure to use the same cores on all devices and update them at similar frequencies.
  • RetroArch uses two separate folders for saves and states. This makes it easy to choose whether you want to synchronize only saves, states, or both.
  • In the RetroArch settings under "Saving", you can tell RetroArch to sort saves and states into subfolders based on content directory or core name. It is highly recommended to make use of this to reduce the risk of accidentally overwriting an incompatible save or state.
  • Make regular backups of your save folders.

Synchronizing with Android

  • For Android-based handhelds people seem to be recommending the Syncthing-Fork from F-Droid.
  • Keeping Syncthing running in the background on Anroid may severely impact your battery life and reduce standby time. Check out these tips to help you balance battery life and synchronization times.
  • Using cross-platform versions of emulators is much more likely to introduce incompatibilities so be extra careful when syncing savegames.

Further Documentation

For any questions and advanced configuration, be sure to check out the full documentation at https://docs.syncthing.net/index.html.

Cloud Sync with rclone

This guide provides instructions on configuring and using rclone for syncing game saves, states, screenshots, and system backups to the cloud.

Step 1: Enable Network and SSH Access

Before configuring rclone, ensure your device is connected to the network and SSH access is enabled:

  1. Enable Networking:
  2. Press START on your device to open the Main Menu.
  3. Navigate to Network Settings.
  4. Set Enable Network to ON.
  5. Select your WIFI SSID and enter your WIFI Key.

  6. Exit the menu to apply settings.

  7. Enable SSH:

  8. In Network Settings, set Enable SSH to ON.

  9. Retrieve the root password from the System Settings menu under Security.

  10. Access via SSH:

  11. Use an SSH client (e.g., PowerShell on Windows, Terminal on macOS/Linux) to connect: 
    ssh root@<device_ip_address>
  12. Enter the root password when prompted.

Step 2: Configure rclone

With SSH access established, configure rclone to connect to your cloud storage provider:

  1. Start rclone Configuration: 
    rclone config
  2. Follow the interactive prompts to set up a new remote.
  3. Refer to the rclone provider documentation and headless configuration guide for detailed instructions.

Step 3: Understanding cloud_sync.conf

The cloud_sync.conf file contains essential settings for configuring your backup and restore operations:

  • BACKUPPATH: Local directory containing game saves and screenshots.
  • RESTOREPATH: Local directory where restored data will be placed.
  • SYNCPATH: Remote cloud directory for syncing.
  • BACKUPFOLDER: Local directory for system backup files.
  • SYNCPATH_BACKUP: Remote directory for system backup files.

Additional options:

  • RCLONEOPTS: Options for logging, filters, and verbosity during sync operations.
  • BACKUPMETHOD: "sync" mirrors local files exactly; "copy" updates remote without deleting.
  • BACKUPFILE_BACKUP_OPTION: Include ("yes") or exclude ("no") system backup files.
  • RESTOREMETHOD: "copy" preserves existing local files; "sync" overwrites them.
  • BACKUPFILE_RESTORE_OPTION: Include ("yes") or exclude ("no") system backup files during restore.
  • RSYNCRMDIR: Automatically remove empty remote directories ("yes" to enable).

Step 4: Using Cloud Backup and Restore

ROCKNIX provides built-in tools for cloud backup and restore operations:

  1. Access Tools:
  2. Navigate to the Tools menu in the user interface.
  3. Select Cloud Backup to back up your save games and states (and system backup if enabled).

  4. Select Cloud Restore to restore data from the cloud, per your .conf file settings.

  5. Configuration Files:

  6. These tools are configurable by editing /storage/.config/cloud_sync.conf and /storage/.config/cloud_sync-rules.txt. Be careful when modifying the rules. Changes ma have unintended consequences. If you do make chages, you may want to try a dry run first.

Step 5: Logs and Troubleshooting

Monitor sync logs for troubleshooting and/or more insight into rclone's activity:

tail -f /var/log/cloud_sync.log

If you run into any issues, please share details in the appropriate channel in Discord.

NFS Storage

Create a file in '/storage/' called '.nfs-mount' containing a single line of the format:

NFS_PATH=<Valid NFS URI>

Navigate to 'Tools' and select 'Mount NFS' entry. The NFS path will be mounted to /storage/games-external and an overlay merge with /storage/games-internal as the upper will be created at /storage/roms. Saves/state will be written locally.