[Tfug] Thumb drive sizes

[Bexley Hall]

Hi,

On 10/24/2012 9:57 PM, unixmito at SDF.ORG wrote:
> How about syncing the files by using rsync, or other similar archiving
> tools.

The point of the SneakerNet is to ensure there is never a live
connection between the "two" machines at the ends of the exchange.
I.e., so exactly and *only* the bytes being "hand carried" between
the machines are allowed to migrate thusly.

> Differential backs ups can keep the clutter down. If it is simply
> sneaker-net, most archiving tools know how to do incremental and
> differential backups. I find it that it is also a matter of discipline,
> also.

It's not a matter of backups.  It's a "safe" protocol for limiting
the contact machines can have with each other.

E.g., if I compose a report/correspondence on Machine A and transfer
that by some "live" connection to Machine B (or, "The Internet"),
then that other machine (or, "The Internet") potentially has access
to Machine A during the transfer.

If, OTOH, I copy the report/correspondence onto some physical
medium (e.g., flash drive) and then carry that medium to the
destination machine, there is nothing the destination machine
can do to the originating machine.  The quality/security of the
destination machine can not compromise the originating machine.

I.e., the *only* data leaving the originating machine is the
data that I physically transfer.  And, nothing can creep *onto*
the originating machine *in* that transfer process.

(When it comes to "work" and "personal" data, I don't rely on
firewalls, antivirus software, The Latest Updates, etc.  Instead,
I just don't let machines talk to each other without *me* acting
as the physical intermediary, censoring each transaction).

--don