Jungle Disk Blog

We have learned that the New York Times is writing an article on how small businesses should manage their intellectual property, including recommendations for small businesses on how to avoid mistakes.  Since intellectual property is irreplaceable data, then backing up/storing that data in the cloud is a smart business decision for all small businesses.  We plan on communicating that perspective to the NYT and would like to include a Jungle Disk customer reference.  We think it would be interesting to other small businesses to learn from a real world example where you had a hardware or other failure, but since you had proactively backed up your IP,  your business still had your data available via Jungle Disk.

Please send a direct reply to marcom@jungledisk.com with a contact name, phone number, email, business name and short description of the specific situation or experience where back up protected your IP.   Story deadlines are typically tight so we would really appreciate hearing from you by the end of the day on Tuesday, May 5th.

Thank you,

Erika Brookes
VP of Marketing and Sales

We’re starting to dig in on the next major release of Jungle Disk, but before we got too far we wanted to release an update with the latest improvements and fixes. Jungle Disk 2.61 is a minor update that includes a number of fixes for issues users have encountered in 2.60c. We’d like to thank the users who helped bring these issues to our attention.

You can download the new version using the links below. We will enable the automatic update feature on Wednesday if you’d prefer to update that way instead.

• Desktop Edition downloads
• Workgroup Edition downloads
• Reseller Edition downloads

A list of the improvements and fixes in this release is below.

• Package attribute backed up and restored on Mac using automatic backup
• Improved change detection with multiple computers on the same network drive
• Improved startup times in Windows
• Changed default setting for file versioning to ‘all files’ vs. ‘backup files only’
• Reduced the number of Growl notifications in Mac
• Fixed upgrade issues in Windows related to Jungle Disk service
• Fixed issues with connecting to Windows UNC shares
• Fixed backup configuration dialog in Linux not searching for files beyond first folder
• Fixed issue with Linux startup via init.d
• Fixed case sensitivity issues when using the Network Drive option
• Fixed connection issue when switching between users in Windows
• Fixed issue where leading “*” in exclusions would omit root files
• Fixed Windows search issue in Vista

We like to give our customers regular updates on what we’re working on for future releases of Jungle Disk, as well as give customers the opportunity to tell us what they think is most important. Jungle Disk’s success has been largely due to your valuable input and comments. While we’re not ready to lay out a detailed roadmap today, we do want to talk about a couple major features we are considering:

1. Public/Private file sharing: While Jungle Disk is primarily used for personal file storage, we know there are many situations where you’d like to share a file or folder with another person or group of people. Imagine being able to generate a link to any file or folder on your online disk and send it to another users to give them temporary or permanent access to that data.
2. Multi-computer sync: Right now we offer two primary ways to use your cloud storage – via automatic backup or a network drive. Sync is really a third-way to use that storage – the ability to have a file or folder on your local disk that is synchronized between multiple computers automatically and instantly. While there are several popular cloud-based sync services already, we’ve heard from a number of users who would like a one-stop solution for backup and sync, as well as the simple pay-as-you-go pricing that comes with Jungle Disk.
3. Offline support for the network drive: Currently our network drive feature requires you to be online to access your data, even though we keep some data in the local cache. Offline support would allow you to keep working when you disconnect, as well as specify which folders should always be kept in the local cache so they can be accessed when you are offline. We know this is important for mobile users, although it does overlap in some ways with the Sync feature.

So what feature are you most interested in? We’ve got a quick poll below for you to tell us, but feel free to leave a comment as well!

We’ve launched new web-based usage reporting for Cloud Files and Managed Amazon S3 accounts. These reports will let you see your current storage usage (updated daily) as well as upload and download bandwidth and request counts for Amazon S3 online disks. We’ve also consolidated the previous Jungle Disk Plus and Workgroup usage reports into a single reporting interface.

A few things to keep in mind with the reports:

• Get and Put requests are not tracked for Cloud Files disks and will show up as zero
• For Desktop users with personal Amazon S3 accounts, neither the bandwidth nor disk usage reporting will be accurate since your requests go directly to Amazon S3. You can always see your Personal S3 account usage on the Amazon site.
• Jungle Disk Plus upload and download bandwidth is included in the daily usage bandwidth totals, but is also broken out separately on the Jungle Disk Plus bandwidth report.
• Total files and bytes are updated once daily, so the current day’s totals may match what you currently have stored. To get an up to the second count, you can run a Consistency Check from the Help menu in Jungle Disk Monitor.

I also wanted to give a brief update on the status of Cloud Files support. After the 2.60c release, access was restored to all existing Cloud Files users, and existing Cloud Files users can now create new Cloud Files online disks as well. We have temporarily disabled new users from creating Cloud Files online disks while we work with the Cloud Files team to make sure that similar issues in the future don’t cause widespread downtime. We’re in the process of implementing those changes now and once complete will re-open Cloud Files support to new users. We expect this work to be completed within the next few days.

We’ve been working continuously throughout the weekend with the Cloud Files team to help ease the capacity constraints we previously discussed and restore full access to  to Jungle Disk users of Cloud Files. Through our investigation we’ve determined that a significant cause of the problem was a bug in Jungle Disk 2.60a that prevented the directory cache system from working properly and resulted in an excessive load on the Cloud Files system even under normal operation. We have corrected the error and Jungle Disk 2.60c is now available for download.

• Desktop Edition downloads
• Workgroup Edition downloads
• Reseller Edition downloads

All Jungle Disk users of Cloud Files now need to upgrade to 2.60c to restore access. Once you have upgraded, you should have complete access again to all your files. We also recommend that Amazon S3 users upgrade as well – the bug also affected Amazon S3 online disks and results in extra LIST queries and slower backups. In addition, the Cloud Files team found it necessary to release a number of infrastructure updates over the next few days to further optimize usage between Jungle Disk and Cloud Files.  We will keep any disruption from maintenance to a minimum.

The full list of changes in 2.60c is below. A number of other fixes are included and as a bonus we’re including a new feature that was originally planned for later – Growl support for OSX.

• Added Growl support on Mac
• Fixed directory cache bug that caused extra LIST requests
• Fixed bandwidth limiting not working on Jungle Disk Plus uploads
• Fixed loop in rm -rf on Linux
• Fixed crash due to path lenth > 1024
• Added fix for blank filenames to consistency check
• Backup report now submitted correctly when time limit reached
• Fixed import of legacy (pre-2.0) configuration files
• Fixed crash when removing Amazon S3 account

We have posted additional details on the root cause of the problem and the steps we have took to correct the issue and prevent similar problems in the future.

We’re pleased to announce the release of Jungle Disk 2.60a, which adds support for our second cloud storage service, Rackspace Cloud Files. Cloud Files is an online storage service similar to Amazon S3 and operated by Rackspace, the parent company of Jungle Disk. Rackspace is the largest hosting provider in the world and has a reputation built on Fanatical Support. We discussed Cloud Files in more detail in our previous blog post, including the pricing for the service – a flat $0.15 per gigabyte with no additional charges for bandwidth or requests. Jungle Disk customers can now choose to store their data with Amazon S3 or Rackspace, or even both.

We’ve also added support for Jungle Disk-Managed Amazon S3 accounts, which we announced plans for last year. New customers can choose to use their personal Amazon S3 account or an Amazon S3 account managed by Jungle Disk. Using a Jungle Disk managed account eliminates the need for a separate signup process and manual copying of S3 account keys. This feature won’t be very useful for our existing users who already have their own S3 accounts, but it will greatly simplify the signup and install process for new users who aren’t familiar with Amazon Web Services.

The full list of changes and fixes in Jungle Disk 2.6 is below.

• Added support for Rackspace Cloud Files service
• “Buckets” now referred to as “Online Disks”
• Added support for managed Amazon S3 accounts, with usage billed by Jungle Disk
• Improved support for using multiple Amazon S3 accounts in Desktop Edition
• Added support for multiple Amazon S3 accounts in Workgroup Edition
• Added new Background Process manager to Mac version
• Added ability to enable and disable web access in the Desktop configuration dialog
• Improved handling for changed passwords
• Fixed installation issues with Jungle Disk service
• Fixed issue connecting to some UNC network shares
• Fixed timestamp issue on Linux network drive
• Fixed RequestTimeTooSkewed errors when local clock is wrong
• Fixed issue that prevented Macs from sleeping in some cases
• Fixed “run missed backup” option behavior when offline at scheduled time
• Fixed problem where a failure to obtain a directory listing would cause duplicate backups
• Fixed high CPU usage with large backup log files

Because of the number of fixes included, we recommend all users upgrade even if you aren’t planning to use Cloud Files or the other new features. Use the links below to download the new version now!

• Desktop Edition downloads
• Workgroup Edition downloads
• Reseller Edition downloads

A mini-FAQ on Cloud Files and Amazon S3 managed accounts is included below:

What happened to Buckets?
Buckets are now known as Online Disks in Jungle Disk. Rackspace Cloud Files uses the term containers instead of buckets, but rather than confuse users with two terms for the same concept, we decided to move to a service-agnostic description. We now refer to both buckets and containers as Online Disks, a term which we feel gives users a clearer picture of what they represent.

How do I start using Cloud Files?
For Desktop Users, after upgrading to Jungle Disk 2.6, create a new Online Disk using the link on the left hand side of the configuration dialog (make sure Advanced Options are enabled). In the Create Online Disk dialog, change the location from Amazon S3 to Rackspace Cloud Files. Complete the dialog and you can then configure automatic backups or the network drive on your new Cloud Files online disk.

For Workgroup Users, you can create new Online Disks using the Web Management interface and select the location as Rackspace Cloud Files.

In the future, we are planning on offering a service to migrate data from Amazon S3 if desired, however for now you will need to re-upload your data to Cloud Files if you decide to make the switch.

How is Cloud Files Usage billed?
Cloud Files usage is billed at $0.15 per gigabyte-month. There are no additional charges for bandwidth or requests. Your Cloud Files usage charges will be included on your monthly Jungle Disk invoice (if you have Jungle Disk Plus or the Workgroup Edition). If you don’t have Jungle Disk Plus or Workgroup Edition, you will receive an e-mail asking you to update your payment information to allow us to bill you for Cloud Files usage. All our billing is currently done through Amazon Payments.

Does Cloud Files support Jungle Disk Plus?
Yes, all the Jungle Disk Plus features including upload resume, block-level updates and web access are supported by Cloud Files. There are no bandwidth charges for Jungle Disk Plus when used with Cloud Files.

What is the Managed Amazon S3 Account?
When creating an Amazon S3 online disk, you will have the option to use a Jungle Disk-managed Amazon S3 account or your personal S3 account. If you select a personal S3 account, you are responsible for signing up for the Amazon S3 service and paying the monthly charges directly to Amazon. If you select a Jungle Disk managed account, Jungle Disk will manage your S3 account and your usage charges will be billed on your monthly Jungle Disk invoice. For existing customers with personal S3 accounts already we recommend you continue to use your own account.

Since Jungle Disk was started our plan has been to support multiple online storage providers and give users a choice of where they want to store their data. However until recently there haven’t been any viable alternatives to Amazon S3. We’re pleased to announce that in the next release of Jungle Disk (2.6), we’ll be adding support for Rackspace Cloud Files as an option alongside Amazon S3. Like Amazon S3, Cloud Files is a distributed, replicated, Internet-scale storage service. Rackspace is the world leader in hosting and operates data centers across the US as well as in Europe and Asia.

We’re also excited to announce the pricing for Cloud Files with Jungle Disk. Cloud Files storage will cost $0.15 per gigabyte per month with no additional charges for requests or bandwidth in either direction. You only pay for the storage you use. We expect that this simplified pricing along with Rackspace’s reputation for quality and service will make Cloud Files a great option for many users.

As you may know, Rackspace is also the parent company of Jungle Disk. We’ve heard concerns from some users that supporting Cloud Files would mean dropping support for Amazon S3. That is not the case! In fact, we’re expanding our support for Amazon S3 in Jungle Disk 2.6 with support for optional integrated billing which we announced last October. Cloud Files will support integrated billing as well of course. Both services will be supported with full feature parity in Jungle Disk. In the future we also plan to allow replication between services for the ultimate level of redundancy.

More information about Jungle Disk 2.6 along with the planned release schedule will be available soon.

After almost 6 months of hard work by our dedicated development team, we’re pleased to announce that Jungle Disk 2.50b is now available for all users. This release includes highly requested features such as service support, native filesystem integration on Windows, and EU support for Jungle Disk Plus. The full list of new features is below.

• Installs and runs as a background service. Will keep running even if Jungle Disk Monitor is closed or logged out.
• Automatic backups are performed even when not logged in to the computer
• Native filesystem support on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 2003 and 2008
• EU support for Jungle Disk Plus
• Native 64-bit versions for Windows and Linux
• New download resume ability for large file downloads and restores
• Wake from sleep for backups now available on Mac in addition to Windows
• Backup in-use files feature works on Vista without UAC constraints
• Easy backup of data for multiple user accounts on the same computer
• “Time-machine” style restore interface, allowing to you restore files from a point-in-time view of your backup
• Automatic updates on Windows (built-in) and Mac (using Sparkle)

Jungle Disk 2.5 is a free upgrade for all users. Use the links below to download the new version now!

• Desktop Edition downloads
• Workgroup Edition downloads
• Reseller Edition downloads

For users who downloaded the 2.50a Release Candidate version last week, you can automatically upgrade to 2.50b by selecting “Check for Updates” on the Help menu of Jungle Disk Monitor. Note that 64-bit Windows users will need to download the upgrade manually using the links above, due to a problem with automatic updates on 64-bit Windows in the 2.50a release.

In an effort to improve the Jungle Disk customer support experience we will be moving to a new ticketing based system, powered by Zendesk.

With the number of users we now support it can be difficult to keep track of individual issues in a forum setting. This new system will allow the Jungle Disk team to better serve our customers and ensure any questions or issues get resolved quickly and efficiently.  We have also begun to integrate our knowledgebase into the portal to provide a single location for both of these support resources.

It is our intention keep the customer forums in place for the foreseeable future to allow our customers to continue to interact with each other as a mechanism for sharing things like tips and best practices.

Going forward the Jungle Disk team will continue to monitor the customer forums, however all customer support requests should now be directed to the new support system at http://support.jungledisk.com.

We’re pleased to announce a release candidate version of Jungle Disk 2.50a is now available for download. We’ve eliminated all known issues from the previous beta releases and have completed all the planned features for the 2.5 release. If no further issues come up this will be the final 2.5 release, so we’re encouraging all users to try it now!

Jungle Disk 2.5 is a major upgrade for Jungle Disk, bringing a number of highly requested features. Highlights of the new version include:

• Installs and runs as a background service. Will keep running even if Jungle Disk Monitor is closed or logged out.
• Automatic backups are performed even when not logged in to the computer
• Native filesystem support on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 2003 and 2008
• EU support for Jungle Disk Plus
• Native 64-bit versions for Windows and Linux
• New download resume ability for large file downloads and restores
• Wake from sleep for backups now available on Mac in addition to Windows
• Backup in-use files feature works on Vista without UAC constraints
• Easy backup of data for multiple user accounts on the same computer
• “Time-machine” style restore interface, allowing to you restore files from a point-in-time view of your backup
• Automatic updates on Windows (built-in) and Mac (using Sparkle)

The upgrade is free for all users. Beat the rush and get Jungle Disk 2.5 now!

• Desktop Edition downloads
• Workgroup Edition downloads
• Reseller Edition downloads