sync files (very huge directory of files)

[ClarkePeters]

ubuntu hardy heron

I have amassed a great quantity of files, nearly 50,000 files (49,585 @ 9.6 gb). I have to carry these files with me to my office, as we can't trust the internet connection we have, so I can't keep my files on a web server. So I have a usb hard drive that I keep a copy of my Documents folder on.

My issue though, is that after I update my computer with new or edited files, I need to update the usb drive. My question then, concerns both stratagy and available software for keeping track. Of course, I could just keep up with what files I've edited, downloaded, or created, but I have a lot of interruptions in my job, and although my job is about 40% related to keeping up with all this content (editor, corpus manager, writer, curricula designer), about 60% of my job takes me away from my computer, so I just often can't keep up with my changes have been taking place.

I tried unison, but when I finished, I had to indivually approve all 50,000 files for the first sync--I quit after about 5,000. I was going to use GIT, the distrbutied version control history, but it has the same problem that when I initiallize, I have to wait forever and it bogs down my system so I can't work on other stuff, well, not efficiently.

I'm thinking maybe I can't really efficiently sync that many files, so I'm also thinking of a new strategy, which is this, now that I have identical copies of my Documents folders. Maybe I'll just create a new folder, like, Working directory, or something, and GIT it, and only track newer changes. The only problem with this is that means I'll be pulling my files in and out of their own folders and into the working directory folder and then back to the appropriate categorized folders that they came from or need to be added too, and I'll have to do this twice, once on my system hard drive, and once on my usb hard drive.

Any one with experience who can give me a better approach or strategy (software suggestions), I'd appreciate it.