Editing Introduction to a Self Managed Life: a 13 hour & 28 minute presentation by FUTO software (section)

=== Step 5: Connecting server syncthing to android syncthing ===

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<span id="connect-to-your-vpn."></span>
==== 5.0 – Connect to your VPN. ====

Your android phone must be connected to your VPN for you to connect to your server if your phone is not on the same wifi network as the virtual machine running the syncthing server.

<span id="install-syncthing-from-the-f-droid-store."></span>
==== 5.1 Install syncthing from the f-droid store. ====

* Go to the ''[https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.catfriend1.syncthingandroid/ F-Droid Store to install syncthing-fork]''
* Upon starting syncthing, provide it permissions for notifications.
* Permissions for location are not necessary.

<span id="avoid-becoming-a-data-recovery-customer"></span>

==== 5.2 Avoid becoming a data recovery customer ====

'''Delete the Camera Folder''': Not from the device, just from the sync list, within syncthing. Tap on the camera folder &amp; hit the trash bin in the upper right.

There’s a good reason for that. You might think, “Why? I WANT to sync and back up my photos and videos!!” Here’s the thing: sometimes, camera apps switch folders without you knowing. I’ve seen cases where photos were saved in a different folder INSIDE the DCIM folder, and the gallery app only showed one specific folder.

I’m not a predatory technician that ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVZTBhVV5tI&pp=ygUVZHJpdmVzYXZlcnMgIHJvc3NtYW5u bills people $3000 for a bad iPhone screen or charge port]''. But they are out there, and someone was close to paying $500 to a different scam artist data recovery company because their gallery app wasn’t checking a 2nd folder inside of the DCIM folder where another program was saving photos to.

We are not going to back up the camera folder ''within'' the DCIM folder. We are going to back up the '''entire DCIM folder.'''

For those who don’t know, on 99% of Android devices, '''DCIM''' is a folder in the root directory of the ''“visible”'' filesystem within which the subfolders storing your recorded videos &amp; pictures reside.

Next, I am going to do something different. I wanted to show you what happens when you use local discovery/dynamic rather than inserting your actual server IP address into the server field. This meant including screenshots from a LATER step, after I had already added folders that we are going to sync, to show you how syncthing fails with local discovery. '''It’s important to me that you understand how this fails with images for yourself, so you don’t create a setup that makes you a data recovery customer.'''

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'''Here is what will happen if you set this up with dynamic, disconnect, and then reconnect. Note how it shows up as “idle” for syncing and “disconnected” on the android phone; it is transferring NOTHING, even though the desktop syncthing server GUI shows that we are out of sync.'''

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<span id="add-a-device-to-syncthing-android-app"></span>
==== 5.3 Add a device to syncthing android app ====

# On the top, you’ll see '''Folders''' and '''Devices'''.
# Tap '''Devices'''.
# Tap the plus in the upper right corner to add a device.
# Tap the QR code next to '''Device ID''' in the upper right.
# Go back to the '''Ubuntu Server Syncthing Web Interface'''.
#* Open a web browser and navigate to <code>http://192.168.5.5:8384</code> or [http://androidstuff.home.arpa:8384/ http://androidstuff.home.arpa:8384].
# Obtain Device ID and QR Code
#* In the web interface, click on the blue gobbledygook of numbers &amp; letters next to '''“Identification”''' under '''“This Device”''' (gear icon) in the top right.
#* Select '''“Show ID”'''.
#* You’ll see a QR code and the device ID. ''SCAN YOURS. DO NOT SCAN MINE. I SHOWED A PICTURE OF MINE SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.''
# Configure Device Settings on Android
#* '''Device Name:''' Enter a recognizable name (e.g., “Ubuntu Server”).
#* '''Addresses:''' ''DO NOT CHOOSE DYNAMIC. USING DYNAMIC WILL CAUSE IT TO NOT SYNC WHEN YOU DISCONNECT &amp; RECONNECT FROM YOUR NETWORK. IT WILL WORK THE FIRST TIME, AND THEN NEVER SYNC AGAIN, AND YOU WILL BE PAYING DATA RECOVERY DOUCHEBAGS TO RECOVER YOUR PHONE.''

<blockquote>'''How dynamic failed:''' I used “dynamic” as an example of why it doesn’t make sense to use autodiscovery when you KNOW where your server is. I chose dynamic, and it connected &amp; worked. When I disconnected from my network &amp; reconnected, the ''Devices'' tab in the Syncthing Android app showed me to be ''disconnected'' and the ''Folders'' tab showed the folders to be ''idle'' even though the web GUI for Syncthing said that my folder was ''Out of sync'' and ''Remote Devices'' showed my phone as ''Disconnected''.
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li><p>FILL IN '''“Address”''' when adding a device as follows, if you used the setup I was using within this guide to Syncthing.</p>
<pre>tcp://192.168.5.5:22000</pre></li>
<li><p>OR</p>
<pre>tcp://androidstuff.home.arpa:22000</pre></li>
<li><p>The format is <code>tcp://</code>, then your IP address, then <code>:22000</code> for the port.</p></li>
<li><p>No need to check “Introduce new devices”.</p></li>
<li><p>'''Did you include the <code>tcp://</code> at the beginning, and the <code>:22000</code> at the end for the port? You’d better have!'''</p></li>
<li><p>Save and continue.</p></li></ul>

<ol start="8" style="list-style-type: decimal;">
<li><p>'''Approve the Connection on Ubuntu Server'''</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Return to the Ubuntu Server web interface.</p></li>
<li><p>You should see a prompt to add a new device.</p></li>
<li><p>Verify the Device ID matches your Android device.</p></li>
<li><p>Click '''“Add Device”'''.</p></li>
<li><p>Set a name for the Android device (e.g., “Android Phone”).</p></li>
<li><p>Click '''“Save”'''.</p></li></ul>
</li>
<li><p>'''Check the Connection'''</p>
<ul>
<li>On both devices, check that the other device appears as connected. The connection might take a few moments to establish.</li></ul>
</li></ol>

<blockquote>'''Note:''' Make sure that port <code>22000</code> (or your configured Syncthing port) is open in your Ubuntu Server’s firewall for incoming connections from your local network. B'''y default <code>ufw</code> is not running and blocking things when you first boot Ubuntu Server''' but that may change at a later date, same way they snuck in the suggestion of pre-installing a snap version of Docker.
</blockquote>
Now you’ve added your Ubuntu Server Syncthing instance to your phone; no open ports, will sync whenever you are on wifi with your VPN on, and continuously back up your phone. Beautiful. :)

<blockquote>'''REMEMBER – DO NOT SET “ADDRESSES” TO “DYNAMIC” – TAP “DYNAMIC” AND REPLACE IT WITH''' <code>tcp://youripaddress:22000</code> '''REPLACING “youripaddress” WITH THE IP ADDRESS OF THE VIRTUAL MACHINE THAT IS RUNNING SYNCTHING.'''
</blockquote>
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<span id="step-6-configuring-syncthing-for-organized-android-backups"></span>