First off, for what's on the Internet, do people think there are good tutorials on how to setup a remote Sparkleshare server?

Personally, when I first making the Sparkleshare server, it seemed like the tutorials were not good enough. I eventually came across a snafu that was not resolved, but I eventually was able to access my router from outside the LAN. I stopped using Sparkleshare, however, because there was eventually a bug in the Sparkleshare system, for which I think the developer eventually got rid of. However, it was during that bug I noticed that Sparkleshare still has issues, which may be why people would still be dependent on Dropbox and the like.

It also had issues with Zotero, which I disliked. When I started talking about Zotero to the Sparkleshare group, it appeared that it was unknown at the time. I assume during that time, Sparkleshare was not properly configured to work with an individual using Zotero.

The Sparkelshare server is called dazzle, and all it really requires is a Linux server running git and SSH.

At this point, you must get the unique ID for each client (that is, the computer you are using the SparkleShare sync folder on). WHen you install Sparkleshare on a computer and run the setup wizard, it gives you an ID.

Take this ID and feed it to dazzle:

Now that the server knows how to identify the client, you can create a storage place for all your stuff:

That's pretty much it.

This was taken from sparkleshare.org, mainly, and my memory. It's pretty accurate and generally "just works". If you're having problems communicating with the server, the first thing I'd check is your firewall, rather than your setup. The setup on both the server and the client really is as easy as it seems.

Hope that helps.

Oh, if you're having issues with Sparkleshare, you could also try ownCloud. It has a desktop client, just like Sparkleshare, which keeps folders in sync. Also it has a little "cloud" interface online, with things like a music player and text documents and stuff. It's not git based but if it's easy syncing of folders that you seek, it'll feel basically the same.

That's not a very good method for getting it to be remote. There is more to it than that. A person has to setup a DNS, the router, ports, and the firewall. A person could just as well use the IP address, but if it's dynamic, then that won't work so well. I doubt most people have a static IP address for their Internet IP address. The process you've mentioned seems like a bastardization of the process of getting the server working.

Also, I reason that Sparkleshare appeals to people who don't want to use Dropbox but have their data secure. I think the novice wouldn't be too familiar with how to setup a remote server, and I think novices would be interested in Sparkleshare.

Sorry, I misunderstood the question. I see that you want a tutorial on how to set up a server, and then to install and run Dazzle/Sparkleshare onto that server. It also sounds like you might want Dynamic DNS?

To the mod that moved my post without mentioning where it went, jerk move. Seriously.

I'm asking if people want me to write a how-to in order to do something like that. Also, the clueless entrance of a poster in this thread makes me think there need to be some more obvious how-tos. Things aren't as bad as they used to be about ten years ago, but sometimes tutorials are lacking. Thankfully the automagic trend came around.

Seeing as no one has said a yes or anything, though, I'm taking the absence of discussion as evidence of lack of desire for a how to.

You should do a tutorial, I think it's a good topic. I misunderstood your post originally, although upon re-reading it I see that you were not asking someone *to do* a tutorial, but whether anyone would like *you to do* a tutorial. I think it's a worth while endeavour. Go for it!