Method and system for access to automatically synchronized remote files

A method of synchronizing files between a client computer and a server computer, wherein said client is located remote from said server further wherein said client and said server have at least one file an instance of which is found on both, and further wherein said client and said server are communicative via a network, the method comprising:

• establishing communication between said client and said server;
• for said at least one file found on both said client and said server, comparing at least one bit of said file as found on said client with at least one bit of said file as found on said server;
• and if said at least one bit of the instance of said file as found on said client is not the same as said at least one bit of the instance of said file as found on said server, then determining which instance of said file has specified characteristics;
• and
• transferring only altered binary differences between instances of said file from the computer having the instance of said file with said specified characteristics to the computer not having that instance of said file.

A system for the maintenance of consistent data files across a multiplicity of computer systems over a network, the system comprising:

• server means;
• a client device;
• means for automatically identifying changes between the bit contents of instances of data files found on both said server and said client device;
• means for securely and bi-directionally transferring only altered bits in a compressed form across said network;
• and
• means for automatically disengaging said network connection upon completing said transfer.