Can Robocopy ensure file integrity?

Question

I am trying to copy a large file, around 10G size, over Internet using Robocopy, but I am a bit concerned about the file integrity.　So can I just trust Robocopy to ensure file integrity or I need to calculate and verify the MD5 myself? thanks,

Solution

One large monolithic file will likely cause problems if it fails partway through or if /Z is used it might take too long to transfer.

I would suggest using an archive utility to both split it into multiple files and provide an extra layer of integrity checking of the assembled file. On newer versions of Windows it also lets you use the /MT which transfers multiple files at once which can speed things up on slow links if you also using /Z. So split, robocopy the parts over and then reassemble.

Comments

[Darius]

If file integrity is very important, then why not do both? Create md5 hash before uploading, robocopy them over (or xcopy), and then check the md5 hash after it arrives.

[Brian]

robocopy can restart in the middle of the file if /z was used which is much better if something interrupted the transfer compared to xcopy.

[Shayan]

/z is restartable mode. robocopy does not verify hashsums.