[CentOS] evaluating backup systems: rsync

Thu Jan 24 06:53:56 UTC 2013
Stuart Barkley <stuartb at 4gh.net>

On Fri, 18 Jan 2013 at 08:07 -0000, SilverTip257 wrote:

> If you change a directory name, rsync has no way of knowing that you
> moved it.  And since the new directory doesn't exist on the rsync
> source that new directory is removed and those items are rsynced
> again.
>
> Bottom-line:  Change things on the source and don't fiddle with them
> on the destination.  Or if you really want to eliminate that data
> being transferred, I suppose you could do the extra work and rename
> the directory at the same time on the source and destination.  Not
> ideal in the least.

I use a home grown rsync based backup process (for 15+ years).

When traveling or otherwise worried about large directory tree
renames, I will sometimes do a 'cp -rpl' instead of a rename.  This
will allow rsync to notice the new hard links and it just create the
new directory structure without transferring the data again.  After
the rsync is complete I can then remove the original directory tree
and rsync again.  The rsync needs to use --hard-links for this to
work.

I only recommend doing this if you understand and are comfortable with
hard links and rsync.

Stuart
-- 
I've never been lost; I was once bewildered for three days, but never lost!
                                        --  Daniel Boone