[CentOS] [OT] Using rsync to backup / restore - when to use (or not use) the -H option switch?

On 02/11/2015 09:02 AM, Francis Gerund wrote:
> When using rsync to backup and restore, when should and when should one
> *not*  include hard links (by using the -H option switch)?

It's probably too site or application specific to give any general advice.

Run this command across the filesystem you're going to back up:
     find /path -type f -links +1

All of the files listed in find's output have multiple links, and will 
benefit from using -H.

The cost associated with -H is that rsync has to keep a table in memory 
of all of the inodes and paths that it processes.  A large filesystem 
can cause rsync to consume a lot of RAM.  If sufficient RAM is 
available, I would always recommend -H.