What is Rsync? How is it used and the best way to use it? I have an unraid box, would Rsync be able to benefit me?

 

 

rsync is a software application and network protocol for Unix-like and Windows systems that synchronizes files and directories from one location to another while minimizing data transfer using delta encoding when appropriate. An important feature of rsync not found in most similar programs/protocols is that the mirroring takes place with only one transmission in each direction. rsync can copy or display directory contents and copy files, optionally using compression and recursion.

It's used to sync files from one location to another. It can be used to sync files from a remote server to a local backup copy, to sync files from your desktop to a backup drive, etc.

 

I use rsync for many things and the biggest reason I use it is because it only transfers changed files, if only one file changed that is the only file that is transferred.  Its great for backing up my servers and updating subversion with changed files.

 

If you have a need to sync some source to a copy on your unRAID server, rsync would be useful for that.

 

I've found rsync to be very useful for certain tasks, but sometimes a basic copy command is all you need.

 

 

Greg

 

sometimes a basic copy command is all you need.

 

I use rsync as my basic copy command.

would Rsync be able to benefit me?

 

I should add...

 

For me, I store my source files on my unRAID server.

I use rsync in link-dest mode on a daily basis.

This is my backup tool now.

 

What it does is the following.

 

create a new dated directory for the current date, linking every file in the prior dates directory to the new directory.

rsync over changed files to the new dated directory.

Now I have history of the old files in one dated directory (uncompressed) and a full tree of the current files in the newly dated directory.

 

So over the course of a month, weeks, year, etc, etc. I  have a full tree of the source files, where any file that is not changed, is linked to another file (thereby saving space) and I have a historical tree of all files that have changed.

 

It's not all that elegant and automated like other backup tools., but if I need a specific dated copy, I can navigate to that directory and copy that file out of the tree easily.

 

I do this rsync-linked-backup from my source repository to another drive on the array to protect my files. Works well for me.

 

In another use.

 

I have a 750GB DJ drive of music.

I rsync that drive to my XBMC 750GB drive and a 750GB drive on my unRAID server, along with a 750GB drive on my numark hdmix and finally to my DJ laptop's internal 750GB drive.  Rsync keeps it all up to date and in sync.

(paranoid.. yes.. but then again, people pay me money to play music).

 

I've used it to keep full corporate FTP servers in sync all over the country.

 

Another use with it.

On our ftp server we have a syslog that grows constantly all day long with thousands of lines per minute.

I rsync this file to a development server every 10 minutes for review/monitoring, It only updates the newest lines thus saving allot of traffic.

I enabled the rcync server daemon on my backup server. I then rsync updates from my primary server to the backup.

I enabled the rcync server daemon on my backup server. I then rsync updates from my primary server to the backup.

 

I do what he said.

 

 

Thanks very much! I'll use it to backup my main files to start and then play with it more from there.