rsync-2.6.0

Introduction to rsync

The rsync package contains the rsync utility. This is useful for synchronizing large file archives over a network.

Package information

Download (HTTP): http://rsync.samba.org/ftp/rsync/rsync-2.6.0.tar.gz
Download (FTP): ftp://gd.tuwien.ac.at/utils/admin-tools/rsync/rsync-2.6.0.tar.gz
Download size: 434 KB
Estimated Disk space required: 2.6 MB
Estimated build time: 0.65 SBU

rsync dependencies

Optional

popt-1.7

Installation of rsync

For security reasons, running rsync server as an unprivileged user and group is encouraged.

groupadd rsyncd &&
useradd -c rsyncd -d /home/rsync -g rsyncd -s /bin/false rsyncd

Install rsync by running the following commands:

./configure --prefix=/usr &&
make &&
make install

Command explanations

--prefix=/usr: This installs rsync in /usr instead of /usr/local.

Configuring rsync

Config files

/etc/rsyncd.conf

Configuration Information

This is a simple download-only configuration. See the rsyncd man-page for additional options (i.e. user authentication).

cat > /etc/rsyncd.conf << "EOF"
# This is a basic rsync configuration file
# It exports a single module without user authentication.

motd file = /home/rsync/welcome.msg
use chroot = yes

[localhost]
    path = /home/rsync
    comment = Default rsync module
    read only = yes
    list = yes
    uid = rsyncd
    gid = rsyncd

EOF

rsyncd init.d script

Note that you only want to start the rsync server if you want to provide a rsync archive on your machine. The rsync client doesn't need this script to be used.

Install /etc/rc.d/init.d/rsyncd init script included in the blfs-bootscripts-5.1 package.

make install-rsyncd

Description

rsync

rsync is a replacement for rcp (and scp) that has many more features. It uses the "rsync algorithm" which provides a very fast method for remote files into sync. It does this by sending just the differences in the files across the link, without requiring that both sets of files are present at one of the ends of the link beforehand.