![]() This saves an immense amount of time and network bandwidth for remote sync. If the data differs, only the block that has changed on the source is transferred to the target. If all of the blocks in the two files are the same, no data is transferred. Rather than copying the entire file from the source, it uses checksums to compare blocks of the source and target files. One of the most important features of rsync is the method it uses to synchronize preexisting files that have changed in the source directory. The target directory is freely accessible by all the usual Linux tools because it is not stored in a tarball or zip file or any other archival file type it is just a regular directory with regular files that can be navigated by regular users using basic Linux tools. rsync creates or updates the target directory to be identical to the source directory. The rsync command can be used to synchronize two directories or directory trees whether they are on the same computer or on different computers but it can do so much more than that. Did you notice what they did to create the name there? rsync is open source software and is provided with almost all major distributions. The primary intention for rsync is to remotely synchronize the files on one computer with those on another. The rsync command was written by Andrew Tridgell and Paul Mackerras and first released in 1996. It is not a look at all of the capabilities of rsync or the many ways in which it can be used. This article is intended only to describe my own use of rsync in a backup scenario. My primary objectives were to create backups from which users could locate and restore files without having to untar a backup tarball, and to reduce the amount of time taken to create the backups. Since last year, I have been experimenting with another backup option, the rsync command which has some very interesting features that I have been able to use to good advantage. In my article for the Open Source Yearbook last year, Best Couple of 2015: tar and ssh, I showed that fancy and expensive backup programs are not really necessary to design and implement a viable backup program. But none of those directly met my needs so I decided to use basic Linux tools to do the job. There are many commercial options available as well. Most Linux distributions are provided with one or more open source programs specially designed to perform backups. There are many options for performing backups. So backups are imperative to ensure the long-term safety of my data. I also have many documents, presentations, and spreadsheets of various types that I have created over the years. I have two decades of personal financial data as well as that for my now closed businesses, including a large number of electronic receipts. Free online course: RHEL Technical OverviewĮven if you are an individual and not running a large corporation, backing up your data is very important.
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