This patch handles the creation time on OS X by putting it into an
extended attribute.  This is a modified version of a patch that was
provided by Wesley W. Terpstra.

To use this patch, run these commands for a successful build:

    patch -p1 <patches/osx-create-time.diff
    ./configure                                 (optional if already run)
    make

--- old/lib/sysxattrs.c
+++ new/lib/sysxattrs.c
@@ -52,29 +52,118 @@ ssize_t sys_llistxattr(const char *path,
 
 #elif HAVE_OSX_XATTRS
 
+#include <sys/attr.h>
+
+#define CRTIME_XATTR "com.apple.crtime96"
+#define IS_CRTIME(name) (*(name) == *CRTIME_XATTR && strcmp(name, CRTIME_XATTR) == 0)
+#define CRTIME_XATTR_LEN (8+4)
+
+struct CreationTime {
+	unsigned long length;
+	struct timespec crtime;
+};
+
+static struct timespec *getCreationTime(const char *path)
+{
+	static struct CreationTime attrBuf;
+	struct attrlist attrList;
+
+	memset(&attrList, 0, sizeof attrList);
+	attrList.bitmapcount = ATTR_BIT_MAP_COUNT;
+	attrList.commonattr = ATTR_CMN_CRTIME;
+	if (getattrlist(path, &attrList, &attrBuf, sizeof attrBuf, FSOPT_NOFOLLOW) < 0)
+		return NULL;
+	return &attrBuf.crtime;
+}
+
+static ssize_t get_crtime_xattr(const char *path, char *buf, size_t size)
+{
+	struct timespec *crtime_p;
+
+	if (buf == NULL)
+		return CRTIME_XATTR_LEN;
+	if (size < CRTIME_XATTR_LEN)
+		return -1; /* Doesn't happen with rsync code... */
+
+	if ((crtime_p = getCreationTime(path)) == NULL)
+		return -1;
+
+	SIVAL(buf, 0, crtime_p->tv_sec);
+#if SIZEOF_TIME_T > 4
+	SIVAL(buf, 4, crtime_p->tv_sec >> 32);
+#else
+	SIVAL(buf, 4, 0);
+#endif
+	SIVAL(buf, 8, crtime_p->tv_nsec);
+
+	return CRTIME_XATTR_LEN;
+}
+
+static int set_crtime_xattr(const char *path, const char *buf, size_t size)
+{
+	struct attrlist attrList;
+	struct timespec crtime;
+
+	if (size != CRTIME_XATTR_LEN)
+		return -1;
+
+	crtime.tv_sec = IVAL(buf, 0);
+#if SIZEOF_TIME_T > 4
+	crtime.tv_sec += (time_t)IVAL(buf, 4) << 32;
+#endif
+	crtime.tv_nsec = IVAL(buf, 8);
+
+	memset(&attrList, 0, sizeof attrList);
+	attrList.bitmapcount = ATTR_BIT_MAP_COUNT;
+	attrList.commonattr = ATTR_CMN_CRTIME;
+	return setattrlist(path, &attrList, &crtime, sizeof crtime, FSOPT_NOFOLLOW);
+}
+
 ssize_t sys_lgetxattr(const char *path, const char *name, void *value, size_t size)
 {
+	if (IS_CRTIME(name))
+		return get_crtime_xattr(path, value, size);
 	return getxattr(path, name, value, size, 0, XATTR_NOFOLLOW);
 }
 
 ssize_t sys_fgetxattr(int filedes, const char *name, void *value, size_t size)
 {
+	/* XXX Figure out how to get creation time from an open filedes? */
 	return fgetxattr(filedes, name, value, size, 0, 0);
 }
 
 int sys_lsetxattr(const char *path, const char *name, const void *value, size_t size)
 {
+	if (IS_CRTIME(name))
+		return set_crtime_xattr(path, value, size);
 	return setxattr(path, name, value, size, 0, XATTR_NOFOLLOW);
 }
 
 int sys_lremovexattr(const char *path, const char *name)
 {
+	/* Every file on hfs+ has this; you can't remove it... */
+	if (IS_CRTIME(name))
+		return 0;
 	return removexattr(path, name, XATTR_NOFOLLOW);
 }
 
 ssize_t sys_llistxattr(const char *path, char *list, size_t size)
 {
-	return listxattr(path, list, size, XATTR_NOFOLLOW);
+	ssize_t ret = listxattr(path, list, size, XATTR_NOFOLLOW);
+	if (ret < 0)
+		return ret;
+	if (getCreationTime(path) != NULL) {
+		ret += sizeof CRTIME_XATTR;
+		if (list) {
+			if ((size_t)ret > size) {
+				errno = ERANGE;
+				return -1;
+			}
+			memcpy(list + ret - sizeof CRTIME_XATTR,
+			       CRTIME_XATTR, sizeof CRTIME_XATTR);
+		}
+	}
+	return ret;
 }
 
 #elif HAVE_FREEBSD_XATTRS