--devices preserve device files (super-user only)
--specials preserve special files
-D same as --devices --specials
- -t, --times preserve times
- -O, --omit-dir-times omit directories when preserving times
+ -t, --times preserve modification times
+ -O, --omit-dir-times omit directories from --times
--super receiver attempts super-user activities
--fake-super store/recover privileged attrs using xattrs
-S, --sparse handle sparse files efficiently
--link-dest=DIR hardlink to files in DIR when unchanged
-z, --compress compress file data during the transfer
--compress-level=NUM explicitly set compression level
+ --skip-compress=LIST skip compressing files with suffix in LIST
-C, --cvs-exclude auto-ignore files in the same way CVS does
-f, --filter=RULE add a file-filtering RULE
-F same as --filter='dir-merge /.rsync-filter'
incremental scan that uses much less memory than before and begins the
transfer after the scanning of the first few directories have been
completed. This incremental scan only affects our recursion algorithm, and
-does not change a non-recursive transfer (e.g. when using a fully-specified
-bf(--files-from) list). It is also only possible when both ends of the
+does not change a non-recursive transfer.
+It is also only possible when both ends of the
transfer are at least version 3.0.0.
Some options require rsync to know the full file list, so these options
dit(bf(-u, --update)) This forces rsync to skip any files which exist on
the destination and have a modified time that is newer than the source
-file. (If an existing destination file has a modify time equal to the
+file. (If an existing destination file has a modification time equal to the
source file's, it will be updated if the sizes are different.)
-In the current implementation of bf(--update), a difference of file format
-between the sender and receiver is always
-considered to be important enough for an update, no matter what date
-is on the objects. In other words, if the source has a directory or a
-symlink where the destination has a file, the transfer would occur
-regardless of the timestamps. This might change in the future (feel
-free to comment on this on the mailing list if you have an opinion).
+Note that this does not affect the copying of symlinks or other special
+files. Also, a difference of file format between the sender and receiver
+is always considered to be important enough for an update, no matter what
+date is on the objects. In other words, if the source has a directory
+where the destination has a file, the transfer would occur regardless of
+the timestamps.
dit(bf(--inplace)) This causes rsync not to create a new copy of the file
and then move it into place. Instead rsync will overwrite the existing
side. If that is not true, the file will fail the checksum test, and the
resend will do a normal bf(--inplace) update to correct the mismatched data.
Only files on the receiving side that are shorter than the corresponding
-file on the sending side (as well as new files) are sent.
+file on the sending side (as well as new files) are transferred.
Implies bf(--inplace), but does not conflict with bf(--sparse) (though the
bf(--sparse) option will be auto-disabled if a resend of the already-existing
data is required).
dit(bf(-n, --dry-run)) This tells rsync to not do any file transfers,
instead it will just report the actions it would have taken.
-dit(bf(-W, --whole-file)) With this option the incremental rsync algorithm
+dit(bf(-W, --whole-file)) With this option the delta transfer algorithm
is not used and the whole file is sent as-is instead. The transfer may be
faster if this option is used when the bandwidth between the source and
destination machines is higher than the bandwidth to disk (especially when the
bf(--recursive) option was also enabled.
dit(bf(--max-delete=NUM)) This tells rsync not to delete more than NUM
-files or directories.
-Beginning with version 3.0.0, you may specify bf(--max-delete=0) to
-be warned about any extraneous files in the destination, but be very
-careful to never specify a 0 value to an older rsync client, or the
-option will be silently ignored. (A 3.0.0 client will die with an
-error if the remote rsync is not new enough to handle the situation.)
-This is useful when mirroring very large trees to prevent disasters.
+files or directories. If that limit is exceeded, a warning is output
+and rsync exits with an error code of 25 (new for 3.0.0).
+
+Also new for version 3.0.0, you may specify bf(--max-delete=0) to be warned
+about any extraneous files in the destination without removing any of them.
+Older clients interpreted this as "unlimited", so if you don't know what
+version the client is, you can use the less obvious bf(--max-delete=-1) as
+a backward-compatible way to specify that no deletions be allowed (though
+older versions didn't warn when the limit was exceeded).
dit(bf(--max-size=SIZE)) This tells rsync to avoid transferring any
file that is larger than the specified SIZE. The SIZE value can be
because it takes advantage of the implicit information in the matching data
blocks that are not explicitly sent over the connection.
+See the bf(--skip-compress) option for the default list of file suffixes
+that will not be compressed.
+
dit(bf(--compress-level=NUM)) Explicitly set the compression level to use
(see bf(--compress)) instead of letting it default. If NUM is non-zero,
the bf(--compress) option is implied.
+dit(bf(--skip-compress=LIST)) Override the list of file suffixes that will
+not be compressed. The bf(LIST) should be one or more file suffixes
+(without the dot) separated by slashes (/).
+
+You may specify an empty string to indicate that no file should be skipped.
+
+Simple character-class matching is supported: each must consist of a list
+of letters inside the square brackets (e.g. no special classes, such as
+"[:alpha:]", are supported).
+
+The characters asterisk (*) and question-mark (?) have no special meaning.
+
+Here's an example that specifies 6 suffixes to skip (since 1 of the 5 rules
+matches 2 suffixes):
+
+verb( --skip-compress=gz/jpg/mp[34]/7z/bz2)
+
+The default list of suffixes that will not be compressed is this (several
+of these are newly added for 3.0.0):
+
+verb( gz/zip/z/rpm/deb/iso/bz2/t[gb]z/7z/mp[34]/mov/avi/ogg/jpg/jpeg)
+
+This list will be replaced by your bf(--skip-compress) list in all but one
+situation: a copy from a daemon rsync will add your skipped suffixes to
+its list of non-compressing files (and its list may be configured to a
+different default).
+
dit(bf(--numeric-ids)) With this option rsync will transfer numeric group
and user IDs rather than using user and group names and mapping them
at both ends.
by the file transfer.
it() A bf(t) means the modification time is different and is being updated
to the sender's value (requires bf(--times)). An alternate value of bf(T)
- means that the time will be set to the transfer time, which happens
+ means that the modification time will be set to the transfer time, which happens
anytime a symlink is transferred, or when a regular file or device is
transferred without bf(--times).
it() A bf(p) means the permissions are different and are being updated to
Note that if bf(--whole-file) is specified (or implied), any partial-dir
file that is found for a file that is being updated will simply be removed
(since
-rsync is sending files without using the incremental rsync algorithm).
+rsync is sending files without using the delta transfer algorithm).
Rsync will create the em(DIR) if it is missing (just the last dir -- not
the whole path). This makes it easy to use a relative path (such as
per second, and the transfer will finish in 4 seconds if the current rate
is maintained until the end.
-These statistics can be misleading if the incremental transfer algorithm is
+These statistics can be misleading if the delta transfer algorithm is
in use. For example, if the sender's file consists of the basis file
followed by additional data, the reported rate will probably drop
dramatically when the receiver gets to the literal data, and the transfer
Matt McCutchen's Web Site / rsync / rsync.git / blobdiff