rsync on Windows

[Brazen]

UPDATE:

Using cwRsync and trying to use Robocopy to fix the ACL issue (mentioned below). Having nothing but problems. Rsync is not getting all the files; robocopy fixed most ACLs but some random ones have been left unfixed; etc, etc, etc.

Robocopy on it's own works just fine. It uses more bandwidth, but it is actually much faster because rsync takes forever comparing the files. Robocopy has no funky install or extra services to run (it is just an exe, the latest version is in the Windows 2003 Resource Kit available for download from Microsoft).

in short: DO NOT USE RSYNC ON WINDOWS - USE ROBOCOPY INSTEAD.
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UPDATE:

Found a workaround here.

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UPDATE:

I've set up rsync on two Windows 2000 servers. One is set up running rsync in daemon mode as a service. From the other machine I pull a bunch of files using the -a option which is supposed to preserver permissions, but it doesn't. Anybody know if it is even possible to preserver NTFS permissions when rsyncing between to Windows computers?

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I'm just wondering how popular rsync is and if people are happy with it. I've tried usind Microsoft's DFS to synchronize files and was left nothing but sickened with it (but that's another story).

Just tell me (and vote) what you think of rsync. Is it reliable? Is it efficient? Does it work? Does it destroy your network? Preferably in situations syncing >450GB file share every hour.

 

[n0cmonkey]

OpenBSD: yeah, it's fine. No problems.

 

[gaidin123]

Supposedly DFS on Windows Server 2003 R2 is completely redesigned and is supposed to be ready for prime time finally. The replication mechanism is totally different...

As for rsync, yeah it works great for me on linux and hpux boxes over ssh. Never used it on windows but it should work well as an offsite backup/replication mechanism.

Gaidin

 

[Need4Speed]

works great for me. i use it in a mixed linux/win network for nightly snapshots. the backup server pings each client to see if it is up, if it is it backs it up using rsync over ssh...if its not up, it moves to the next client until the entire network is backed up

 

[reicherb]

I'm using rsync to backup my netware boxes. I have plans to use a *nix server so I can take advantage of hard links.

 

[Brazen]

Grrr, someone voted that they loathed using it on Windows, but did not post as to why. I wonder if they really did have problems or if it was a troll.

I see someone also voted loathe on the Mac, not that I care; I'm not using Macs and I've heard that the Macs did have problems specific to Mac that were not manifested on Windows or Linux.

 

[Brazen]

I've set up rsync on two Windows 2000 servers. One is set up running rsync in daemon mode as a service. From the other machine I pull a bunch of files using the -a option which is supposed to preserver permissions, but it doesn't. Anybody know if it is even possible to preserver NTFS permissions when rsyncing between to Windows computers?

 

[Nothinman]

rsync runs on Windows via cygwin, so it looks as long as Cygwin supports the NTFS ACLs properly rsync will too. But this is from a cursory google search of lists.samba.org, not personal experience.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
rsync runs on Windows via cygwin, so it looks as long as Cygwin supports the NTFS ACLs properly rsync will too. But this is from a cursory google search of lists.samba.org, not personal experience.

IF cygwin supports the NTFS ACLs properly, then yeah I would think rsync would not have a problem. But, either it does have a problem, or I am doing something wrong.

 

[Brazen]

Well, I found the answer to my own question. According to the authors of cwRsync, rsync will NOT copy ACL info between Windows boxes. However they do provide a link to this page, which give info on how to use Robocopy to fix the ACL info after rsync does the data copy.

 

[Brazen]

UPDATE:

Using cwRsync and trying to use Robocopy to fix the ACL issue (mentioned below). Having nothing but problems. Rsync is not getting all the files; robocopy fixed most ACLs but some random ones have been left unfixed; etc, etc, etc.

Robocopy on it's own works just fine. It uses more bandwidth, but it is actually much faster because rsync takes forever comparing the files. Robocopy has no funky install or extra services to run (it is just an exe, the latest version is in the Windows 2003 Resource Kit available for download from Microsoft). I'm sure rsync works great under the *nix flavors, but keep it off of Windows.

in short: DO NOT USE RSYNC ON WINDOWS - USE ROBOCOPY INSTEAD.

 

[Nothinman]

rsync on Windows would work fine if you just used EVERYONE:F in your ACLs like every other Windows user =)

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: gaidin123
Supposedly DFS on Windows Server 2003 R2 is completely redesigned and is supposed to be ready for prime time finally. The replication mechanism is totally different...

Good to know... DFS currently is a big, smoldering turd when it comes to file replication.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
rsync on Windows would work fine if you just used EVERYONE:F in your ACLs like every other Windows user =)

yeah, um, no. :Q

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: EatSpam

Originally posted by: gaidin123
Supposedly DFS on Windows Server 2003 R2 is completely redesigned and is supposed to be ready for prime time finally. The replication mechanism is totally different...

Good to know... DFS currently is a big, smoldering turd when it comes to file replication.

I read a white paper on Microsoft's site about the new version of DFS. The wording looked like it was copied nearly verbatim from CODA's specifications.