rsync hangs or exists without copying anything

[Dave Dykstra]

On Fri, Nov 16, 2001 at 04:15:29PM -0000, Daniel J. Conlon wrote:
> I am trying to mirror a file system using rsync. The command I am using
> is of the form:
> 
> rsync -a /fs/home/6/ /usr/fs/home/6
> 
> /fs/home/6/ is an NFS file system, /usr/fs/home/6 is a local disk.
> 
> With versions 2.4.6 and 2.4.7pre1, rsync hangs at random places during
> the building file list phase. I tried with and without -v option(s) and
> tried breaking the file system down into smaller chunks with no
> improvement. 
> 
> I have read of many similar problems with later versions of rsync so I
> tried with version 2.3.2. This time rsync did not produce any errors,
> but did not copy anything. /usr/fs/home/6 is at this point empty so it
> should have copied the entire file system. By using the v options(s) and
> by breaking the file system down into smaller and smaller sections I
> found that rsync was existing at the same point during the building file
> list phase, specifically, when it hit's this directory:
> 
> make_file(4,a/d/adrenalinuk/public_html/cgi-bin/misc/ib3/Database/Databa
> se/Database/active_sessions/Database/Database/address_books/Database/Dat
> abase/Database/authorisation/Database/Database/board_statistics/Database
> /Database/categories/Database/Database/config/Database/config/Database/c
> onfig/Database/config/Database/config/Database/config/Database/config/Da
> tabase/config/Database/config/Database/config/Database/config/Database/c
> onfig/Database/config/Database/config/Database/config/Database/config/Da
> tabase/config/Database/config/Database/config/Database/config/Database/c
> onfig/Database/config/Database/config/Database/config/Database/config/Da
> tabase/config/Database/config/Database/Database/email_templates/Database
> /Database/forum_info/Database/Database/forum_moderators/Database/Databas
> e/forum_polls/Database/Database/forum_posts/Database/Database/forum_rule
> s/Database/Database/forum_subscriptions/Database/Database/forum_topics/D
> atabase/Database/help/Database/Database/Database/mem_groups/Database/mem
> _groups) 
> 
> Is there some kind limit on the depth of file system rsync can cope
> with? Or the length of the filename? If so, how can I increase it or
> simply have rsync ignore paths or depths greater than the maximum,
> rather than just exiting?
> 
> If there is no limit, how can I overcome this problem?
> 
> Many thanks for your help in advance.

Yes, MAXPATHLEN defaults to 1024 in rsync.h.  You didn't mention your 
operating system, but on Solaris, it is also set the same in param.h so I
would think you would have problems with other tools as well.  I don't know
if forcing MAXPATHLEN to a larger value will help or not.

- Dave Dykstra