using rsync to backup windows workstations

[David Starks-Browning]

On Wednesday 14 Nov 01, Robert Scholten writes:
> For some help in getting started, see:
>  http://optics.ph.unimelb.edu.au/help/rsync/rsync_user.html
> 
> Unfortunately an irritating person at Redhat/cygwin insisted I remove
> my windoze binaries because I wasn't able to provide full source for
> cygwin and rsync.

It's not always a pleasant job to enforce the GPL.  But it's there for a reason.

> So here are some comments I send people that query me:
> 
> a) rsync binaries for win32/cygwin are now available from the binaries
>    section of the rsync web pages, maintained by someone at redhat I think
> b) the version attached is so old that you really shouldn't attempt to use  it.
>    Get the latest CVS version and add Wayne Davison's patches (see
>    mailing list archives), in particular for use with Windoze systems,
>    then compile it yourself with cygwin
> c) it's easy to compile under cygwin, and cygwin is easy to install, so I
>    strongly recommend doing that
> d) also install openssh which compiles cleanly under cygwin and is much
>    more reliable than the ssh that is attached here

Both Robert and even Lapo fail to mention that a standard Cygwin
installation already *includes* a working version of rsync!  Just
install Cygwin from <http://cygwin.com/> and you're done.  (It also
already includes OpenSSH!)

In fact Lapo is too modest, he's doing a fine enough job.  The rsync
shipped with Cygwin *does work*.  I would go a bit further and
publicly thank Lapo for his efforts.  Cygwin users are very well
served to have rsync distributed by default.

Currently, Cygwin's "setup" program is deficient in that you have no
guidance of which packages to install to get a working "rsync-only"
installation, if all you want is rsync.  At the moment, it's "get
everything, or you're on your own."  That will change in the very near
future.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
David
(Cygwin FAQ maintainer)