exclude option in rsyncd.conf

[Dave Dykstra]

On Fri, Feb 22, 2002 at 10:08:37PM -0800, Martin Pool wrote:
> On 22 Feb 2002, Albert Chin <rsync at lists.thewrittenword.com> wrote:
> > I have the following module defined in rsyncd.conf:
> >   [updates]
> >     list = no
> >     hosts allow = foo
> >     path = /ext/updates
> >     exclude = incoming
> > 
> > >From host "foo", if I run:
> >   $ rsync -arHvn --delete bar::foo /ext/updates
> > then the /ext/updates/*/incoming directory will be deleted. However,
> > If I use:
> >   $ rsync -arHvn --delete --exclude=incoming bar::foo /ext/updates
> > then /ext/updates/*/incoming is not deleted. This is what I want.
> >
> > According to the man page for rsyncd.conf:
> >   The  "exclude" option allows you to specify a space
> >   separated list of patterns to add  to  the  exclude
> >   list.  This  is equivalent to the client specifying
> >   these patterns with  the  --exclude  option  except
> >   that  the  exclude list is not passed to the client
> >   and thus  only  apply  on  the  server.
> >
> > Does the last part of the last sentence infer the deletion behavior
> > above?

Yes, and it is deliberate.

> What if you use --delete-excluded?

Since he does does not want the excluded files deleted, he definitely
doesn't want that option.


> This is kind of inconsistent, but I guess it can be explained as the
> server trying to hide from the client the fact that those directories
> exist at all.

Yes.  While I was maintaining rsync, back in Feb/March 1999, somebody
submitted a patch to send the exclude patterns from the server to the
client and I almost accepted it but then I decided it was feature to
totally hide the files from the client.  If you want to share a complicated
exclude list with the client and server, you can put it into a file and use
"exclude from =" on the server and --exclude-from on the client and send it
from one side to the other with rsync.

- Dave