timestamp on symlink

[Michael Wang]

rsync does not sync the timestamp on symlink (Solaris 8).

It is probablly due to the limitation of Unix implementation
of symlink, but I would like to know why rsync/Unix does not
do this, and what we can do about it. Is the conclusion that
"rsync syncs everything except the timestamp on symlink"?

Why do I need timestamp on symlink? Supposed something stopped
working because something removed the link, and then remake
the link. If all I have is the rsync copy, then I would have
a wrong conclusion, for example, that "nobody touched the directory
since last night."

Thanks.

[root at emily:/tmp]ls -ls a/copying b/copying        
   8 lrwxrwxrwx   1 root     other          7 Jul 28 12:09 a/copying -> COPYING
   8 lrwxrwxrwx   1 root     other          7 Jul 28 12:07 b/copying -> COPYING

[root at emily:/tmp]rsync -avn /tmp/a/ /tmp/b
building file list ... done
wrote 25424 bytes  read 20 bytes  16962.67 bytes/sec
total size is 15972287  speedup is 627.74

[root at emily:/tmp]rsync -av /tmp/a/ /tmp/b     
building file list ... done
./
wrote 25424 bytes  read 20 bytes  16962.67 bytes/sec
total size is 15972287  speedup is 627.74

[root at emily:/tmp]ls -ls a/copying b/copying
   8 lrwxrwxrwx   1 root     other          7 Jul 28 12:09 a/copying -> COPYING
   8 lrwxrwxrwx   1 root     other          7 Jul 28 12:07 b/copying -> COPYING

-- 
Michael Wang
http://www.unixlabplus.com/