rsync returns 23 (RERR_PARTIAL) when a file has been deleted after the list has been created.

[Evan Skinner1]

All,

I am using rsync to backup a list of files that are in use by an
application. Files can be deleted, created, or modified by the application
whilst rsync is running. I am getting the following output line, in amongst
lots of succesful transfers, when running rsync, :

send_files failed to open //ca/spool/smdiq/005.973416/9734161182.1: No such
file or directory

This then results in an RC of 23 (RERR_PARTIAL),

I believe this is happening because between the time rsync compiles the
file list and the time rsync attempts to transfer the file the application
has deleted it.

My problem here is that rsync is run as part of a script that performs the
backup and the script must be able to detect whether the rsync was
succesful. The script currently treats a non-zero RC as a failure
conidtion. I think that this particular transfer failure should not be
flagged as RC 23,  as other RC 23 conditions are actual failures as opposed
to the file list becoming outdated during the copy process.

Any thoughts?? Am I barking up the wrong tree?

PS: I am running rsync-2.5.6

Ev.