Rsync download traffic

[Max Kipness]

> > I started monitoring lan traffic with RRDTool on a linux
> > box the other day that runs rsync, and I've found what I would 
> > consider a strange traffic pattern. This linux box rsync 
> about 2Gb of 
> > data to a local samba share that is connected to a Windows 2003 
> > server. Based on the literal data stat, roughly 20% is 
> changed nightly 
> > and uploaded. However, the strange thing is that the traffic 
> > monitoring shows that there is 3mb/s saturation both ways, 
> upload and
> > download (somehow the server only had a 10mb ethernet
> > adapter).
> >  
> > This behavior could not possibly be correct, could it? Or
> > is this normal. If needed I can post some stats and
> > command line options.
> 
> Why couldn't it?  Fast disks and CPU will easily overrun a
> 10Mb connection for network file service.  Don't forget
> 3Mb/s is only 300KB/s compared to 5-30MB/s for disks.

Sorry, I meant to emphasize the point that saturation occurred both
ways, inbound and outbound. I can understand the saturation on the
upload as it is transfering changed files up to the destination, but
what is it downloading that is so large?


> Your description leaves a couple of important things out: 
> version of rsync and how rsync views the transfer with regard 
> to networking.

Rsync version 2.5.6. Both servers are on the same local segment.

> Make sure that rsync is doing a --whole-file transfer. 
> Otherwise it will really thrash the destination.

I am not doing --whole-file transfer, but will try that for the session
tonight.

Thanks,
Max