rsync leaving files compressed

[Matthew Asplund]

I was trying to do some backup work, and realized that rsync is close
to doing exactly what I need.  I have a 10GB directory tree that I
want to back up on DVD-R.  If I make a tgz file out of it, it is
plenty small, but I cannot get to individual files when I need them.

Would it be possible to do an rsync which would leave the files in a
compressed form when it was done?  That way, I could rsync against the
parent directory, and get a mirror of the tree, but with all
compressed files.  Now I know that would mess up the MD5 check sum
thing, but I suppose that could be finessed by checking name and date
first, and then if they match, then compress the parent file and
compare it's MD5 against the MD5 of the compressed file.

Maybe there is a smarter way, and I would love to hear it if you know it.

Matthew Asplund