Is rsync right for us?

[Amadeus R.]

> Yes,
> We would want to overwrite the older file
> on the IBM server, to match the updated version
> on the G4.

This is possible, but I haven't tried that.

> I guess I mis-understood the -a option....
> :)

Sort of=)

> Does rsync need to be installed on both servers to work?

I don't know what is the best way, when you want to send data both ways.

Try reading:

http://rsync.samba.org/ftp/rsync/preview/rsync.html
http://rsync.samba.org/ftp/rsync/preview/rsyncd.conf.html

and look under CONNECTING TO AN RSYNC SERVER.

There are also good examples at
http://samba.anu.edu.au/rsync/examples.html


You mentioned you wanted to back up every 30minutes. Be sure that all 
data can in worst case be transferred in less than 15 minutes to avoid 
an never ending queue.

I would advise to only back up once per day for many reasons, but most 
importantly, if you by mistake delete a file, you have to notice it 
within 30 minutes before the file is deleted on the back up aswell.

Doing back up while someone is editing a file is never good, so try to 
only make the back up, when the chance of someone working on the files 
is low.

Daily Cron would be perfect for this job.