can rsync scan files only with mtime since T?

[Ming Zhang]

On Thu, 2007-08-23 at 18:25 -0400, Matt McCutchen wrote:
> On 8/23/07, Ming Zhang <blackmagic02881 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I have a file system that contains millions of small files. Since I
> > backup it everyday with rsync using slow WAN link, I think it will be
> > nice that if rsync can do this:
> >
> > An option that let rsync only check with remote rsync daemon about local
> > files that has last modification time newer than one day ago (so is
> > modified since yesterday backup). This can greatly reduce the WAN
> > traffic.
> >
> > Is this doable with current rsync?
> 
> No.  A request for enhancement has been entered for a --newer option
> that would do this: https://bugzilla.samba.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2423 .
> At present, I can think of two things you might try:
> 
> 1. Use `find' to list the files that need to be checked and pass the
> list to rsync using --files-from, as described in the request for
> enhancement.

thx.


> 
> 2. Use Unison ( http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/unison/ ) instead
> of rsync.  If I understand correctly, since Unison stores the state at
> the last synchronization on both sides, the local Unison knows which
> files have changed since then and mentions only those files to the
> other side.  (Someone please correct me if I am wrong about this.)

this one looks interesting! fire a flame here, which one is better,
unison or rsync, for daily backup purpose? i guess rsync is readily
available and easier to run. but for many people who need to do hourly
or daily sync, maybe a once-setup-then-forget solution is better? ;)




> 
> Matt
-- 
Ming Zhang


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