rsync exclude

[Gary Montalbine]

Tony Abernethy wrote:
> Gary Montalbine wrote:
>> I am trying to backup my /home directory. A friend helped me with this
>> script:
>>
>> #!/bin/sh
>> #backup friday
>> #"Spinning up backup drive and mounting it .."
>> cd /
>> mount /mnt/hd2
>> #"Starting backup procedures"
>> rsync -avx --exclude="/home/gary/.thumbnails/"
>> --exclude="/home/gary/tmp/" --delete --ignore-errors /home/gary
>> /mnt/hd2/2010
>> umount /mnt/hd2
>> #END
>>
>> It backs up /home OK. However it does not exclude .thumbnails or tmp. I
>> have read the manual and am confused on the use of --exclude. I am
>> strictly a user. I am using rsync supplied by ML2010.
>>
>> Help would be greatly appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Gary
> 
> from man page
>             --exclude=PATTERN       exclude files matching PATTERN
> Seems like you are excluding 
> /home/gary/home/gary/.thumbnails/
> /home/gary/home/gary/tmp/
> you probably want something like
> --exclude=/.thumbnails
> --exclude=/.tmp
> to match where /home/gary/ leaves off.
> 

I tried various combinations of what you said. However I could not get 
it to exclude either file.

With my low level of expertise I need a precise script.

Thanks, Gary