skip directory if checksum matches

[Peter Salameh]

Hello,

I routinely mirror databases with many directories, each containing 
20,000 file or more.  Many of the older directories rarely change and 
are identical on the mirror(s), but rsync still sends over the file list 
from all directories every time.  This results in lists containing 
hundreds of thousands (or millions) of files being sent on every rsync, 
when only a few of the directories actually have changes.  This is a 
serious problem on slower links.

To avoid the above problem, a checksum could be done on the file list 
for each directory on the source and compared with the destination.  If 
the checksum is identical, there should be no need to send the file list 
for a directory (except to list the sub-directories).

If there already a way to do this in rsync, I would appreciate being 
pointed in the right direction.  If this has already been discussed on 
the list, my apologies.

Thanks, Peter
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