Exclude modifying top dir?

[Roger]

> On Tue, Jan 24, 2023 at 11:51:42PM -0500, Roger wrote:
>I keep getting the following error.  After several years I've had it, and am 
>posting to the mailing list in hopes of better advice than stuckchange.
>
>rsync: [generator] failed to set times on "/mnt/tmp/.": Operation not permitted (1)
>rsync error: some files/attrs were not transferred (see previous errors) (code 23) at main.c(1336) [sender=3.2.7]

I've figured-out this trivial problem.

This "cannot modify times error" on the top directory is obviously due to lack 
of permissions.  However, I realized, rsync is often used for synchronizing 
such mounted file system points without write access to the top dir; with write 
access only within subsequently lower dirs.

For example, the previously used or incorrect syntax:

$ rsync -ax /some/files/ /mnt/tmp
rsync: [generator] failed to set times on "/mnt/tmp/.": Operation not permitted (1)

To resolve; looking at "files/" within "/some/files/", either terminate the 
source folder with a file name, directory or glob '*' character.

Examples:

$ rsync -ax /some/files /mnt/tmp
$ rsync -ax /some/files/dir /mnt/tmp
$ rsync -ax /some/files/* /mnt/tmp

If I'm not mistaken, the trailing slash on the source directory attempts to 
modifying the destination "/." file, a link pointing to the top directory!

WOW!  This problem with syntax has been nagging me forever!

Now for figuring-out how to filter this scenario for user input via sh/bash 
scripting.

Roger

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