rsync (was Re: [plug] md5 mismatch)

[Cameron Patrick]

Margo wrote:

> I'm looking for some syncing type software. I'm working on a web project at
> TAFE with a 5 person team using DMX checkin/checkout and then I want to
> come home, and sync the files between my flash disk and my HD (Suse 9.1
> Pro)
> 
> Would rsync be the go here? and can anyone point me at how I would set it
> up? I had a look on the net but they were talking about a rsync server. :(

Rsync itself needs very little setting up - just tell it the location
of the two paths to synchronise and it's good to go.  It works with
local directories, and also remote machines using either SSH (no
additional set-up needed) or a custom rsync server (presumably what
you found on the net).

However, for what you want, unison might be more useful than rsync.
It keeps track of the last synchronised state and merges changes made
on both copies (whereas rsync is functionally equivalent to deleting
the original directory and copying the new one across -- it just does
it faster).  The subject has come up a few times in the past on this
list:

    http://www.plug.org.au/archives/thread/20040825.141841.4eacb647.html
    http://www.plug.org.au/archives/thread/20040920.101957.9c68acaa.html

And one step further in sophistication would be a distributed revision
control system :-)

Cameron.