Master Advanced Rsync Techniques for Effective File Synchronization

Linux sysadmins: learn how to use rsync compression and checksums to better manage file synchronization.

 In a previous article entitled Sysadmin tools: Using rsync to manage backup, restore, and file synchronization, I discussed cp and sftp, and looked at the basics of rsync for moving files around. There are also a couple of other great articles here on Enable Sysadmin on tar and SSH you should take a look at. Copying files to and from remote systems and having an easy way to run a backup of something you're working on (or, for that matter, critical company data) are basic, useful tools in the sysadmin toolbox that I use again and again. Sometimes, however, you may want to do something a little more sophisticated, like move data across a less trusted or slower link. Rsync can provide encryption to protect it in transit, compression to make it flow better, and checksums to ensure you get what you were expecting.