Having your way with rsync

Maybe you want the directories that you synchronize to be exact copies of each other or maybe you just don't. Let's dig a little more deeply into the rsync command and see if we can't find just the right mix of options for what you want to do.

Basic copying

The rsync command can replicate collections of files from one place to another in every possible detail or it can allow you to control exactly how that replication flows -- what it replicates and what it doesn't.

In its simplest form, the rsync command will copy files from the file source to the file destination. It will not remove files on the destination side that aren't on the source and it won't recreate all of the metadata (e.g., ownership and group details) unless your rsync command includes just the right set of options. So let's follow along behind a series of rsync commands to see just what they do and don't do in response to our synchronization requests.

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