LinuxQuestions.org - [SOLVED] rsync backup over network?

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rsync backup over network?

I'm trying to do a complicated rsync backup of a home directory on a local area network (LAN.) I need to exclude some directories but in some cases that doesn't work. Unfortunately some also have spaces (which I learned can still be backed up by escaping the slash twice.) I saw examples on various question & answer sites of how to exclude them but there was a lot of speculation and sloppy writing, so nothing there worked. I'm able to exclude directories one level in like /home/user/directory1 (can exclude directory1) but not multiple levels in like /home/user/directory1/directory2 (however I try to exclude directory2, even if it doesn't have spaces, it always gets copied.) What's the exact way to do that, or is there an easier way to list exclusions in an exclude_file.txt, --exclude-from=exclude_file.txt and what would be the format of such a file (also in the case of directories with spaces?)

My recent command was something like the following (in which /home/user/directory1/directory2/directory3 always was copied) (I did this in several steps.)

Code:

rsync -av --info=progress2 --delete --exclude=directory2/directory3 sourcehost:/home/user/directory1/ /home/user/directory1

Quote:

Originally Posted by dchmelik (Post 6221581)

spaces (which I learned can still be backed up by escaping the slash twice.)

Well, by putting a backslash in front of the space, or quotes around the directory name.

Quote:

is there an easier way to list exclusions in an exclude_file.txt, --exclude-from=exclude_file.txt and what would be the format of such a file (also in the case of directories with spaces?)

If you have more than a handful of directories you want to exclude, a file is the better approach. One directory per line, and I don't even think quotes or backslashes are needed (I am not sure; double-check this, please).

Quote:

My recent command was something like the following (in which /home/user/directory1/directory2/directory3 always was copied) (I did this in several steps.)

Code:

rsync -av --info=progress2 --delete --exclude=directory2/directory3 sourcehost:/home/user/directory1/ /home/user/directory1

If you start the rsync at /home/user/directory1, excluding directory2/directory3 has no effect indeed, because no directory with that name would be copied.

My last statement may be incorrect.

Here is what I use to backup my Pi to another SSD, works flawlessly, for an example of multiple excludes.

Code:

rsync -ahPHAXx --delete --exclude={/dev/*,/proc/*,/sys/*,/tmp/*,/run/*,/mnt/*,/media/*,/home/seeder1/rtorrent/*,/lost+found} / /tmp/ssdroot/

An example of a working exclude file to stop my Apple . files from being copied when using rsync it includes directories with spaces in it.

Code:

MacUser2525:~$ alias rsa

alias rsa="rsync -avP --exclude-from=‘/Users/MacUser2525/Bin/apple_exclude.txt'"



MacUser2525:~$ cat Bin/apple_exclude.txt



.Trashes

._.Trashes

.fseventsd

.Spotlight-V100

.DS_Store

.AppleDesktop

.AppleDB

Network Trash Folder

Temporary Items

Quote:

Originally Posted by berndbausch (Post 6221650)

If you start the rsync at /home/user/directory1, excluding directory2/directory3 has no effect indeed, because no directory with that name would be copied.

My last statement may be incorrect.

Yes, it is incorrect, because the example I gave was /home/user/directory1/directory2/directory3 , and in my example command, everything in directory1 is copied (recurses the directories) including directory2 then directory3... which I want to exclude.

You are right, --exclude=directory2/directory3 should work. And you know what - I tried it, and it did work. This is my directory structure on an Odroid SBC running Ubuntu 16:

Code:

$ tree directory1/

directory1/

├── directory2

│  ├── directory3

│  │  └── passwd

│  └── passwd

├── directory2a

│  └── passwd

├── directory2b

│  └── passwd

├── directory2c

│  └── passwd

└── passwd

Notice that I do have a directory3. Let's see if it gets copied. I run the following on a Centos 8 VM:

Code:

# rsync --version

rsync  version 3.1.3  protocol version 31

... stuff omitted ...

# rsync -av --exclude=directory2/directory3 bbausch@192.168.1.16:/tmp/rsynctest/directory1/ target

bbausch@192.168.1.16's password:

receiving incremental file list

./

passwd

directory2/

directory2/passwd

directory2a/

directory2a/passwd

directory2b/

directory2b/passwd

directory2c/

directory2c/passwd

It's not copied. I don't know what happens on your system.

I got this working with an exclude.txt.

Good to read you got it sorted and thanks for marking it solved.