What to run:
rsync -HPva --delete <source>/ <dest>/
(tip for remembering: "Arr! Sync! Hey, Pretty view, eh? Do Eet")
why:
-H
(--hard-links
) sync any hard links as hard links, as distinct from files, at the destination-Pv
(--partial --progress --verbose
) gives you a nicely verbose output with a reasonable way to estimate remaining time (sometimes)-a
(--archive
) "equals-rlptgoD
", that is "please just work"--delete
removes files from the destination that are not present on the source (it doesn't delete from the source)
Notes:
- running rsync multiple times will pull file metadata in to VFS cache, making subsequent runs much faster (good for priming before an outage)
- put trailing slashes on
<source>
and<dest>
ination paths to ensure directories are created the way you expect
Sometimes good option:
-z
(--compress
)- good if you're transferring over the internet or narrow-band medium
- bad on localhost