"Todd A. Jacobs" <nos...@codegnome.org> writes: > by default, rsync copies a file in small chunks, so copying an entire > filesystem to a drive that is actively in use could certainly cause > fragmentation.
Actually shouldn't ext4 do _better_ (than ext3 etc) in such a case, since it does allocate-on-write, allowing it to allocate contiguous storage despite the user writes being small? > Really, the main reasons to use rsync are: > > - to enable resume on really large files (e.g. an entire filesystem > tarred as home.tar.gz) > - to transfer file deltas rather than entire files While there's some truth to that, I think people often like to use rsync even for virgin copies simply because it has a very convenient syntax, and it's simpler to use one tool for all cases (new copies, "update" copies, resumes, etc) and not have to worry about micro-optimizing each individual case. -Miles -- Friendless, adj. Having no favors to bestow. Destitute of fortune. Addicted to utterance of truth and common sense. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
