On Thu, Jan 24, 2002 at 06:19:56PM -0801, Jos Backus wrote:
> OK, I may need help with the markup part though, so I'll post a rough draft
> here first.
Here's my first attempt at improving the documentation of the batch mode
feature. This is the manpage only; I'll attempt to update the yodl file once
everybody is satisfied with the wording, but I have no way to check it.
When people are happy with the docs I'll resubmit my batchmode cleanup patch.
Comments/suggestions welcome.
Index: rsync.1
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/rsync/rsync.1,v
retrieving revision 1.108
diff -u -r1.108 rsync.1
--- rsync.1 29 Jan 2002 21:52:56 -0000 1.108
+++ rsync.1 31 Jan 2002 01:51:16 -0000
@@ -306,8 +306,8 @@
--log-format=FORMAT log file transfers using specified format
--password-file=FILE get password from FILE
--bwlimit=KBPS limit I/O bandwidth, KBytes per second
- --read-batch=FILE read batch file
- --write-batch write batch file
+ --write-batch=PREFIX write batch fileset starting with PREFIX
+ --read-batch=PREFIX read batch fileset starting with PREFIX
-h, --help show this help screen
@@ -801,12 +801,13 @@
result is an average transfer rate equalling the specified limit\&. A value
of zero specifies no limit\&.
.IP
-.IP "\fB--read-batch\fP"
-Apply a previously generated change batch\&.
-.IP
-.IP "\fB--write-batch\fP"
-Generate a set of files that can be transferred
-as a batch update\&.
+.IP "\fB--write-batch=PREFIX\fP"
+Generate a set of files that can be transferred as a batch update\&. Each
+filename in the set starts with \fBPREFIX\fP.
+.IP
+.IP "\fB--read-batch=PREFIX\fP"
+Apply a previously generated change batch, using the fileset whose filenames
+start with \fBPREFIX\fP\&.
.IP
.PP
.SH "EXCLUDE PATTERNS"
@@ -913,29 +914,50 @@
\fBNote:\fP Batch mode should be considered experimental in this version
of rsync\&. The interface or behaviour may change before it stabilizes\&.
.PP
-The following call generates 4 files that encapsulate the information
-for synchronizing the contents of \fBtarget_dir\fP with the updates found in
-\fBsrc_dir\fP
-.PP
+Batch mode adds the ability to generate control information which describes
+the changes that need to be made in order to turn a source directory tree into
+a target directory tree. This control information is stored in 4 files which
+have a common, user-defined prefix:
+.PP
+.IP o
+<prefix>\fB.rsync_argvs\fP command-line arguments
+.IP o
+<prefix>\fB.rsync_flist\fP rsync internal file metadata
+.IP o
+<prefix>\fB.rsync_csums\fP rsync checksums
+.IP o
+<prefix>\fB.rsync_delta\fP data blocks for file update & change
+.PP
+This control information can be used to update an identical source directory
+tree (on another system perhaps) to the state of the target directory tree.
+.PP
+Example:
+.PP
.RS
-$ rsync --write-batch [other rsync options here] \e
+$ rsync --write-batch=some_update [other rsync options] \e
.br
-/somewhere/src_dir /somewhere/target_dir
+/this/src_dir /this/target_dir
.RE
+.RS
+$ rsync --read-batch=some_update [other rsync options] \e
+.br
+/that/target_dir
+.RE
+.PP
+Note that in addition to creating the batch control files, the write-batch
+option also makes the target directory tree identical to the source directory
+tree.
+.PP
+Batch mode is useful when applying the same set of updates to many identical
+systems. Generating the batch control files once saves having to perform the
+file status, checksum and data block generation more than once when updating
+multiple source directory trees. Multicast transport protocols can be used to
+transfer the control files, instead of sending the same data to every host.
+.PP
+\fBCaveat\fP: The -z/--compress option does not work in batch mode.
.PP
-The generated files are labeled with a common timestamp:
-.PP
-.IP o
-\fBrsync_argvs\&.<timestamp>\fP command-line arguments
-.IP o
-\fBrsync_flist\&.<timestamp>\fP rsync internal file metadata
-.IP o
-\fBrsync_csums\&.<timestamp>\fP rsync checksums
-.IP o
-\fBrsync_delta\&.<timestamp>\fP data blocks for file update & change
-.PP
-See \fBhttp://www\&.ils\&.unc\&.edu/i2dsi/unc_rsync+\&.html\fP for papers and
technical
-reports\&.
+See \fBhttp://www\&.ils\&.unc\&.edu/i2dsi/unc_rsync+\&.html\fP for papers and
+technical reports\&.
.PP
.SH "SYMBOLIC LINKS"
.PP
--
Jos Backus _/ _/_/_/ Santa Clara, CA
_/ _/ _/
_/ _/_/_/
_/ _/ _/ _/
[EMAIL PROTECTED] _/_/ _/_/_/ use Std::Disclaimer;
