rsync - Aug 2003 - rsync silently changes special files to regular ones!

rsync  version 2.5.6  protocol version 26 on FreeBSD 4.8-STABLE i386
"promotes" character special files to regular files:

--8<---cut here:--start--->8--
# ll /dev/stdout
8282 crw-rw-rw-  1 root  wheel  -  22,   1 Aug 23 17:30 /dev/stdout

# rsync localhost::rsync/readme /dev/stdout
$Id: readme,v 1.2 2003/08/05 02:38:25 root Exp root $
...

# ll /dev/stdout
7527 -rw-r--r--  1 root  wheel  - 136 Aug 24 11:49 /dev/stdout

# ./MAKEDEV std

# ll /dev/stdout
7527 crw-rw-rw-  1 root  wheel  -  22,   1 Aug 24 11:49 /dev/stdout
--8<---cut here:---end---->8--

i know that this (displaying a text file on the console) is not what
rsync is meant to do, but since it didn't give any messages or exit-
codes, i didn't think of checking /dev/stdout.  since then i chased a
phantom bug in freebsds update procedure for two weeks, never
suspecting an rsync bug.  rsync should error exit or message the user
when used on special files!

regards,

  clemens

On Sun, 24 Aug 2003 16:44:15 +0200
clemens fischer <ino-qc@spotteswoode.de.eu.org> wrote:
> rsync  version 2.5.6  protocol version 26 on FreeBSD 4.8-STABLE i386
> "promotes" character special files to regular files:
> 
> --8<---cut here:--start--->8--
> # ll /dev/stdout
> 8282 crw-rw-rw-  1 root  wheel  -  22,   1 Aug 23 17:30 /dev/stdout
> 
> # rsync localhost::rsync/readme /dev/stdout
> $Id: readme,v 1.2 2003/08/05 02:38:25 root Exp root $
> ...
> 
> # ll /dev/stdout
> 7527 -rw-r--r--  1 root  wheel  - 136 Aug 24 11:49 /dev/stdout
> 
> # ./MAKEDEV std
> 
> # ll /dev/stdout
> 7527 crw-rw-rw-  1 root  wheel  -  22,   1 Aug 24 11:49 /dev/stdout
> --8<---cut here:---end---->8--
> 
> i know that this (displaying a text file on the console) is not what
> rsync is meant to do, but since it didn't give any messages or exit-
> codes, i didn't think of checking /dev/stdout.  since then i chased a
> phantom bug in freebsds update procedure for two weeks, never
> suspecting an rsync bug. 
It is not "used on" special files.  rsync replaces the destination
with
the source.

It is just the same behaviour as mv.  It is not like 'cat >dest'.

root@vexed:/tmp# mknod pts5 c 136 5
root@vexed:/tmp# date>hello
root@vexed:/tmp# ls -l hello pts5
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root           29 Aug 25 17:20 hello
crw-r--r--    1 root     root     136,   5 Aug 25 17:20 pts5
root@vexed:/tmp# mv hello pts5
root@vexed:/tmp# ls -l hello pts5
ls: hello: No such file or directory
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root           29 Aug 25 17:20 pts5

I can see how it would be confusing, but it is not a bug.
> rsync should error exit or message the user when used on special
> files!
No, I don't think so.  At the most I could stretch to giving a warning
when replacing a special file, but even then I'm not sure.  Unix is
"you asked for it, you got it."

Cheerio,
-- 
Martin 
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