rsync - Nov 2005 - Rsync and permissions - rsync version 2.6.4 protocol version 29

What does rsync do with permissions?

Using rsync -auvP ./* targetMachine:/targetDir

I sometimes get an error/warning such as:

chown GENERO/uk/reinsure/prod/rel/dbmodify.4gl : Operation not permitted

The source file has owner/group stevet:dev and the target stevet:users

The files are being rsync'd as user 'fyl' - fyl belongs to both dev
and
users group.

The 'oddity' is that if the command rsync -auvPn  is used to check
before doing the actual copy, then the error/warning is not given - ie
-auvPn potentially says that nothing needs to be done, but then the
actual copy statement comes up with the chown message.


Regards,

Steve Tucknott



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On Mon, Nov 07, 2005 at 03:45:14PM +0000, Steve Tucknott
wrote:
> chown GENERO/uk/reinsure/prod/rel/dbmodify.4gl : Operation not permitted
> 
> The source file has owner/group stevet:dev and the target stevet:users
Rsync is trying to change the group to match, and that is failing.
> The files are being rsync'd as user 'fyl' - fyl belongs to both
dev and
> users group.
Yes, but a non-root user can't change the group on a file that the
transferring user doesn't own -- thus the error.  If you touch the
source file (changing its mtime) and let rsync update the file, the
ownership will change from stevet to fyl, and the group will then be
able to be updated.  Alternately, run rsync as root on the receiving
side.
> The 'oddity' is that if the command rsync -auvPn  is used to check
> before doing the actual copy
That's not enough to see everything that will change, since rsync
doesn't output permissions or group changes at level one verbosity
unless -i was also specified (in which case -v isn't required).  The
--itemize-changes (-i) option is available in recent versions of rsync.

..wayne..