rsync - Oct 2003 - workaround for HFS+'s case-insensitivity?

I am using Mike Rubel's snapshot-style rsync to do backups from my web
server (Linux) to my desktop (MacOS X). Mostly, this works great,
except where case sensitivity (or rather, HFS+'s semi-lack thereof)
causes problems.

Specifically, it seems impossible to successfully back up my Linux box's
/usr/share/terminfo, as it contains directories that differ ONLY in
case (e.g., /usr/share/terminfo/X and /usr/share/terminfo/x).

Short of repartitioning my hard drive and making a UFS partition, is
there any workaround anyone has come across?


-- 
Daniel Drucker / dmd@3e.org

On Wed, Oct 29, 2003 at 07:29:59AM +0000, Daniel M. Drucker
wrote:
> 
> I am using Mike Rubel's snapshot-style rsync to do backups from my web
> server (Linux) to my desktop (MacOS X). Mostly, this works great,
> except where case sensitivity (or rather, HFS+'s semi-lack thereof)
> causes problems.
> 
> Specifically, it seems impossible to successfully back up my Linux
box's
> /usr/share/terminfo, as it contains directories that differ ONLY in
> case (e.g., /usr/share/terminfo/X and /usr/share/terminfo/x).
> 
> Short of repartitioning my hard drive and making a UFS partition, is
> there any workaround anyone has come across?
There can be no fix for this.  A filesystem that is case
insensitive, even if case preserving, is inherently unable
to support files whose names differ only in case.  Perhaps
there is mount option for hfs+ to make it case sensitive.
Otherwise you would be better off with a SUS compliant
filesystem if you wish to use the hardlinked disk backups.

-- 
________________________________________________________________
	J.W. Schultz            Pegasystems Technologies
	email address:		jw@pegasys.ws

		Remember Cernan and Schmitt

Daniel M. Drucker wrote:
> Short of repartitioning my hard drive and making a UFS partition, is
> there any workaround anyone has come across?
Don't repartition, and certainly don't try MacOSX on UFS. The OS works 
perfectly from a UFS partition, but the results are less than 
satisfactory with third party app support: many apps won't install, and 
many won't run. Ugly.

A low-risk alternative is to create a UFS disk image and mount that. You 
will get case sensitivity in the mounted partition.

regards,






martin