rsync - Nov 2007 - rsync delete

Hello :)

I am trying to build a backup system based upon Rsync, and I have a question
about it's deleting features.

I want to be able to use rsync to delete and remove a directory from the
remote server, similar to "rm -Rf directory"

The closest I seem to be able to get is the following progression:

# rm -Rf directory (nuke local directory)
# mkdir directory (recreat as empty directory)
# rsync -mr --delete 'directory' remote::volume/directory

( woops, now remote::volume/directory continues to exist and contains an
empty remote::volume/directory/directory :P )

# rsync -mr --delete 'directory' remote::volume

(says "no files to transfer", and nothing happens. @#$%)

# touch directory/dummy_file
# rsync -mr --delete 'directory' remote::volume/directory

( vroom! now the contents of remote::volume/directory are being cleaned out.
unfortunately remote::volume/directory/dummy_file will remain for all
eternity.. )


What would be the closest approximation to something like this?

# rsync -r --just-nuke-the-target remote::volume/directory

Is it something that can be done with rsync?

Thanks!

- - Jesse Thompson
Webformix, Bend OR
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On Sun, 2007-11-04 at 13:50 -0800, Jesse Thompson wrote:
> What would be the closest approximation to something like this? 
> 
> # rsync -r --just-nuke-the-target remote::volume/directory
> 
> Is it something that can be done with rsync?
Yes, but it is a bit awkward because rsync considers deletion of an
extraneous destination file to be part of the processing of its parent
directory.  One simple approach is to push a directory to the parent of
"directory" (i.e., the module) and use filters to make the source
effectively empty and to prevent anything other than "directory" from
being deleted from the destination:

rsync -d --del --filter='R /directory' --filter='- /*' .
remote::volume

Here is how you would write an "rsyncrm" script that can be invoked
like
"rsyncrm -ni remote::volume/directory".  Note that this reveals the
attributes of the current directory to the server.

#!/bin/bash
victim="${@: -1:1}"
rsync -d --del --filter="R /$(basename -- "$victim")"
--filter='- /*' \
        "${@:1:$#-1}" . "$(dirname -- "$victim")"

Matt