rsync - Jan 2008 - rsync man pages, rsync faqs, problem with RSYNC_PASSWORD and --password-file

Hi all,

This isn't a bug, its just a lapse in the documentation.

I just got a script going that repeats every 5 seconds, that uses rsync 
to send data from A, running Ubuntu V6.06.1, to B, running cygwin.

I got stuck on the issue of preventing the password prompt from 
interrupting the script.

The problem is that the man pages are misleading, they suggest that 
RSYNC_PASSWORD and --password-file are the answer.  That might have been 
true in the past, but now they just don't work, as far as I can tell.

The documentation needs to say up front that the right way to do it is 
to use ssh-keygen on A, to create a public key file id_dsa.pub.  Then to 
install that key's content in a file on B, in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.

This information, in an easily found place, would save many people some 
time and frustration.

Other than that gripe, it's great to have rsync as a stable tool. 
Thanks!!!!

Sincerely,

Peter H.


-- 
Peter Halverson
Promethean Devices
halverson@prometheandevices.com 626-287-3225

On Tue, 2008-01-29 at 09:58 -0800, Peter Halverson
wrote:
> The problem is that the man pages are misleading, they suggest that 
> RSYNC_PASSWORD and --password-file are the answer.
I don't see any such suggestion in either the rsync 2.6.9 manpage or the
current development one.  Both make it sufficiently clear that
--password-file and RSYNC_PASSWORD are for daemon passwords, not remote
shell passwords:

=== Rsync 2.6.9 manpage: ==
--password-file
[...] Note that this option is only useful when accessing an rsync
daemon using the built in transport, not when using a remote shell as
the transport.

RSYNC_PASSWORD
[...] Note that this does not supply a password to a shell transport
such as ssh.

=== Current development manpage: ==
--password-file
[...] This option allows you to provide a password in a file for
accessing an rsync daemon.  [...]  When accessing an rsync daemon using
a remote shell as the transport, this option only comes into effect
after the remote shell finishes its authentication (i.e. if you have
also specified a password in the daemon?s config file).

RSYNC_PASSWORD
[Same text as rsync 2.6.9 version.]
> The documentation needs to say up front that the right way to do it is 
> to use ssh-keygen on A, to create a public key file id_dsa.pub.  Then to 
> install that key's content in a file on B, in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.
IMO, such details about a particular remote shell are outside the scope
of the rsync man page.
> This information, in an easily found place, would save many people some 
> time and frustration.
Since version 3.0.0pre1, rsync exits with an error message if the user
tries to use --password-file when a daemon is not involved.  This should
help.

Matt