rsync - Oct 2010 - read-batch: Skipping batched update..No batched update inconsistency

I already asked this question before, some
time ago (a few months), but got no reply.

We're using a backup system based on rsync
and batched updates.

Quite often I see a situation when rsync refuses
to apply next batch with the following messages:

applying f0002.rgs-podm.ru 142
(Skipping batched update for "etc/cron.d/sysstat")
(Skipping batched update for "etc/default/sysstat")
(Skipping batched update for "etc/init.d/sysstat")
(Skipping batched update for "etc/sysstat/sysstat.ioconf")
(Skipping batched update for "var/lib/dpkg/status")
(No batched update for "etc/default/sysstat")
(No batched update for "var/lib/dpkg/status")
rsync error: some files/attrs were not transferred (see previous errors) (code
23) at main.c(1526) [generator=3.0.7]

This is a bit unusual usage of --read-batch.  Because
we've many identical systems, we're trying to keep
the backups of identical files on different systems
linked to each other.  So, on -read-batch, rsync has
one more argument to the one generated on the sending
end, it is one extra --link-dest.

Original command generates the following batch.sh file
(simplified):

 rsync -aHRS --read-batch=rbatch --link-dest=e/ n/

the actual command being run is:

 rsync -aHRS --read-batch=rbatch --link-dest=e/ --link-dest=../common/ n/

without this extra --link-dest, it all works fine.

The problem appears to be some inconsistency between
the two parts of the code - one which decides which
file to link with for --link-dest (it reports the
first set of messages, "Skipping..."), and actual
code that applies the changes or should perform
the linking (it reports "No batched update").

Can we look at this issue please?  It should be
easy for someone who knows the code...


Thanks!

/mjt