Rsync Data Copying: Pros and Cons

Rsync backup software is the software, based on the utility. It synchronizes files and directory from one location to another with minimal data transfer. It is name rsync (remote synchronization) for Unix - like and cwrsync for Windows operating systems.

In simple phrase, this utility compute the difference between files of both locations and transfers this difference to the synchronized one. This approach bring the great benefit in comparison with traditional incremental and differential backup, when synchronization is implemented by rewriting the files of the same name.

There is no need to be a specialist to understand that rsync backup software help to considerably save the transfer time. In addition, it offers encryption and data compression, which serve both the security and the time economy. What in its turn allow, as all we know, to save money.

Features of Rsync Backup Program for Windows

Here we are not going to discuss in detail the subject of using rsync or cwrsync for synchronization of files and folder between several servers and depict its peculiarities for different OS (Unix - Windows or Linux - Windows servers). These are certainly interesting topics, but they may be attractive mostly for server administrators (with whom we will certainly discuss them some other time).

Therefore let us pay our attention at implementation of rsync - based synchronization to backup software for Windows, because this subject will be interesting and actual for users of the respective software.

Performance features of Rsync for Windows

The quality realisation of off - the - shelf rsync (cwrsync) solution in backup software on the one hand will permit to get some advantages of this technology. They are such as: fast incremental backup and restore, reduce in memory usage for backup software, and opportunity to back up not only the Windows servers, but the Unix and Linux ones as well. But on the other hand this will bring its problems too. Here are some of the probable difficulties in using rsync backup software:

• Limited support of 64 - bit based server platforms;
• Instability, during continuous work with big volumes of Data;
• Necessity of configure for every task. It can be done automatically, but the problem is, that there are no universal recipes for all servers and all type of data.

So we see the ambiguity of using of off - the - shelf rsync (cwrsync) solution for backup software. But there may be another approach: use not a ready utility, but to adapt its inner algorithm to certain software. In this case an experienced developer could resolve most of the problems, and bring the power of the original utility to the rsync backup software.

About the Author

The author of this article is a famous soft analyst specializing in backup and data restore software, especially for servers and network workstations. Being an active participant of different backup - specialized communities such as Handy Backup, he bring a great consideration to the respective software brand - news.

We also recommend you to see the following pages about Home Backup Software, Enterprise Backup Software.