Re: Bugs and features

[Adrian Phillips]

>>>>> "Mark" == Mark Burgess <Mark.Burgess@iu.hio.no> writes:

    >> Yes, embedding the rsync algorithm as an optional way to copy
    >> files would be the only sensible way to marry cfengine & rsync.
    >> This would allow the efficiency of rsync (over slowish links
    >> with slightly changing data) with the authentication/security
    >> already present in cfengine.
    >> 
    >> If the rsync algorithm is a big win, it is a shame to have to
    >> hack up automated ssh logins and run it in a shell just to use
    >> it securely from cfengine.
    >> 
    Mark> Tests show that it isn't, except for certain types of copy

Which tests ?

    Mark> (which probably don't occur that often on a stable
    Mark> system). The need for rsync efficiency seems to be mainly
    Mark> folklore.

I don't know whether I agree with that or not. On tests of our
meteorological data (up to several 100 Mbytes per file) sometimes it
works really well, other times not depending upon how much of a file
has changed. Another problem it has is with compressed files which
entails a large amount of the internet traffic for Linux downloads at
least. Again this is very dependent upon what your file structure is
like and what your files contain. As I mentioned in my pattern file
example, a pattern file is mainly unchanged which is a big win for
rsync.

    >> Then again, the cases where rsync is a big win are probably not
    >> all that common in cfengine setups.
    >> 

    Mark> Exactly, my point. What I didn't realize though is that
    Mark> rsync has a library.  If it has a reasonably accessible API,

Here it is for those that are interested, this is a library for rproxy
and rsync :-

http://rproxy.samba.org/doxygen/libhsync/

    Mark> it might be possible to integrate the good parts without the
    Mark> bad parts... Why don't you all come to the workshop at LISA
    Mark> armed with some knowledge of this, a and we can discuss it
    Mark> there...

I wish I could but I don't think my boss is going to like that. Shame
people can't come to Norway for a change :-)

Regards,

Adrian

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