Setting up an rsync client on windows

We’ve just learned how to set up an rsync server on a linux box. Now it’s time to set up things so we can pull and push information from and to that server.

First, download the free rsync package from itefix.no. The installation instructions are as easy as can be, simply unzip the installer exe and run it.

The rsync package you’ve just downloade is based on cygwin. Cygwin is a really cool package that allows compiling and running linux apps under windows. If you ever wanted a proper shell instead of cmd and you were too cheap to buy 4DOS/4NT (which apparently is discontinued ) cygwin just might save your day.

rsync is an inherently command line based tool. No fancy graphics or point-and-shoot style UIs. To synchronize the server exposed directory images onto your windows box, simply open a command shell and type

[c:\]cd \remotedata
[c:\remotedata] rsync --recursive rsync://mylinuxbox.local.domain/images images

There are loads of switches, and you may want to familiarize yourself with some of them. Type

rsync --help

to get a glimpse.

–Jesper Hogstrom