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Installing RSYNC on Windows 2003/2000/NT.

This document assumes that you want to install rsync as a daemon on a Windows NT/2000/2003 server or XP, without installing the entire cygwin suite.

You will need the following files:

From Cygwin:

• cygpopt-0.dll
• cygwin1.dll
• rsync.exe

These are available from http://www.cygwin.com
A zip file containing the three Files you need is available.

From the Windows NT or 2000 Resource Kit. You also may want to read this kb as well.

• instsrv.exe
• srvany.exe
  For simplicity I have zipped them up in the previously mentioned package.
  

If you follow the following instructions you will an rsync service on your windows machine.
Please be careful where you place the server as any one who can see it can read from this service.

1. Place rsync where you want to run it from.
   (I usually use C:\program files\rsync)
2. Put the two dll's anywhere in the path, usually C:\winnt\system32 or c:\windows\system32 but for sure %windir%\system32.
3. From a shell running in the directory containing instsrv and srvany type:
   (Replace C:\DirectoryContaining\ as appropriate)

   instsrv Rsync "C:DirectoryContainingsrvany.exesrvany.exe"

4. You should now have a new service called Rsync and you can verify by looking in Start->Control Panel->Services (you can also open services.msc from a run command on 2000 or newer)
   DON'T START IT YET!
5. If you want to run rsync in daemon mode you will need a configuration file. Here is the one I use, call it rsyncd.conf and place it in the same directory as rsync
   (C:\Program files\rsync\rsyncd.conf)

   use chroot = false
   strict modes = false
   hosts allow = *
   log file = c:/rsyncd.log
   
   [Repl]
   path = C:/rsync/
   read only = no

   (The command line to connect would look somthing like "rsync -avz server::BackupArea", where server is the name of the server running the rsync daemon.)
   The first two lines are important for rsync to work on Windows.

6. You are going to need to hack some keys in the registry to make it work. Don't do this unless you are comfortable with the changes! Run regedit32 and add the following keys and values (quotation marks ARE IMPORTANT):

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE->SYSTEM->CurrentControlSet->Services->Rsync
   Edit->Add Key->  Key Name: Parameters
   Edit->Add Value->  Value Name: AppDirectory  Value: "C:Program Filesrsync"
   Edit->Add Value->  Value Name: Application  Value: "C:Program Filesrsyncrsync.exe"
   Edit->Add Value->  Value Name: AppParameters  Value: --config="C:Program Filesrsyncrsyncd.conf" --daemon --no-detach

   If you would like to add these keys automatically, there is a .reg file in the rsync.zip file hosted at the top. Just double click on rsync-param.reg

   Rsync server uses port 873 by default. You can update registry to specify a new port :

   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesRsyncServerParameters]
   "AppArgs"="--config rsyncd.conf --daemon --no-detach --port=new-port-number"

   Remember, unless you trust me implicitly, read the reg file and make sure you understand what it's doing before you run it, I will not be held responsible for idiots.

7. You will probably have to open up the services control panel and double click on the Rsync service. Open the Log On tab and either change it to logon using the Local System account or edit the account information to a valid login account.
8. That's it, you should be able to start and stop the rsync service at will using the Services Control Panel. When running with the above configuration you should be able to test by attempting to telnet to port 873 from a remote machine. telnet rsync.server.com 873 (replacing rsync.server.com with your own server's address and the port) You should get a connection to the rsync daemon running on your server.

Then you may want to use rsync on another machine to rsync something.

your rsync command will be in the following format (but not exactly this):

rsync -avz --delete --exclude '.Bad files' '/cygdrive/f/Public/toBakup' rsync://remoteserv:87/Repl

Let's break this command down. Here you're calling rsync using the -a, v, z options (archive, verbose and use compression, respectively). It should delete any files that exist on the destination that don't exist on the source(--delete), and it should exclude all files called '.Bad files' (--exclude, because we don't need to backup the annoying little system files). The file source is on the drive f: /cygdrive/f/Public/toBakup on the source and the destination as defined on the server remotesrv named Repl (see conf file) on port 87.

Once you do and hit Enter, rsync will spring into action, and start transferring the files on the source and mirroring them in the destination directory on your server. The -v switch (verbose) means you'll see all the action as it's happening. check the rsync man for more switches.

Like all good command line interaction, the secret sauce which bends rsync to your will lies in the usage switches you provide it in the rsync call (ie, rsync -avz). To see all the available options, type rsync -h at the command line. A few of the more interesting ones are:

-r, --recursive             recurse into directories
-u, --update                skip files that are newer on the receiver
-n, --dry-run               show what would have been transferred
--existing              only update files that already exist on receiver
--delete                delete files that don't exist on the sending side
-z, --compress              compress file data during the transfer
--exclude=PATTERN       exclude files matching PATTERN

If you're just getting started with rsync, the -n ("dry run") switch with -v (verbose) is a great way to see what files would get copied without actually performing the copy. Use that switch to test out your rsync recipe before you run it.

It runs well but a few questions remain:

Can it copy files in use?
How to preserve NTFS attributes?

I have found a few answers for the first one. The answer is quite simple: use VSS (volume shadow copy). go to the VSS MS ressource site and download the kit. Then you should be able to create Volume shadow in no time and copy files in use.

You would also like to read from the guy who wrote VSS:
Link to blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/adioltean
Link to first script: http://blogs.msdn.com/adioltean/archive/2005/01/20/357836.aspx
Link to second script: http://blogs.msdn.com/adioltean/archive/2005/01/05/346793.aspx
I am granting with an example I found:

SHADOWRSYNC.CMD

setlocal

@REM test if we are called by shadowrsync.cmd
if NOT "%CALLBACK_SCRIPT%"=="" goto :IS_CALLBACK

@REM
@REM Set these variables to what you need.
@REM SHADOW_DRIVE_LETTER is an existing drive you want to shadow
@REM
@REM MAP_SHADOW_TO needs to be either a drive letter that isn't
@REM currently in use, or an empty directory
@REM eg.  x:   or  c:tempshadowcopy
@REM

set SHADOW_DRIVE_LETTER=D:
set MAP_SHADOW_TO=X:

@REM
@REM Create the shadow copy - and generate env variables into a
temporary script.
@REM Then resursively come back into this script.

set CALLBACK_SCRIPT=%~dpnx0
set TEMP_GENERATED_SCRIPT=GeneratedTempScript.cmd

@echo ...Create the shadow copy...

vshadow.exe -nw -p -script=%TEMP_GENERATED_SCRIPT%
-exec=%CALLBACK_SCRIPT% %SHADOW_DRIVE_LETTER%

del /f %TEMP_GENERATED_SCRIPT%

@goto :EOF

:IS_CALLBACK
setlocal

@REM Get the vshadow temp variables.

call %TEMP_GENERATED_SCRIPT%

@REM Map the drive to the shadow copy
vshadow -el=%SHADOW_ID_1%,%MAP_SHADOW_TO%

@REM Now do your rsync thing
rsync   blah blah blah blah........

@REM Delete the shadow
vshadow -ds=%SHADOW_ID_1%

I still have to try this but I am sure it would work as it works for my backup software I usually use. In some way it looks like we are getting closer to DPM (Microsoft Data Protection Manager), a new MS software that almost continuously sync some contents for a user managed restore or for backup. maybe I should work on a GNU DPM eh!

I still have no answer about how to preserve NTFS attribute, since rsync is from the unix world and the NTFS mechanism is quite complex I am not they are very compatible. If only it were, this would be very useful for restore - just restore the data or switch to another server.