INSTANT WINDOWS RSYNC SERVER

Rsync is wonderful open source utility from the Unix world that provides fast incremental file transfer between two systems. It can be really useful when you to copy an entire directory (or drive) from a remote system. But while rsync is nearly ubiquitous on most Linux and Unix systems, it's not a utility that is normally found on a Window system. Rsync has been ported to Windows as part of the Cygwin package, but if all you need is rsync, you really don't want to install the entire Cygwin package.

To run rsync from the Cygwin package on a Windows system (assuming you don't need to connect through ssh), you only need three file:

• rsync.exe - the executable program
• cygwin1.dll - the main library file needed by all Cygwin programs
• cygpopt-0.dll - the library for handling command-line options

The Instant Rsync Server package takes these three files and adds a script to run rsync in daemon mode (where it shares files and directories), providing an instant rsync client and server. The package is in a self-extracting zip file and contains the following files:

• rsync.exe
• cygwin1.dll
• cygpopt-0.dll
• choice.exe - the open source version from FreeDOS
• start-rsyncd.cmd - command script to run rsync in daemon mode
• rsync.conf.template - used by start-rsyncd to generate the rsyncd.conf file needed for daemon mode
• readme.txt - very brief information about the package
• license.txt - a copy of the GNU General Public License

The script start-rsyncd.cmd will run rsync in daemon mode to share the share the entire contents of a local hard drive. You will be asked which hard drive to share (C - H) and whether the share should be read-only or read-write. The script will then create the rsyncd.conf file and start rsync in daemon mode. The rsync server will run until you press CTRL-C or close the Command Prompt window in which rsync is running.

The hard drive will be shared out as module name localdrive. There is no security set on the rsync server and any client will be able to connect to the server annonymously. You should only use the server if your system is connected to a private network that is at least moderately secure.

Download the Package (1240KB)