Re: [rdiff-backup-users] ACLs

[Robert Nichols]

On 07/21/2013 02:07 PM, Grant wrote:
> > > Just note (from http://www.nongnu.org/rdiff-backup/features.html):
> > >
> > > ACL and EA support: If rdiff-backup can find the pylibacl and pyxattr (mac
> > > version) modules, and if the file system supports these features,
> > > rdiff-backup
> > > will preserve Access Control Lists and user-level Extended Attributes.
> > > ACLs are
> > > not supported, however, on Mac OS X or Windows as those systems do not use
> > > standard POSIX.1e access controls.
> >
> >
> > ACLs and extended attributes are stored in separate metadata files in the
> > rdiff-backup-data directory and do not depend on the underlying file system
> > for the mirror having support for those attributes. You can delete those
> > attributes from the mirror, and they will still be restored correctly based
> > on the metadata files.  _Restoring_ a file with ACLs or extended attributes
> > of course depends on the destination file system supporting them.
>
> To be sure I understand, the requirements in the nongnu.org quote
> above only apply to restores?
>
> Will ACLs/EAs be written to the files themselves in the case of the
> most recent copy in the repository?

The ACLs and extended attributes _will_ be written to the files in the mirror
if that file system supports them.  Regardless, those attributes are recorded
in metadata files in the rdiff-backup-data directory so that a restore
operation will apply them properly as long as the destination file system for
the restore supports them.

For attributes that are not supported by the file system for the mirror, you
of course will not recover those attributes if you use the shortcut of simply
copying the current version from the mirror.  You will have to use an
rdiff-backup restore operation to get them.  The attributes stored in the
mirror can be considered a "courtesy copy" and are ignored by an rdiff-backup
restore operation.

--
Bob Nichols     "NOSPAM" is really part of my email address.
                Do NOT delete it.