Backup & Recovery (Rsync/Tar/Dd)

Stop rsync from choking when it hits files currently being modified

🧩 The Challenge

You ever try to rsync a live database or a logging directory only to have the process puke because a file changed mid-read? I’ve lost half a morning trying to track down why a transfer failed halfway through because some log file rotated under my feet.

💡 The Fix

Use the –inplace flag to tell rsync to write the new data directly to the existing file instead of creating a temp file and swapping it. This stops the constant re-transferring of giant files that are just getting appended to.

rsync -av --inplace --partial /source/directory/ /destination/directory/

⚙️ Why It Works

By skipping the write-and-rename dance, you stop hitting those “file has vanished” errors that happen when the source file changes while rsync is still debating what to do with it.

🚀 Pro-Tip: Always include –partial so you don’t have to restart the whole transfer when your network inevitably hiccups.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 7/17/2026