Backup & Recovery (Rsync/Tar/Dd)

Stop rsync from filling your disk with partial transfers

🧩 The Challenge

You finally get that massive multi-terabyte rsync job running, only to have the network blip out halfway through and leave you with a bunch of corrupted, half-baked files. Waking up to find your backup target is a mess of partial data is enough to make anyone quit the industry.

💡 The Fix

Use the partial flag combined with a dedicated directory to stash those incomplete files until the transfer actually succeeds. It turns a total failure into a minor annoyance that picks up right where it left off.

rsync -av --partial-dir=.rsync-partial source/ destination/

⚙️ Why It Works

By default, rsync deletes the partial file if the transfer drops, but redirecting them to a hidden folder keeps the data intact so your next run can just resume the transfer rather than starting the whole painful process over.

🚀 Pro-Tip: Always add –inplace if your destination is a high-latency network mount to save yourself from massive I/O overhead.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 9/2/2026