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Using rsync, how can I rename files when copying with the --files-from argument? I have about 190,000 files, each of which need to be renamed when copying from source to destination. I plan to have the list of files in a text file to pass to the --files-from argument.

Mark Richman
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2 Answers2

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Unfortunately I don't think rsync has any built-in renaming capability. The first workaround that comes to mind is that you could create a local mirror directory, with (renamed) symlinks to the actual data. Then you could use rsync on the mirror directory, adding the -L option ("transform symlink into referent file/dir"). You'd want to write a quick helper script to automate updating the mirrored structure, but it doesn't sound too scary.

Cascabel
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If your rename would consist of merely adding a suffix to the existing name, then you might be able to use the --backup and --suffix options to rsync.

Dennis Williamson
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