[tahoe-dev] [tahoe-lafs] #641: tahoe backup should be able to backup symlinks

[tahoe-lafs]

#641: tahoe backup should be able to backup symlinks
-------------------------------+--------------------------------------------
 Reporter:  francois           |           Owner:           
     Type:  defect             |          Status:  new      
 Priority:  minor              |       Milestone:  undecided
Component:  code-frontend-cli  |         Version:  1.3.0    
 Keywords:  tahoe-backup       |   Launchpad_bug:           
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Comment(by warner):

 I've started using 'tahoe backup' for serious personal use, so I'm
 starting
 to run into these sorts of problems. My first workaround was to hack my
 "tahoe backup" client to skip over symlinks.

 I like the idea of matching rsync's options, except that we don't have a
 way
 to record non-files yet, so we can't actually implement {{{--devices}}},
 {{{--specials}}}, or {{{--links}}}. Our current default behavior is to
 follow
 directory symlinks, but abort when we encounter a file symlink.

 If our cap-string scheme were general enough, I'd say we should create a
 cap
 type that says "here is a filecap, treat its contents as the target of a
 symlink" (just like our dircaps say "here is a filecap, treat its contents
 as
 an encoded directory table"). But that's a deeper change.. still
 appropriate
 for this ticket, which after all says "tahoe backup should be able to
 backup
 symlinks", but represents more work than I want to do right now.

 Right now, I just want to be able to use "tahoe backup" even though my
 home
 directory has a couple of symlinks in it. I'd be happy with an option to
 skip
 symlinks altogether (whether they point to files or directories), or to
 skip
 file-symlinks. And I'd be happy if we always skipped the special things
 like
 devices and sockets.. I don't have any of those in my home directory..
 they're only in /tmp/ and /dev/ and places that I'm not yet trying to back
 up.

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://allmydata.org/trac/tahoe/ticket/641#comment:8>
tahoe-lafs <http://allmydata.org>
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