Run rsync Service Only When Needed By Using xinetd

linux
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Why Not Use Rsyncd Service Directly

We do not need rsyncd keep running and cost our precious memory, in fact most of us only use it once in a while for backup.

So we need a way to keep our sync service on without the rsyncd process.

What Is Xinetd

xinetd is a service that can open network based services only when they are connected.

When xinetd listens to a port, while the traffic comes in, xinetd could launch the real service program and transfer traffic to it.

How to Config xinetd Work With rsync

We can create a file /etc/xinetd.d/rsync filled with codes below.

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service rsync
{
        disable         = no
        socket_type     = stream
        wait            = no
        user            = rsync
        server          = /usr/bin/rsync
        server_args     = --daemon
        log_on_failure  += USERID
}

Tips:

Other configs in /etc/rsyncd.conf and /etc/rsyncd.pass are just like what they were when you are using rsyncd service.