Re: [rdiff-backup-users] --include-symbolic-links

[R. David Murray]

A quick look at the code reveals that --include-symbolic-links is just
the mirror option to --exclude-symbolic-links, and is just part of the
include/exclude file selection machinery.  That is, you can choose to
never back up symlink files by using --exclude-symbolic-links.  Why you
would ever want to use --include-symbolic-links is a good question,
since they will be picked up just like normal files in a regular include.

There doesn't appear to be a mechanism to request that rdiff-backup
_follow_ symbolic links.  I believe that to back up the linked directories
you will have to include them using their real path name.  But the symlink
is still going to point to the original filesystem.  In other words,
rdiff-backup is doing a literal copy of the symlink, so that if copied
back it will still be pointing to where it was originally pointing.
The symlink itself is the data being backed up when it is encountered.

--David