Unix: alternatives to "rdist"

Factual Questions
1

I’ve got to sync to servers in different cities. Both servers are behind firewalls and the rules won’t let one talk to the other.

For our non-firewalled systems, we’re using rdist, tunneled via ssh, to distribute files. The problem with rdist is that the source server must be where the rdist command runs.

I need something like rdist that will behave a little more like scp, where a third server can transfer files between two others, eg: host3> scp host1@/path host2@path.

…if host3 is trusted by 1 & 2, then I’m golden.

Ideas, please? Our network guys are loath to punch port 22 between these two LAN segments.

2

I suggest looking into rsync - it should be able to do what you want if you have a third host trusted by the other two.

3

Nope. From the man page:

Any other good tools out there?

4

Does it cause a problem to have local system C, and then sync A->C and then C->B when you want to sync A->B?

I’ve done something similar in the past when I had two remote systems that had no tunnel between them.

5

It would work but it’s ugly and takes storage up on the intermediate machine.

I’m lobbying for the new rule to allow SSH between host pairs (there’s 4 pairs).