# Unix: alternatives to "rdist"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unix-alternatives-to-rdist/374410>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 27, 2006, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unix-alternatives-to-rdist/374410 "2006-09-27T20:12:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unix-alternatives-to-rdist/374410/1 "2006-09-27T20:12:01Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![acaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5ac83/32.png) [@acaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acaos)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unix-alternatives-to-rdist/374410/2 "2006-09-27T20:45:51Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unix-alternatives-to-rdist/374410/3 "2006-09-27T21:07:19Z")

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Nope. From the man page:

> [@](#):
>
> ```
> Note that in all cases (other than listing) at least one of the source and destination paths must be local.
> 
> ```

Any other good tools out there?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![acaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5ac83/32.png) [@acaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acaos)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unix-alternatives-to-rdist/374410/4 "2006-09-27T21:13:06Z")

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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.

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**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unix-alternatives-to-rdist/374410/5 "2006-09-27T22:20:30Z")

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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).