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I use rsync. Question for you (or any expert here). Is there any possible way that rsync can alter the source file (unintentionally I mean, by accident or bug)?

And what happens to an rsync file that is modified while in the middle of a transfer? [1](I haven't been able to find satisfactory answers to these questions hence the question here).

[1] Say you have a 1,000,000 line file that you are rsynch-ing and you delete line 50000 and insert at line 750000?

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Rsync opens source file in read only mode - so it has the same probability to modify a file that regular copying does. That said, the --remove-source-files option will delete source files after copying; --delete may remove destination files; and used together they drop the idempotence guarantee that rsync gives. So you have to be careful.

Re changing file - IIRC it will keep Resending until file size+mtime at end of transfer is same as in the beginning.

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