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Re: rsync 3.0.4 over ssh hanging on cygwin 1.7


On 19 Nov 2008 09:54:41 EST, Christopher Faylor wrote:
> On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 07:24:33AM -0500, Brett Serkez wrote:
> >I spent considerable time on this and reported were the problem is
> >occurring to no avail, don't waste your time.  In a nutshell the issue
> >is with Cygwin's bi-directional pipe emulation, this is a fundamental
> >feature of all UNIXies.  Secure Shell "forks and execs" rsync,
> >connecting standard out and in so that data flows over the internet
> >to/from SSH and then locally to/from rsync.  The problem is that
> >eventually a "signal" is missed and SSH and rsync deadlock, the local
> >pipe emulation is imperfect, and the rsync protocol has no provision to
> >recover from this dead lock.
> >
> >A fix would require a change to this fundamental feature of Cygwin, it
> >is not clear to me that Windows has the necessary functionality to
> >properly implement, such a fix would require extensive retesting.
> 
> Your analysis of the problem is likely incorrect.  The problem has been
> reported to be due to the fact that there is no foolproof way in Windows
> to tell when a pipe can be written to in a non-blocking fashion.  Since
> that fact hasn't changed, I doubt that this has anything to do with
> missed "signal"s and it certainly doesn't have anything to do with
> bidirectional pipes.
> 
> Nevertheless, the problem is still there and as always PGA.  I have
> spent a considerable amount of time staring at the code and googling for
> a solution but to no avail.

Sounds like solving the root of problem may be beyond our control for now.
But, as an alternative, do you think that a cygwin specific workaround to
this problem in rsync (and/or sshd) might be feasible?  If so, would you
have any suggestions on how to approach that task?

Obviously the ideal solution would be to get the underlying problem fixed
in windows, especially since there's no reason other programs won't run
into the same issue.  But since the cygwin+sshd+rsync combo is quite
useful, it shows this problem regularly, and the alternatives aren't
great, having a specific workaround would be nice.  Even if it means
trading off performance and/or convenience for correct functionality.

Herb.

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