rsync/testsuite/COVERAGE.md

rsync option / daemon-parameter test coverage matrix

Living checklist for the test-coverage effort that precedes the path-handling restructure of rsync's path resolution. The restructure rewrites parent-directory resolution for essentially every option, so the goal here is a regression net that exercises each option at directory depth (≥3 levels) and, where the option spans trees, across directory boundaries, asserting the specific property the option controls — not just dest == src.

How to read the columns:

• test(s) — the testsuite/*_test.py that exercise the option. Tests added by this effort are marked *new*.
• depth — Y = asserted on entries ≥3 levels deep; ~ = exercised only at/near the tree root; n/a = not a path-resolution option.
• x-dir — Y = exercised with the relevant aux tree (temp/backup/dest/partial) outside the main tree; — = not a cross-directory option.
• gap — what is still missing.

Status legend: ✓ property asserted · ~ shallow / by an existing ported test · ✗ no coverage.

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Command-line options

Recursion / structure

option	test(s)	depth	x-dir	notes / gap
-a, --archive	(all)	Y	—	✓ ubiquitous
-r, --recursive	hands, delete-deepnew	Y	—	✓
-R, --relative	relative, relative-impliednew	Y	—	✓ implied-dir attrs at depth
--no-implied-dirs	relative-impliednew	Y	—	✓ (proto 30+; proto 29 rejects multi-component path)
--inc-recursive / --no-inc-recursive	hardlinks	Y	—	~ exercised, not isolated
-d, --dirs	dirsnew	Y	—	✓ no-recurse top layer
--old-dirs / --old-d	—	—	—	✗
-m, --prune-empty-dirs	prune-empty-dirsnew	Y	—	✓ incl. filter-emptied chains

Links

option	test(s)	depth	x-dir	notes / gap
-l, --links	linksnew, symlink-ignore	Y	—	✓
-L, --copy-links	linksnew	Y	—	✓ deref file+dir
-k, --copy-dirlinks	linksnew	Y	—	✓ follow dir-symlink
-K, --keep-dirlinks	symlink-dirlink-basis	Y	—	✓ #715; skips on no-RESOLVE_BENEATH / --disable-openat2
-H, --hard-links	hardlinks, hardlinks-deepnew	Y	Y	✓ cross-directory hardlink
--copy-unsafe-links	unsafe-links	~	—	~
--safe-links	safe-links	~	—	~
--munge-links	(daemon-mungenew covers the daemon param)	—	—	~ client option not isolated; local mode is a near no-op

Metadata / permissions / ownership

option	test(s)	depth	x-dir	notes / gap
-p, --perms	metadata-depthnew	Y	—	✓ exact modes per entry
-E, --executability	executability	~	—	~
--chmod	metadata-depthnew, chmod-option	Y	—	✓
-A, --acls	acls, acls-depthnew	Y	—	✓
-X, --xattrs	xattrs, xattrs-depthnew	Y	—	✓
-t, --times	metadata-depthnew	Y	—	✓
-U, --atimes	atimes	~	—	~ (same set path as -t, covered deep)
--open-noatime	open-noatime	~	—	~
-N, --crtimes	crtimes	~	—	~ (skips without crtimes support)
-O, --omit-dir-times	omit-timesnew	Y	—	✓
-J, --omit-link-times	omit-timesnew	Y	—	✓
-o, --owner	chown, ownership-depthnew	Y	—	✓ uid map root-gated
-g, --group	chgrp, ownership-depthnew	Y	—	✓ group remap non-root
--super / --fake-super	chown, chown-fake	~	—	~
--numeric-ids	—	—	—	✗ client; daemon numeric ids also ✗
--usermap / --groupmap	ownership-depthnew	Y	—	✓ groupmap non-root; usermap root-gated
--chown	ownership-depthnew	Y	—	✓ group half
-D / --devices / --specials	devices, devices-fake	~	—	~ root/device-gated
--copy-devices / --write-devices	—	—	—	✗ device-gated
-S, --sparse	sparsenew	Y	—	✓ hole preserved at depth

Delta / temp / backup / dest (highest restructure risk)

option	test(s)	depth	x-dir	notes / gap
-T, --temp-dir	temp-dirnew, chmod-temp-dir	Y	Y	✓ cross-dir rename
--partial	partialnew	Y	—	✓ partial kept in dest file
--partial-dir	partialnew, symlink-dirlink-basis	Y	Y	✓ relative (in-tree) + absolute (outside), incl. delta resume from an absolute outside-tree partial
--delay-updates	delay-updates, delay-updates-deepnew	Y	—	✓ per-dir staging
--inplace	inplacenew, alt-dest	Y	—	✓ inode preserved
--append / --append-verify	appendnew	Y	—	✓ verify split is proto 30+
-b, --backup / --backup-dir / --suffix	backup, backup-deepnew	Y	Y	✓
--compare-dest / --copy-dest / --link-dest	alt-dest, alt-dest-deepnew	Y	Y	✓ link=hardlink, copy=copy, compare=skip
-y, --fuzzy	fuzzy	~	—	~
-u, --update	updatenew	Y	—	✓ keeps newer dest, updates older
-W, --whole-file	(used widely; --no-whole-file ubiquitous)	n/a	—	~
--mkpath	mkpath	~	—	~
-x, --one-file-system	—	—	—	✗ (needs a mount boundary)
--preallocate / --fsync	—	—	—	✗
-B, --block-size	—	—	—	✗
--max-alloc	—	—	—	✗

Filtering

option	test(s)	depth	x-dir	notes / gap
-f, --filter / -F	filter-depthnew, merge	Y	—	✓ deep per-dir merge
--exclude / --include	filter-depthnew, exclude, exclude-lsh	Y	—	✓
--exclude-from / --include-from	files-from-depthnew	Y	—	✓
-C, --cvs-exclude	cvs-excludenew	Y	—	✓ incl. deep .cvsignore
--files-from	files-from-depthnew	Y	—	✓
-0, --from0	files-from-depthnew	Y	—	✓
--max-size / --min-size	size-filternew	Y	—	✓
--existing / --ignore-existing	delete-deepnew	Y	—	✓
--ignore-missing-args / --delete-missing-args	—	—	—	✗

Deletion

option	test(s)	depth	x-dir	notes / gap
--delete / --del	delete, delete-deepnew	Y	—	✓ deep subtree
--delete-before/during/delay/after	delete-deepnew	Y	—	✓ all four agree
--delete-excluded	delete	~	—	~
--max-delete	delete-deepnew	Y	—	✓ caps deletions
--remove-source-files	delete	~	—	~
--force	updatenew	Y	—	✓ replaces a non-empty dir with a file
--ignore-errors	—	—	—	✗ (client; daemon ignore errors also ✗)

Comparison / checksum / compression

option	test(s)	depth	x-dir	notes / gap
-c, --checksum	comparenew	Y	—	✓ catches stealth change
-I, --ignore-times	comparenew	Y	—	✓
--size-only	comparenew	Y	—	✓
-@, --modify-window	comparenew	Y	—	✓
--checksum-choice / --checksum-seed	compress-optionsnew	Y	—	✓ every advertised algo
-z, --compress	daemon-gzip-{up,down}load, daemon-refuse-compress	~	—	~
--compress-choice / --compress-level / --skip-compress	compress-optionsnew	Y	—	✓

Output / reporting (path-irrelevant — checked for output shape)

option	test(s)	notes / gap
-i, --itemize-changes	output-optionsnew, itemize	✓
-n, --dry-run	output-optionsnew	✓
--stats	output-optionsnew	✓
--out-format	output-optionsnew	✓
--list-only	output-optionsnew	✓
-q, --quiet	output-optionsnew	✓
--progress / -P	output-optionsnew	✓ (--progress)
-h, --human-readable / -8, --8-bit-output	output-optionsnew	✓ smoke
--version / --help	output-optionsnew	✓
--info / --debug / --stderr / --no-motd / --outbuf	—	✗
-M, --remote-option / --log-file / --log-file-format	—	✗ (daemon log file covered)

Batch / connection / misc

option	test(s)	notes / gap
--write-batch / --only-write-batch / --read-batch	batch-mode	~
-e, --rsh / --rsync-path	ssh-basic, many	~
--protocol	check29 / check30 (whole suite)	✓
--address / --port	daemon tests under --use-tcp	~
--password-file	daemon-authnew	✓
--early-input / daemon early exec	—	✗
--sockopts / --blocking-io / --timeout / --contimeout	—	✗
-4/-6, --ipv4/--ipv6	—	✗
--stop-after / --stop-at	—	✗
--bwlimit	partialnew (used, not asserted)	~
--copy-as	—	✗ root-gated
--iconv	—	✗
-s/--secluded-args, --old-args, --trust-sender	(default arg-protection exercised)	~

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Daemon (rsyncd.conf) parameters

parameter	test(s)	notes / gap
path	daemon-accessnew, all daemon tests	✓ incl. deep sub-path
read only	daemon-accessnew, daemon	✓
write only	daemon-accessnew	✓
list	daemon-accessnew, daemon	✓ hidden-but-usable
use chroot	sender-flist-symlink-leak, daemon-chroot-acl	~ (no=most tests; yes needs root)
munge symlinks	daemon-mungenew	✓ /rsyncd-munged/ add+strip
exclude / include	daemon-filternew, daemon	✓ exclude
filter / exclude from / include from	—	✗ (exclude covers the mechanism)
incoming chmod	daemon-filternew, chmod-option	✓
outgoing chmod	daemon-filternew	✓
auth users / secrets file	daemon-authnew	✓ accept/reject/unauth
strict modes	daemon-authnew	✓ rejects world-readable secrets
refuse options	daemon-refusenew, daemon-refuse-compress	✓ named/wildcard/allow-list
pre-xfer exec / post-xfer exec	daemon-execnew	✓ env + abort
early exec	—	✗ (needs --early-input)
hosts allow / hosts deny	daemon (allow), daemon-chroot-acl (deny)	~ (needs --use-tcp for real peer)
reverse lookup / forward lookup	daemon-chroot-acl	~ reverse only
log file / transfer logging / log format	daemon	~ set, not asserted
max verbosity	daemon	~
comment	daemon, daemon-accessnew	✓
numeric ids	—	✗ (hard to observe non-root)
fake super	chown-fake (client side)	✗ as daemon param
timeout / max connections / lock file	—	✗ (need --use-tcp + concurrency)
temp dir / open noatime / ignore errors / ignore nonreadable	—	✗
charset / name converter / dont compress	—	✗
uid / gid / daemon uid / daemon gid / daemon chroot	build_rsyncd_conf (uid/gid when root), daemon-chroot-acl	~ root-gated
motd file / pid file / port / address / socket options / listen backlog / proxy protocol / syslog facility / syslog tag	—	✗ (server-startup/connection params)

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Known gaps worth a future pass

• Connection/timeout params (--timeout, --contimeout, daemon timeout, max connections) need a real socket + concurrency (run under --use-tcp).
• Root-only behaviours (-o/--usermap uid remap, real devices, use chroot = yes, daemon uid/gid) skip as non-root; run the suite as root to cover.
• --ignore-errors, -x/--one-file-system, --numeric-ids have no dedicated test yet (lower restructure risk).