rsync and "._ " – fonts ‘disappearing’

[xdavid]

OS X Server 10.4.6.
I’m using the OS X rsync, with the -E extended attributes option, to routinely clone the system.

(Actually, this patched build of it, which elliminates some of the errors…
http://www.lartmaker.nl/rsync/
…but that should not affect the following…)

Under the -E option, rsync splits off any resource fork, prefixing it with “._” and then ‘joining’ it back after transfer.

However, a standard server installation puts the following files into /System/Library/Fonts…

[code]-rw-r–r– 1 root wheel 181886 Mar 20 2005 ._HelveLTMM
-rw-r–r– 1 root wheel 19555 Mar 20 2005 ._Helvetica LT MM
-rw-r–r– 1 root wheel 28102 Mar 20 2005 ._Times LT MM
-rw-r–r– 1 root wheel 208576 Mar 20 2005 ._TimesLTMM
-rw-r–r– 1 root wheel 0 Mar 28 2005 HelveLTMM
-rw-r–r– 1 root wheel 0 Mar 28 2005 Helvetica LT MM
-rw-r–r– 1 root wheel 0 Mar 28 2005 Times LT MM
-rw-r–r– 1 root wheel 0 Mar 28 2005 TimesLTMM[/code]

with the result that rsync gives an error code 24 (Partial transfer due to vanished source files) and does NOT copy across the ‘._’ fonts, which appear to be the ‘real’ font files, whereas the null sized font files DO get carried across.

Just to clarify, the following files get copied across to the clone…

[code]-rw-r–r– 1 root wheel 0 Mar 28 2005 HelveLTMM
-rw-r–r– 1 root wheel 0 Mar 28 2005 Helvetica LT MM
-rw-r–r– 1 root wheel 0 Mar 28 2005 Times LT MM
-rw-r–r– 1 root wheel 0 Mar 28 2005 TimesLTMM[/code]

So, first question… anyone know what are those fonts (e.g. ._TimesLTMM) doing there in the first place?

Could I just rename them to the ‘real’ names, and therefore get rid of the rsync errors, and copy across the fonts properly?

Ta.

-david

[xdavid]

Thanks, macshome, but the problem is not with recreating the resource forks. The problem seems to be that a standard install of the server actually creates the 4 system font files starting with the ._ chars. Rsync does not expect to find these prefixing ‘real’ files and so (somehow) creates an error message about “disappearing” files, and does NOT copy them to the remote clone.
I confirmed that these files actually get created on a brand new install of 10.4. No other files get created by a new install with the ._ prefix.
Why does the system create only these four font files prefixed with these chars? And then similar named font files (without the ._ ) which are zero size?
-david

[xdavid]

It was maybe a mistake putting this query in with rsync/backup, since it seems to be about why Apple install four ._ fonts in System/Library/Fonts.

Anyway, out of curiosity I ran FixupResourceForks on the System Fonts folder and the four ._ fonts were deleted. The other four ‘normal’ fonts (of similar name but without the ._ ) remained as zero size files so I don’t know what the ._ fonts were doing there – maybe a left-over error in the installation package?

I also noticed that there are zero size (0B) font files in /Library/Fonts – I guess I’m going to have to do a bit more reading on font files and figure out why some of them are zero bytes in size but still appear to work…

-david

[xdavid]

[QUOTE][u]Quote by: macshome[/u]

these are old skool PostScript fonts and they keep all their data in the resource fork.

[/QUOTE]
Aaah, makes sense now!
And thanks for the link!
-david

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