ITPUB

Nov 2, 2026 · Fundamentals

How rsync Solved the Remote Delta Sync Deadlock with Rolling Checksums

The article explains how the rsync algorithm, invented in 1996, enables efficient remote file synchronization by using rolling checksums and strong hashes to detect matching blocks without transferring entire files, overcoming the deadlock of needing to compare files to find differences but needing to transfer files to compare.