The sys admin's daily grind: iWatch
In a Minute

Recently, sys admin Charly was faced with the task of synchronizing a directory on a server with two NFS-mounted clients. He wanted the whole thing to happen quickly and to be easily manageable, which ruled out DRBD and GlusterFS.
My sync setup looks roughly like this: An application server cyclically reads values from a database, generates HTML files and some images, and dumps everything in the /source
directory. I use NFS 4 to mount the /dest1
and /dest2
directories. When any new data arrives in /source
, I want it to reach the two target directories /dest1
and /dest2
.
Simple and Been Here for Years
Because complex solutions are out of the question, actually the only option left is to dump the task on inotify subsystem's plate. Inotify has been part of the kernel since 2.6.13 and provides an interface to filesystem events for userspace programs.
Apart from incron [1], I've hardly found a use for it so far, but it should be ideal for quick syncing of directories – or at least, these were my ideas on the matter. What was missing was the right tool for the task. Some quick research brought to light two candidates: lsyncd [2] and iWatch [3], but I'll focus on iWatch here.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.