rsync drive to drive speed?

[BinaryJay]

Looking for any advice on how I might be using rsync wrong here...

Every so often I plug a secondary drive in and rsync the contents for backup. Problem is, it only copies at around 3MB/s... now, the main drive is EXT4 and the backup drive is NTFS but I double checked top while copy is in progress and it is not being CPU bottlenecked at all.

I've tried doing it forcing whole file mode, etc. but it made no difference. I can't figure out why rsync is going so slow when both of the drives are physically connected. As such, it takes freaking forever to complete the backups.

[WarheadsSE]

These are both over USB, correct? and which format is the source drive?

[BinaryJay]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('WarheadsSE', 'T')hese are both over USB, correct? and which format is the source drive?

[kmihelich]

I have seen 20-30 mbyte/sec between two plugs using gigabit, 5400rpm USB drives, ext4 formatted both sides, unencrypted transfer. Encryption shoots speeds down to around 7mbyte/sec.

[BinaryJay]

With both sides EXT4 the speed is now a still disappointing 9.5MB/s.

I know, at least, that I can read over the network from Drive A at close to 30MB/s... I guess it's plausible that the Drive B write speed just sucks but it's a WD Elite 1.5TB drive that I don't recall having any write performance issues with in the past.

Any other clues?

[kmihelich]

Be sure you're actually networked gigabit. 9.5MB/s is an awfully familiar number when hitting the top end of 100mbit.

[BinaryJay]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kmihelich', 'B')e sure you're actually networked gigabit. 9.5MB/s is an awfully familiar number when hitting the top end of 100mbit.

[kmihelich]

Yes they do. USB to USB transfers on a plug will not reach full speed.

[BinaryJay]

You know, my first instinct was that connecting everything directly to the plug would result in the fastest transfer but I guess I'll have to pull out the pocketbook and start up my HTPC which is a gigabit capable desktop linux machine and rsync over the network because I don't have any issues saturating USB2 for unidirectional transfers over the network with the plug.

[kmihelich]

Regular computers hit the same wall. When you transfer between two or more USB devices on the same hub the overall speed decreases significantly. When I go between the USB drives on two plugs over gigabit, things happen at full speed.