The RSYNC error: exit code 12 error is frequently displayed when there’s an issue with file transfers using rsync. For the uninitiated, rsync is a fast and extraordinarily versatile tool for copying and synchronizing files across computers, both locally and remotely. It is widely used in the Linux and Unix community for backups and mirroring because of its speed and its many features.
RSYNC error: exit code 12 is a common error that represents an error in rsync protocol data stream. This often happens due to a network interruption or an unexpected data format encountered during the file transfer process. Here are some steps you can follow to resolve it:
1. Check Your Network Connection: Start off by checking your network connection. This is because rsync typically relies on a stable network connection to transfer files between systems. If there’s an issue with your network, it might be causing this error. Try to ensure your network is consistently stable and that your router firewall isn’t blocking rsync.
1. Check the Syntax: An error in your rsync command syntax is another common reason you may be having this problem. Check your command to ensure that all options are correctly spelled and properly placed. The general syntax of rsync commands is `rsync options source destination`.
1. Check the Rsync Version: Sometimes, this error could be down to an incompatibility issue due to a difference in rsync versions on different systems. If you are using different versions of rsync on your local and remote systems, try updating both to the latest version. You can do that by using the `yum update rsync -y` command on CentOS based distributions or the `apt-get install rsync -y` command on Debian based distributions.
1. Increase verbosity with -v option: You could increase verbosity with the -v option (`rsync -arvuz source-folder/ destination-folder/`) to get more info about what’s going on, which might guide you to the solution.
1. Check for Disk Space: The error could also occur if the destination does not have enough space to store the files. Therefore, ensure to check the disk space on both source and destination machines.
1. Try a Different Method: If your error persists, it might be time to try a different method of file transfer. For example, you could use scp (Secure Copy), which is a method of copying files from one machine to another in a secure manner.
These methods were synthesized based on inputs from websites like StackOverflow [1], where common solutions to the problem were gathered from experienced users, Unix & Linux StackExchange [2], and rsync official man site [3].
Sources:
