CentOS

I'm transferring 1.7 TB using Rsync, but it keeps grabbing WAY more data. All the data is in one directory, and I'm copying it over to another directory . . . . I let the destination reach 5TB before I stopped it. I'm using switches a u r v l H and --delete.

Any advice?

Sparse files? -S option perhaps?

What is your rsync command line exactly.

One possibility is that there are files that are assigned size. As an example, in zimbra, if you want to use rsync, you have to exclude ldap, otherwise the destination size is much bigger than the source. Because one file in ldap is assigned a size.

Not sure whether your case is similar. Just give you a reminder.