rsync - Nov 2002 - rsync and the file's mtime

I'm trying to write a script that runs rsync to pull files and then
detect which ones of them have changed.  The problem is when I run rsync
without the -t flag the mtime gets updated every run, not only when the
file changes.  It this a bug, by design, or un-avoidable? 

My plan was to use the -N bash file test operator to check to see if the
file had been accessed since it have been modified.  But with the mtime
always getting updated it always returns true.

Is there any way to make rsync behave as desired? If not, how else can I
detect which files have changed?

-- 
Jeff Bearer, RHCE
Webmaster, PittsburghLIVE.com
Winner 2002 Eppy Award, Best U.S. Newspaper Website

On Sun, Nov 24, 2002 at 05:46:06AM -0500, Jeff Bearer
wrote:
> I'm trying to write a script that runs rsync to pull files and then
> detect which ones of them have changed.  The problem is when I run rsync
> without the -t flag the mtime gets updated every run, not only when the
> file changes.  It this a bug, by design, or un-avoidable? 
By design -- "man rsync" and read the "-t" option
description.
> Is there any way to make rsync behave as desired?
Yeah, and you mentioned it in your problem description.  Is there a
reason why you can't use "-t"?

- Adrian