rsync - Dec 2003 - include directory, exclude contents

I'm using a simple client/server backup pull model

rsync -a --delete -e ssh --exclude-from=$exclude path/$client.exclude \
   ${client}-rsync:/ $path/$client

but can't seem to find the right 'exclude' combination to fetch
certain
directories but not their contents.  Unfortunately this was found during a 
recent major restore where the excluded directories had to be manually 
recreated.

After more than 30 dry runs using variations in leading/trailing slash plus 
wild cards, such as:

+ .ccache/
- .ccache/**

or:

+ /cdrom/
- /cdrom/*

I get either no directory or (directory + contents), but not (directory - 
contents).  I have looked back from current till Oct. 02 but can not find 
an example of anyone wanting to do this.

Debug didn't make much sense as the exclude scan seems not to recognize an 
include (unless this is just syntax):

add_exclude(/.ccache/,exclude)
add_exclude(+ .ccache/**,exclude)

Thanks,
Tim.

Forgot to mention this:

server:  rsync version 2.5.4  protocol version 26
clients: rsync version 2.4.6  protocol version 24

Also I found this at http://rsync.samba.org/fom-serve/cache/93.html:

   How do I use rsync to replicate a directory structure without
   copying any files?

   rsync -av --include '*/' --exclude '*' source-dir dest-dir

How would you apply this include/exclude pair for a specific directory? 
FOr example,  every time a directory named 'tmp' shows up no matter
where
it is in the tree?

Thanks,
Tim.

tim wrote:
> I'm using a simple client/server backup pull model
> 
> rsync -a --delete -e ssh --exclude-from=$exclude path/$client.exclude \
>   ${client}-rsync:/ $path/$client
> 
> but can't seem to find the right 'exclude' combination to fetch
certain
> directories but not their contents.  Unfortunately this was found during 
> a recent major restore where the excluded directories had to be manually 
> recreated.
> 
> After more than 30 dry runs using variations in leading/trailing slash 
> plus wild cards, such as:
> 
> + .ccache/
> - .ccache/**
> 
> or:
> 
> + /cdrom/
> - /cdrom/*
> 
> I get either no directory or (directory + contents), but not (directory 
> - contents).  I have looked back from current till Oct. 02 but can not 
> find an example of anyone wanting to do this.
> 
> Debug didn't make much sense as the exclude scan seems not to recognize
> an include (unless this is just syntax):
> 
> add_exclude(/.ccache/,exclude)
> add_exclude(+ .ccache/**,exclude)
> 
> Thanks,
> Tim.
>