J> Could you test if this problem exists with recent versions of rsync With version: 3.0.0-2 the bug it totally still there. Off it goes calling down the network wires. Only at the very end many seconds later does it discover it has no money in its wallet to pay the bill. I.e., it has no local file in the first place.
$ rsync qqq zzzz.dreamhost.com:/tmp/ccc rsync: link_stat "/tmp/qqq" failed: No such file or directory (2) rsync error: some files could not be transferred (code 23) at main.c(1060) [sender=3.0.0] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]