How to Install lsyncd on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

lsyncd is an rsync-based tool that monitors specified directories (including subdirectories) for updates and modifications, then syncs those changes to a specified destination.

• These instructions are intended specifically for installing the lsyncd on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS.
• I’ll be working from a Liquid Web Core Managed Ubuntu 12.04 LTS server, and I’ll be logged in as root.

First, you’ll follow a simple best practice: ensuring the list of available packages is up to date before installing anything new.

apt-get -y update

Then let’s install lsyncd and any required packages:

apt-get -y install lsyncd

Example configuration files can be found in the following directory:

cd /usr/share/doc/lsyncd/examples

A basic configuration can be found in lrsync.lua:

/usr/share/doc/lsyncd/examples/lrsync.lua

For a refresher on editing files with vim see: New User Tutorial: Overview of the Vim Text Editor

To view or edit lrsync.lua:

vim /usr/share/doc/lsyncd/examples/lrsync.lua

The lsyncd configuration file is written in the programming language Lua. Learn more about Lua here: http://www.lua.org/docs.html