--append-verify option does not work if destination file is symlink with the same name

[KES777]

sudo rsync -e "ssh -v -i /key" -i --delete -xaXAv --copy-devices -D --append-verify --partial --inplace --progress /dev/sdc 'user@IP:/path/sdc'

The device size is around 2TB, only ~700Gb was copied and upload was interrupted.

+ sudo rsync -e 'ssh -v -i /key' -i --delete -xaXAv --copy-devices -D --append-verify --partial --inplace --progress /dev/sdc 'user@IP:/path/sdc'
OpenSSH_7.6p1 Ubuntu-4ubuntu0.7, OpenSSL 1.0.2n  7 Dec 2017
debug1: Reading configuration data /etc/ssh/ssh_config
debug1: /etc/ssh/ssh_config line 19: Applying options for *
debug1: Connecting to IP.
debug1: Connection established.
debug1: permanently_set_uid: 0/0
debug1: identity file /key type 0
debug1: key_load_public: No such file or directory
debug1: identity file /key type -1
debug1: Local version string SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_7.6p1 Ubuntu-4ubuntu0.7
debug1: Remote protocol version 2.0, remote software version OpenSSH_8.9p1 Ubuntu-3ubuntu0.10
debug1: match: OpenSSH_8.9p1 Ubuntu-3ubuntu0.10 pat OpenSSH* compat 0x04000000
debug1: Authenticating to IP as 'user'
debug1: SSH2_MSG_KEXINIT sent
debug1: SSH2_MSG_KEXINIT received
debug1: kex: algorithm: curve25519-sha256
debug1: kex: host key algorithm: ecdsa-sha2-nistp256
debug1: kex: server->client cipher: [email protected] MAC: <implicit> compression: none
debug1: kex: client->server cipher: [email protected] MAC: <implicit> compression: none
debug1: expecting SSH2_MSG_KEX_ECDH_REPLY
debug1: Server host key: ecdsa-sha2-nistp256 SHA256:rWALoneYnCm+kPbU6RwT7JihyY4C8TBuKGZEJsRxjJo
debug1: Host 'IP' is known and matches the ECDSA host key.
debug1: Found key in /root/.ssh/known_hosts:2
debug1: rekey after 134217728 blocks
debug1: SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS sent
debug1: expecting SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS
debug1: SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS received
debug1: rekey after 134217728 blocks
debug1: SSH2_MSG_EXT_INFO received
debug1: kex_input_ext_info: server-sig-algs=<ssh-ed25519,[email protected],ssh-rsa,rsa-sha2-256,rsa-sha2-512,ssh-dss,ecdsa-sha2-nistp256,ecdsa-sha2-nistp384,ecdsa-sha2-nistp521,[email protected],[email protected]>
debug1: kex_input_ext_info: [email protected] (unrecognised)
debug1: SSH2_MSG_SERVICE_ACCEPT received
debug1: Authentications that can continue: publickey
debug1: Next authentication method: publickey
debug1: Offering public key: RSA SHA256:/lsv49OK5zD5IBA6W0dRNSsUcDu01VAfD8VWm4akhxo /key
debug1: Server accepts key: pkalg rsa-sha2-512 blen 279
debug1: Authentication succeeded (publickey).
Authenticated to IP
debug1: channel 0: new [client-session]
debug1: Requesting [email protected]
debug1: Entering interactive session.
debug1: pledge: network
debug1: client_input_global_request: rtype [email protected] want_reply 0
debug1: Remote: /xxx:1: key options: agent-forwarding port-forwarding pty user-rc x11-forwarding
debug1: Remote: /xxx:1: key options: agent-forwarding port-forwarding pty user-rc x11-forwarding
debug1: Sending environment.
debug1: Sending env LC_MEASUREMENT = uk_UA.UTF-8
debug1: Sending env LC_PAPER = uk_UA.UTF-8
debug1: Sending env LC_MONETARY = uk_UA.UTF-8
debug1: Sending env LANG = en_US.UTF-8
debug1: Sending env LC_NAME = uk_UA.UTF-8
debug1: Sending env LC_ADDRESS = uk_UA.UTF-8
debug1: Sending env LC_NUMERIC = uk_UA.UTF-8
debug1: Sending env LC_MESSAGES = en_US.UTF-8
debug1: Sending env LC_TELEPHONE = uk_UA.UTF-8
debug1: Sending env LC_IDENTIFICATION = uk_UA.UTF-8
debug1: Sending env LC_TIME = en_US.UTF-8
debug1: Sending command: rsync --server -vlogDtpAXrxe.iLsfxC --log-format=%i --delete --append --append --copy-devices . /path/sdc
sending incremental file list
debug1: client_input_channel_req: channel 0 rtype exit-status reply 0
debug1: client_input_channel_req: channel 0 rtype [email protected] reply 0
debug1: channel 0: free: client-session, nchannels 1
debug1: fd 0 clearing O_NONBLOCK
debug1: fd 1 clearing O_NONBLOCK
Transferred: sent 3540, received 3164 bytes, in 1.3 seconds
Bytes per second: sent 2769.4, received 2475.3
debug1: Exit status 0

sent 57 bytes  received 12 bytes  19.71 bytes/sec
total size is 0  speedup is 0.00

The same happened with --append.

I suppose this happens because rsync checks /path/sdc which is symlink. It is less in size than the destination file thus rsync exits.

I expect that /path/sdc/sdc should be checked instead of /path/sdc.