rsync-3.4.4

[Bruce Dubbs]

New point version.

[Joe Locash]

# NEWS for rsync 3.4.4 (8 Jun 2026)

## Changes in this version:

This is a conservative point release that backports regression fixes
on top of 3.4.3.  No new features are included.

### BUG FIXES:

- Honour a relative alt-basis directory (e.g. `--link-dest=../sibling`,
  `--copy-dest`, `--compare-dest`) on a daemon receiver running with
  `use chroot = no`.  Such a path is re-anchored at the module root but
  was then rejected by the receiver's secure open; it now works where
  kernel-enforced confinement is available.  See the PORTABILITY note
  below for the platform limitation.  Fixes #915.

- sender: open a module-root-absolute path for a `path = /` module so a
  daemon serving the filesystem root can satisfy absolute request
  paths again.  Fixes #897.

- flist: accept the missing-args mode-0 entry in recv_file_entry.
  Fixes #910.

- receiver: fix a false "failed verification -- update discarded" when
  resuming a delta transfer with an absolute `--partial-dir`.

- receiver: fix a NULL dereference on the delta discard path.

- generator: cap the block s2length at the negotiated checksum length.

- main: fix `--mkpath` with `--dry-run` for a file-to-file copy.
  Fixes #880.

- daemon: un-backslash escaped option args.  Fixes #829.

- token: drain the matched-block insert deflate.  Fixes #951.

- Fix the "update skips a file of a different type" case and the
  daemon upload delete stats.

- alloc: revert "zero all new memory from allocations".  Fixes #959.

- Always clear the stat buffer and validate nanoseconds before use.

### PORTABILITY / BUILD:

- The relative alt-basis fix for daemon receivers (#915) relies on
  kernel "stay below dirfd" path resolution -- `openat2(RESOLVE_BENEATH)`
  on Linux 5.6+, or `openat()` with `O_RESOLVE_BENEATH` on FreeBSD 13+
  and macOS 15+.  On platforms that lack it (Solaris, OpenBSD, NetBSD,
  Cygwin and older Linux) `secure_relative_open()` deliberately rejects
  any path with a `..` component, so relative alt-basis directories
  remain unavailable there -- function traded for safety, matching the
  trade-off already documented for the #715 fix.  Absolute alt-basis
  paths are unaffected on every platform.

- openat2 is now autodetected at configure time (HAVE_OPENAT2): the
  `openat2(RESOLVE_BENEATH)` resolver is compiled in only when both
  `<linux/openat2.h>` and the `SYS_openat2` syscall number are present,
  fixing the build on older kernels/headers.  Fixes #924, #905, #900,
  #904.

- Fall back to do_mknod() when mknodat() / mkfifoat() are unavailable.
  Fixes #896.

- Install generated manpages correctly in an out-of-tree build.

### DEVELOPER RELATED:

- Added a CI workflow that builds this stable branch and runs the
  `v34-stable-testsuite` regression suite against the built binary,
  giving regression coverage without importing the full master test
  suite into the stable branch.

- Added a check-progs target for fleettest and extended the build
  workflows to run on `*-stable` release branches.

Fixed at 08c68a0be7.