--- generator.c	14 Oct 2005 20:16:09 -0000	1.225
+++ generator.c	17 Oct 2005 23:08:22 -0000
@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@ extern struct file_list *the_file_list;
 extern struct filter_list_struct server_filter_list;
 
 static int deletion_count = 0; /* used to implement --max-delete */
+static int can_link_symlinks = 1; /* start out optimistic */
+static int can_link_devices = 1;
 
 
 static int is_backup_file(char *fn)
@@ -585,6 +587,42 @@ void check_for_finished_hlinks(int itemi
 	}
 }
 
+static int try_link_dest(struct file_struct *file, char *fname, int ndx,
+			 int itemizing, int *possible_ptr)
+{
+	char fnamebuf[MAXPATHLEN], lnk[MAXPATHLEN];
+	STRUCT_STAT st;
+	int len, i = 0;
+
+	do {
+		pathjoin(fnamebuf, MAXPATHLEN, basis_dir[i], fname);
+		if (link_stat(fnamebuf, &st, 0) < 0 || S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)
+		 || !unchanged_attrs(file, &st))
+			continue;
+		if (S_ISLNK(file->mode)) {
+			if ((len = readlink(fnamebuf, lnk, MAXPATHLEN-1)) <= 0)
+				continue;
+			lnk[len] = '\0';
+			if (strcmp(lnk, file->u.link) != 0)
+				continue;
+		} else {
+			if (!IS_DEVICE(st.st_mode) || st.st_rdev != file->u.rdev)
+				continue;
+		}
+		if (do_link(fnamebuf, fname) < 0) {
+			*possible_ptr = 0; /* TODO only do this for some errno values! */
+			break;
+		}
+		if (itemizing && verbose > 1) {
+			itemize(file, ndx, -1, NULL,
+				ITEM_LOCAL_CHANGE | ITEM_XNAME_FOLLOWS, 0, "");
+		}
+		return 1;
+	} while (basis_dir[++i] != NULL);
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static int phase = 0;
 
 /* Acts on the_file_list->file's ndx'th item, whose name is fname.  If a dir,
@@ -781,6 +819,10 @@ static void recv_generator(char *fname, 
 				return;
 			if (!S_ISLNK(st.st_mode))
 				statret = -1;
+		} else if (link_dest && can_link_symlinks) {
+			if (try_link_dest(file, fname, ndx, itemizing,
+					  &can_link_symlinks))
+				return;
 		}
 		if (preserve_hard_links && file->link_u.links
 		    && hard_link_check(file, ndx, fname, -1, &st,
@@ -812,6 +854,11 @@ static void recv_generator(char *fname, 
 	}
 
 	if (am_root && preserve_devices && IS_DEVICE(file->mode)) {
+		if (statret != 0  && link_dest && can_link_devices) {
+			if (try_link_dest(file, fname, ndx, itemizing,
+					  &can_link_devices))
+				return;
+		}
 		if (statret != 0
 		 || (st.st_mode & ~CHMOD_BITS) != (file->mode & ~CHMOD_BITS)
 		 || st.st_rdev != file->u.rdev) {
--- testsuite/itemize.test	24 Jun 2005 02:14:12 -0000	1.9
+++ testsuite/itemize.test	17 Oct 2005 23:08:23 -0000
@@ -170,7 +170,6 @@ cd+++++++ bar/
 cd+++++++ bar/baz/
 cd+++++++ foo/
 hf+++++++ foo/extra => foo/config1
-cL+++++++ foo/sym -> ../bar/baz/rsync
 EOT
 diff $diffopt "$chkfile" "$outfile" || test_fail "test 9 failed"