Question: I use `rsync` as follows:

> 
> rsync -a --backup --suffix="."$(date +"%Y%m%d%H%M") *source backups*
> 
> 
> 

to dump the whole of folder *source* into the folder *backups*, with the additional feature that if I modify some file *foo* in *source*, the old version of *foo* in backups will be renamed with a date suffix before the new *foo* is copied into *backups*.

This simple procedure does the job for me, only that I would like a **deleted** file to be **renamed** with the date suffix instead of being removed from *backups*. That is, if *foo* is deleted from source, then rename *foo* in *backups* with the date suffix.

I have tried to achieve this but so far no success. Any ideas?

Answer: 
Adding the `--backup-dir` option should do what you're looking for:

> 
> --backup-dir=DIR
>  In combination with the --backup option, this tells rsync to store all backups in the specified directory on the receiving side. This can be used for incremental backups. You can additionally specify a backup suffix using the --suffix option (otherwise the files backed up in the specified directory will keep their original filenames). 
> 
> 
> 

e.g.

```
rsync -ab --backup-dir=versions --suffix="."$(date +"%Y%m%d%H%M") --delete /source/folder/ /destination/folder

```

This would create backups of your files at /destination/versions

Source: <https://linux.die.net/man/1/rsync>
Add the `--delete` option to your `rsync` command. `--delete` tells rsync that when it sees a file that is in the destination but not the source, it should delete it from the destination - except since you are also using `--backup`, instead of deleting the file it will rename and/or move it, depending on whether you've specified a `--suffix` and/or `--backup-dir`. 

In your case since you have specified a suffix that changes from run to run, you'll need to add a protect filter rule so that files previously backed up with a suffix don't get get renamed again: 

`--filter='P *.[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]'`

That filter pattern looks for filenames ending in a dot and then 12 digits, which is the format of your date suffix. That suffix is a bit ambiguous, so I'd suggest using some other format with some special character(s) or a unique string in the suffix, so that ordinary files won't be mistaken for backup files.