copy(1) (XENIX Compatibility Package) copy(1)
NAME
copy - copies groups of files.
SYNOPSIS
copy [option]...source...dest
DESCRIPTION
The copy command copies the contents of directories to another
directory. It is possible to copy whole file systems since
directories are made when needed.
If files, directories, or special files do not exist at the
destination, then they are created with the same modes and flags as
the source. In addition, the super-user may set the user and group
ID. The owner and mode are not changed if the destination file
exists. Note that there may be more than one source directory. If
so, the effect is the same as if the copy command had been issued for
each source directory with the same destination directory for each
copy.
All of the options must be given as separate arguments, and they may
appear in any order even after the other arguments. The arguments
are:
-a Asks the user before attempting a copy. If the response
does not begin with a "y", then a copy is not done. This
option also sets the ad option.
-l Uses links instead whenever they can be used. Otherwise a
copy is done. Note that links are never done for special
files or directories.
-n Requires the destination file to be new. If not, then the
copy command does not change the destination file. The -n
flag is meaningless for directories. For special files an
-n flag is assumed (i.e., the destination of a special file
must not exist).
-o If set then every file copied has its owner and group set
to those of source. If not set, then the file's owner is
the user who invoked the program.
-m If set, then every file copied has its modification time
and access time set to that of the source. If not set,
then the modification time is set to the time of the copy.
-r If set, then every directory is recursively examined as it
is encountered. If not set, then any directories that are
found are ignored.
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copy(1) (XENIX Compatibility Package) copy(1)
-ad Asks the user whether an -r flag applies when a directory
is discovered. If the answer does not begin with a ``y'',
then the directory is ignored.
-v If the verbose option is set, messages are printed that
reveal what the program is doing.
source This may be a file, directory or special file. It must
exist. If it is not a directory, then the results of the
command are the same as for the cp command.
dest The destination must be either a file or directory that is
different from the source. If source and destination are
anything but directories, then copy acts just like a cp
command. If both are directories, then copy copies each
file into the destination directory according to the flags
that have been set.
NOTES
Special device files can be copied. When they are copied, any data
associated with the specified device is not copied.
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