NAME

cp − copy files

SYNOPSIS

cp fromfile tofile

cp fromfile ...  todir

cp -r fromdir ...  todir

DESCRIPTION

In the first form, fromfile is any name and tofile is any name except an existing directory. 

In the second form, the commands copy one or more fromfiles into dir under their original file names, as if by a sequence of commands in the first form. For example:

cp f1 f2 dir

is equivalent to:

cp f1 dir/f1;  cp f2 dir/f2

When cp copies the contents of plain (non-directory) files fromfile to tofile, the mode and owner of tofile are preserved if it already exists; otherwise the mode of fromfile is used. 

The -r option directs cp to copy recursively the named directories fromdir ...  to the target directory todir.

SOURCE

/appl/cmd/cp.b

SEE ALSO

cat(1), sys-stat(2)

DIAGNOSTICS

Cp refuses to copy a file onto itself.