uucp
PURPOSE
Copies files from one AIX system to another AIX system.
SYNOPSIS
uucp [-c][-d] source-files destination-files
[-c -C][-d -f][-g grade -i -m -n user -r -s file -x debug-level]
source-files destination-files
uulog [-x][-s system][-number][-f system]
uuname [-l]
DESCRIPTION
The Basic Networking Utilities (BNU) command uucp copies
one or more source files from one AIX system to one or
more destination files on another AIX system.
The uucp command accomplishes the file transfer in two
steps: first, by creating a command (C.*) file in the
spooling directory on the local computer, and then by
sending the request to the specified computer via the
uucico command.
Command files include information such as the full path
name of the source and destination files, the sender's
login name, and so on. The full path name of a command
file is a form of the following:
/usr/spool/uucp/system_name/C.system_nameNxxx
where N is the grade of the request and xxxx is the
hexadecimal sequence number used by BNU.
Note: If the uucp command is used with the -C flag to
copy the files to the spool directory for transfer, uucp
creates not only a command file, but also a data (D.*)
file that contains the actual source file. The full path
name of a data file is a form of the following:
/usr/spool/uucp/system_name/D.system_namexxxx###.
Once the command files (and data files, if necessary) are
created, uucp then calls the uucico daemon, which in
turn attempts to contact the remote computer to deliver
the files.
Note: It is useful to issue the uuname command to deter-
mine the exact name of the remote system before issuing
uucp. The uulog command provides information about uucp
activities on a system.
Path Names Used with uucp
Path names for the source and destination of the uucp
transfer may be one of the following:
o a full path name
o a relative path name
o a path name preceded by ~user, where user is a login
name on the specified system. The specified user's
login directory is then considered the destination of
the transfer.
If the user specifies an invalid login name, the
files are transferred to the public directory,
/usr/spool/uucppublic, which is the default.
o A path name preceded by ~/destination, where destina-
tion is appended to /usr/spool/uucppublic.
This destination is treated as a file name unless
more than one file is being transferred by this
request, or the destination is a directory. To
ensure that it is a directory, follow the destination
name with a "/" (slash). For example, "~/amy/" as
the destination creates the directory
"/user/spool/uucppublic/amy", if it does not already
exist, and puts the requested files in that direc-
tory.
Source and Destination File Names
o A file name may be a path name on the local system,
or may have the following form:
system_name!path_name
where system_name is taken from a list of system
names that BNU knows about.
o The destination system_name may also be a list of
names, such as the following:
system_name!system_name! . . . !
system_name!path_name
In this case, an attempt is made to send the file via
the specified route to the destination. Make sure
that intermediate nodes in this route are willing to
forward information (see Managing the AIX Operating
System).
o The shell pattern-matching characters "?", "*", and
"[ . . . ]" may be used in the path names; the appro-
priate system expands them.
Note: The shell pattern-matching characters should
not be used in the path name of the destination file.
o If the destination is a directory rather than a file,
uucp uses the last part of the source name.
Permissions
o The system administrator should restrict the access
to local files by users on other systems.
o When transmitting files, uucp preserves execute per-
missions and grants read and write permissions to the
owner, the group, and all others. (The uucp command
owns the file.)
o Sending files to arbitrary destination path names on
other systems, or getting files from arbitrary source
path names on other systems, often fails because of
security restrictions. The files specified in the
path name must give read or write permission not only
for the same group of users, but also for any group.
o Protected files and files in protected directories
owned by the requestor can be sent by uucp.
FLAGS
-c Transfers the source files to the desti-
nation on the specified computer. The
source files are not transferred via the
spool directory. This saves the system
from copying possibly large files to the
spooling directory for transfer. (See
the discussion of the -C flag.) This
flag is on by default.
-C Copies local files to the spool directory
for transfer. Depending on the config-
uration of the Poll and Systems files,
and on how often the uusched command is
run, the files could be transferred imme-
diately (on demand polling), or in the
future.
Note: Occasionally, there are problems
in transferring a source file; for
example, the remote computer may not be
working, or the login attempt may fail.
In such a case, the file remains in the
spool directory until it is either trans-
ferred successfully or removed by the
uucleanup command.
-d Creates any intermediate directories
needed to copy the source files to the
destination. This flag is on by default.
-f Does not create intermediate directories
during the file transfer.
-ggrade Specifies when the files are to be trans-
mitted during a particular connection.
Grade is a single number (0-9) or letter
(A-Z, a-z); lower ASCII-sequence charac-
ters cause the files to be transmitted
earlier than do higher sequence charac-
ters. The number 0 is the highest (ear-
liest) grade; z is the lowest (latest)
grade. The default is N.
-j Displays the job identification number of
the transfer operation on standard
output. This job ID can be used by the
BNU command uustat to obtain the status
of a information about the status of a
particular job, or with uustat -k to ter-
minate the transfer before it is com-
pleted.
-m Sends mail to the requester when the
transfer to the remote system is com-
pleted. The message is sent to the
requester's mailbox, /usr/mail/user_name.
The mail command does not send a message
for a local transfer.
Note: The -m flag works only when
sending files or receiving a single file.
It does not work when forwarding files.
Receiving multiple files specified by the
shell pattern-matching characters "?",
"*", and "[ . . . ]" does not activate
the -m option.
-nuser_name Notifies the user specified by user_name
on the designated system that files have
been sent. The mail system does not send
a message for a local transfer.
-r Prevents the starting of the file
transfer program, uucico, even if the
command was issued at a time when calls
to the remote system are permitted. By
default, a call to the remote system is
attempted if the command is issued during
a time period specified in the Poll and
Systems files.
-sfile Reports the status of the transfer to the
specified file. In this case, the file
designation must be a full path name.
-xdebug_level Displays debugging information on the
screen of the local system. The
debug_level is a number between 0 and 9.
The higher number gives a more detailed
report.
EXAMPLES
1. To copy one or more files locally, within the same
directory:
uucp file1 file2
2. To copy multiple files locally, from one directory to
another directory:
uucp /dev/geo/project /usr/test/marg
3. To copy file "f1" from the local system to a remote
system named "hera":
uucp /u/geo/f1 hera!/u/geo/f1
4. To copy file "f2" from the remote system "hera" and
place it in the public directory:
uucp hera!geo/f2 /usr/spool/uucppublic/f2
5. To place the "f2" file in a directory other than the
public directory:
uucp hera!geo/f2 /u/geo/f2
In this case, make sure that the "geo" login direc-
tory allows write permission to both &ldq.other&rdq.
user and &ldq.other&rdq. group (for example, with
mode 777).
FILES
/usr/spool/uucp Spooling directory.
/usr/spool/uucppublic Public directory.
/usr/lib/uucp Contains uucico daemon.
RELATED INFORMATION
The following commands: "mail, Mail," "uucleanup,"
"uulog," "uuname," "uusched," "uustat," "uux," and
"uuxqt."
The information about international character support in
Managing the AIX Operating System.