cp(1) cp(1)
NAME
cp - copy files
SYNOPSIS
cp [-r | -R] [-f] [-i] [-p] [-e extent_opt] file1 [file2 . . . ] target
DESCRIPTION
The cp command copies filen to target. filen and target may
not have the same name. [Care must be taken when using sh(1)
metacharacters.] If target is not a directory, only one file
may be specified before it; if it is a directory, more than
one file may be specified. If target does not exist, cp
creates a file named target. If target exists and is not a
directory, its contents are overwritten. If target is a
directory, the file(s) are copied to that directory.
The following options are recognized:
-i cp will prompt for confirmation whenever the copy would
overwrite an existing target. An affirmative response
means that the copy should proceed [the affirmative
response is locale dependent: y in the C locale, see
LANG on environ(5)]. Any other answer prevents cp from
overwriting target. The -i option remains in effect
even if the standard input is not a terminal.
-p The ACL and permission bits of the target will be that
of the source otherwise, the existing target retains its
ACL and permission bits.
-f cp will attempt to overwrite an existing target. If a
file descriptor for target cannot be obtained, cp will
attempt to unlink target and proceed. See NOTICES
below.
-r (if filen is a directory) Copy the directory and all its
files, including any subdirectories and their files.
(target must be a directory.) -r is multithreaded and
uses the enhanced nftw (walk a file tree). See NOTICES
below.
-R Copy a file hierarchy in the same fashion as -r.
However, instead of copying special files (device files,
FIFOs, or symbolic links) by copying their contents,
create a target file with the same file type as filen.
Normal files are copied in the same fashion as for -r.
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 1
cp(1) cp(1)
-R is multithreaded and uses the enhanced nftw (walk a
file tree). See NOTICES below.
-e extent_opt
Specify how to handle a vxfs file that has extent
attribute information. Extent attributes include
reserved space, a fixed extent size, and extent
alignment. It may not be possible to preserve the
information if the destination file system does not
support extent attributes, has a different block size
than the source file system, or lacks free extents
appropriate to satisfy the extent attribute
requirements. Valid values for extent_opt are:
warn Issue a warning message if extent attribute
information cannot be kept (default).
force Fail the copy if extent attribute information
cannot be kept.
ignore Ignore extent attribute information entirely.
If filen is a file and target is a link to another file with
links, the other links remain and target becomes a new file.
If target does not exist, cp creates a new file named target
which has the same ACL and access permissions as filen except
that the sticky bit is not set unless the user is a privileged
user; the owner and group of target are those of the user.
If target is a file, its contents are overwritten, but the
ACL, access permissions, owner, and group associated with it
are not changed.
The last modification time of target and the last access time
of filen are set to the time the copy was made.
If target is a directory, then for each file named, a new file
with the same ACL and access permissions is created in the
target directory; the owner and the group are those of the
user making the copy. If target has a default ACL, it is not
inherited by the new files.
ACLs are supported only if the target file system is of type
sfs or type vxfs. ACLs are used in making access control
decisions only if the Enhanced Security Utilities are
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 2
cp(1) cp(1)
installed and the Discretionary Access Control (DAC) module is
running.
Files
/usr/lib/locale/locale/LC_MESSAGES/uxcore.abi
language-specific message file [see LANG on environ(5)].
REFERENCES
chmod(1), cpio(1), ln(1), mv(1), rm(1)
NOTICES
A -- permits the user to mark the end of any command line
options explicitly, thus allowing cp to recognize filename
arguments that begin with a -. If a -- and a - both appear on
the same command line, the second will be interpreted as a
filename.
cp without the -R options usually hangs if file is a pipe.
It is not considered an error if more than one of the -f or -i
options are specified. The last option specified will
determine cp's behavior.
The algorithm used to efficiently distribute the tree walking
among various threads may affect the order in which files and
directories are copied. This order may not match the
hierarchy of the original input tree. The result, however,
will match the source. Issuing a BREAK to the command while
it is executing will yield a partially completed tree where
files and directories may appear to have been copied
arbitrarily. No particular order is guaranteed. Because they
are not dependent on any particular order for populating the
tree, cp -r and cp -R execute much more quickly than previous
versions.
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 3