copy(1XNX) (XENIX System Compatibility) copy(1XNX)
NAME
copy - (XENIX) copy 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 (that is, 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
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 1
copy(1XNX) (XENIX System Compatibility) copy(1XNX)
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.
-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.
NOTICES
Special device files can be copied. When they are copied, any
data associated with the specified device is not copied.
Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc. Page 2