NAME

rcp − remote file copy

SYNOPSIS

rcp file1 file2
rcp [ −r ] file ... directory

DESCRIPTION

Rcp copies files between machines.  Each file or directory argument is either a remote file name of the form “rhost:path”, or a local file name (containing no ‘:’ characters, or a ‘/’ before any ‘:’s.) 

If the −r is specified and any of the source files are directories, rcp copies each subtree rooted at that name; in this case the destination must be a directory. 

If path is not a full path name, it is interpreted relative to your login directory on rhost.  A path on a remote host may be quoted (using \, ", or ´) so that the metacharacters are interpreted remotely. 

Rcp does not prompt for passwords; your current local user name must exist on rhost and allow remote command execution via rsh(1).

Rcp handles third party copies, where neither source nor target files are on the current machine.  Hostnames may also take the form “rhost.rname” to use rname rather than the current user name on the remote host. 

SEE ALSO

ftp(1), rsh(1), rlogin(1)

BUGS

Doesn’t detect in all cases the fact that a target of a copy might be a file in cases where only a directory should be legal. 

There should be an option to copy ownership, mode, and timestamps to the new files — for instance, when copying a whole hierarchy from one file system to another file system.  This would obviate the need to use tar(1) to achieve this effect.

Sun System Release 0.3  —  23 February 1983