cp
Hurricane Electric Internet Services
NAME
cp - copy files
SYNOPSIS
cp [options] source dest
cp [options] source... directory
Options:
[-abdfilprsuvxPR] [-S backup-suffix] [-V {numbered,exist-
ing,simple}] [--backup] [--no-dereference] [--force]
[--interactive] [--one-file-system] [--preserve] [--recur-
sive] [--update] [--verbose] [--suffix=backup-suffix]
[--version-control={numbered,existing,simple}] [--archive]
[--parents] [--link] [--symbolic-link] [--help] [--ver-
sion]
DESCRIPTION
This manual page documents the GNU version of cp. If the
last argument names an existing directory, cp copies each
other given file into a file with the same name in that
directory. Otherwise, if only two files are given, it
copies the first onto the second. It is an error if the
last argument is not a directory and more than two files
are given. By default, it does not copy directories.
OPTIONS
-a, --archive
Preserve as much as possible of the structure and
attributes of the original files in the copy. The
same as -dpR.
-b, --backup
Make backups of files that are about to be over-
written or removed.
-d, --no-dereference
Copy symbolic links as symbolic links rather than
copying the files that they point to, and preserve
hard link relationships between source files in the
copies.
-f, --force
Remove existing destination files.
-i, --interactive
Prompt whether to overwrite existing regular desti-
nation files.
-l, --link
Make hard links instead of copies of non-directo-
ries.
-P, --parents
Form the name of each destination file by appending
to the target directory a slash and the specified
name of the source file. The last argument given
to cp must be the name of an existing directory.
For example, the command `cp --parents a/b/c exist-
ing_dir' copies the file a/b/c to exist-
ing_dir/a/b/c, creating any missing intermediate
directories.
-p, --preserve
Preserve the original files' owner, group, permis-
sions, and timestamps.
-r Copy directories recursively, copying all non-
directories as if they were regular files.
-s, --symbolic-link
Make symbolic links instead of copies of non-direc-
tories. All source filenames must be absolute
(starting with `/') unless the destination files
are in the current directory. This option produces
an error message on systems that do not support
symbolic links.
-u, --update
Do not copy a nondirectory that has an existing
destination with the same or newer modification
time.
-v, --verbose
Print the name of each file before copying it.
-x, --one-file-system
Skip subdirectories that are on different filesys-
tems from the one that the copy started on.
-R, --recursive
Copy directories recursively.
--help Print a usage message on standard output and exit
successfully.
--version
Print version information on standard output then
exit successfully.
-S, --suffix backup-suffix
The suffix used for making simple backup files can
be set with the SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX environment
variable, which can be overridden by this option.
If neither of those is given, the default is `~',
as it is in Emacs.
-V, --version-control {numbered,existing,simple}
The type of backups made can be set with the VER-
SION_CONTROL environment variable, which can be
overridden by this option. If VERSION_CONTROL is
not set and this option is not given, the default
backup type is `existing'. The value of the VER-
SION_CONTROL environment variable and the argument
to this option are like the GNU Emacs `version-con-
trol' variable; they also recognize synonyms that
are more descriptive. The valid values are (unique
abbreviations are accepted):
`t' or `numbered'
Always make numbered backups.
`nil' or `existing'
Make numbered backups of files that already
have them, simple backups of the others.
`never' or `simple'
Always make simple backups.
Hurricane Electric Internet Services
Copyright (C) 1998
Hurricane Electric.
All Rights Reserved.