cp(1)                          DG/UX R4.11MU05                         cp(1)


NAME
       cp - copy files

SYNOPSIS
       cp [ -i ] [ -p ] [ -r ] 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.  A y answer means that the copy
              should proceed.  Any other answer prevents cp from overwriting
              target.

       -p     cp will preserve the modification time, permission modes and
              security attributes of filen by assigning them to target.
              Note that the process must have appropriate privilege to
              modify target in order for -p to take effect.

       -r     If filen is a directory, cp will copy the directory and all
              its files, including any subdirectories and their files;
              target must be a directory.

       If filen is a directory, target must be a directory in the same
       physical file system.  target and filen do not have to share the same
       parent directory.

       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.  On a
       trusted system, the process must have MAC write access to target's
       parent directory and MAC read access to filen.  If the process has
       appropriate privilege, then filen's MAC label will be set on target,
       otherwise target will have the MAC label of the process.  target's
       remaining security attributes and mode will be set to those of 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 making the
       copy.  The modification time of target is set to the time the copy
       was made unless the -p option is used.

       If target is an existing file, its contents are overwritten, but the
       mode, security attributes, 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.  Note
       that the mode, security attributes, and modification time can be
       affected by the -p option.  On a trusted system, the process must
       additionally have MAC write access to target.  If the process has
       appropriate privilege and filen does not have the same MAC label as
       target and target's MAC label does not dominate filen's MAC label,
       then cp upgrades target's MAC label to filen's MAC label.

       If target is a directory, the files are copied to that directory. For
       each filen, cp behaves as described above depending on whether a file
       by the same name does or does not already exist in target.

NOTES
       A double dash (--) permits the user to mark the end of any command
       line options explicitly, thus allowing cp to recognize filename
       arguments that begin with a dash (-).  If a double dash (--) and a
       dash (-) both appear on the same command line, the second will be
       interpreted as a filename.

       Attempting to copy a FIFO will hang the cp command because cp will
       wait on the FIFO for input.

SEE ALSO
       chmod(1), cpio(1), getmac(1), rm(1).


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