rcp

remote file copy

Syntax:

rcp [-p] source_file target_file
rcp [-p] [-r] source_file... target_dir

Options:

-p

Attempt to preserve (duplicate) the modification time and file mode of each source file in its corresponding target file, ignoring the umask. By default, the mode and owner of the target file are preserved if the target file already exists; otherwise the mode of the source file modified by the umask on the destination host is used.

-r

If any of the source files are directories, copy each subtree rooted at that name; in this case, the destination must be a directory.

source_file

The pathname of a file to be copied.

target_file

The pathname to which a single file is copied.

target_dir

The pathname of an existing directory that is to contain the output file(s).

Description:

The rcp utility copies files between machines. Each file or directory argument is either of the following:

• a remote filename of the form rname@rhost:path
• a local filename that has no ``:'' characters, or that has a ``/'' before any ``:''

If it isn't a full pathname, the specified path is interpreted relative to the login directory of the specified user ruser on rhost, or of your current username if no other remote username (rname) is specified. A path on a remote host may be quoted (using \, ", or ') so that the metacharacters are interpreted remotely.

The rcp utility doesn't prompt for passwords; it performs remote execution via rsh, and requires the same authorization.

The rcp utility handles third-party copies, where neither source nor target files are on the current machine.

Caveats:

The utility doesn't always detect that the target of a copy is a file in cases where only a directory should be legal. It's also confused by any output generated by commands in a .login or .profile file on the remote host.

See also:

cp, ftp, rlogin, rsh