3.1 Copy-out mode

In copy-out mode, cpio copies files into an archive. It reads a list of filenames, one per line, on the standard input, and writes the archive onto the standard output. A typical way to generate the list of filenames is with the find command; you should give find the ‘-depth’ option to minimize problems with permissions on directories that are unreadable.

Copy-out mode is requested by the ‘-o’ (‘--create’) command line option, e.g.:

% find | cpio -o > directory.cpio

The following options can be used in copy-out mode:

‘-0’

‘--null’

Filenames in the list are delimited by ASCII null characters instead of newlines.

‘-A’

‘--append’

Append to an existing archive.

‘-a’

‘--reset-access-time’

Reset the access times of files after reading them.

‘--absolute-filenames’

Do not strip file system prefix components from the file names. This is the default.

‘--no-absolute-filenames’

Strip file system prefix components from the file names before storing them to the archive.

‘--block-size=block-size’

Sets the I/O block size to block-size * 512 bytes.

‘-B’

Set the I/O block size to 5120 bytes.

‘-c’

Use the old portable (ASCII) archive format.

‘-C number’

‘--io-size=number’

Set the I/O block size to the given number of bytes.

‘-D dir’

‘--directory=dir’

Change to directory dir

‘--force-local’

Treat the archive file as local, even if its name contains colons.

‘-F [[user@]host:]archive-file’

‘-O [[user@]host:]archive-file’

‘--file=[[user@]host:]archive-file’

Use the supplied archive-file instead of standard input. Optional user and host specify the user and host names in case of a remote archive.

‘-H format’

‘--format=format’

Use given archive format. See format, for a list of available formats.

‘-L’

‘--dereference’

Dereference symbolic links (copy the files that they point to instead of copying the links).

‘-M string’

‘--message=string’

Print string when the end of a volume of the backup media is reached.

‘--quiet’

Do not print the number of blocks copied.

‘--rsh-command=command’

Use command instead of rsh to access remote archives.

‘-R’

‘--owner=[user][:.][group]’

Set the ownership of all files created to the specified user and/or group. See owner.

‘-v’

‘--verbose’

Verbosely list the files processed.

‘-V’

‘--dot’

Print a ‘.’ for each file processed.

‘-W’

‘--warning=flag’

Control warning display. Argument is one of ‘none’, ‘truncate’, ‘no-truncate’ or ‘all’. See warning, for a detailed discussion of these.

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