cpio
cpio
The cpio
command in Unix and Linux is used for creating and extracting archives or backups. It is a versatile tool that works well with streams of data, making it suitable for tasks like backup creation and file transfer.
Basic Usage
The basic syntax for the cpio
command is:
Examples
Creating an Archive
To create a cpio
archive from a list of files:
find . -depth -print
: Generates a list of files to include in the archive.cpio -o
: Creates an archive (-o
for output).
Extracting an Archive
To extract files from a cpio
archive:
cpio -i
: Extracts files from the specified archive (-i
for input).
Verbose Output
To see verbose output during extraction:
-v
: Verbose mode, displays filenames as they are processed.
Options
Archive Creation Options
-o
: Create an archive (-i
for input).-F file
: Usefile
as the archive filename (instead of stdin or stdout).-H format
: Specify the archive format (bin
,crc
,newc
,odc
,tar
).
Extraction Options
-i
: Extract files from an archive (-o
for output).-d
: Create leading directories where needed.-t
: List the contents of the archive without extracting.
Other Options
-v
: Verbose mode, show filenames as they are processed.-C directory
: Change todirectory
before performing any operations.
Practical Use Cases
Creating Backups
cpio
is useful for creating backups of directories or entire filesystems:
Transferring Files
cpio
can transfer files between systems using pipes or redirection:
Working with Incremental Backups
cpio
supports incremental backups with the -o
option, allowing you to back up only changed files since the last backup.
Summary
The cpio
command is a flexible tool for creating, listing, and extracting archives in Unix and Linux environments. It provides options for various archive formats, verbose output, and integration with other commands for efficient data handling tasks like backups and file transfers. Understanding its usage and options can help you effectively manage file archives and backups on your system.
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