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CPIO(1) GNU CPIO CPIO(1)

🏷️ NAME

cpio - copy files to and from archives

🚀 Quick Reference

Use Case	Command	Description
Create archive	cpio -o < file-list > archive.cpio	📦 Create an archive from a list of files
Extract archive	cpio -i < archive.cpio	📂 Extract files from an archive
List archive contents	cpio -it < archive.cpio	📋 List files in an archive
Pass-through copy	cpio -p target-dir < file-list	📁 Copy files to a directory
Create tar format	cpio -o -H tar < file-list > archive.tar	📦 Create a tar archive
Extract with directories	cpio -idm < archive.cpio	📂 Extract preserving directories and modification times

📋 SYNOPSIS

cpio  {-o|--create} [-0acvABLV] [-C BYTES] [-H FORMAT] [-M MESSAGE] [-O [[USER@]HOST:]ARCHIVE] [-F [[USER@]HOST:]ARCHIVE] [--file=[[USER@]HOST:]ARCHIVE] [--format=FORMAT] [--message=MESSAGE] [--null] [--reset-access-time] [--verbose] [--dot] [--append] [--block-size=blocks] [--dereference] [--io-size=BYTES] [--quiet] [--force-local] [--rsh-command=COMMAND] < name-list [> archive]

cpio  {-i|--extract} [-bcdfmnrtsuvBSV] [-C BYTES] [-E FILE] [-H FORMAT] [-M MESSAGE] [-R [USER][:.][GROUP]] [-I [[USER@]HOST:]ARCHIVE] [-F [[USER@]HOST:]ARCHIVE] [--file=[[USER@]HOST:]ARCHIVE] [--make-directories] [--nonmatching] [--preserve-modification-time] [--numeric-uid-gid] [--rename] [--list] [--swap-bytes] [--swap] [--dot] [--unconditional] [--verbose] [--block-size=BLOCKS] [--swap-halfwords] [--io-size=BYTES] [--pattern-file=FILE] [--format=FORMAT] [--owner=[USER][:.][GROUP]] [--no-preserve-owner] [--message=MESSAGE] [--force-local] [--no-absolute-filenames] [--sparse] [--only-verify-crc] [--to-stdout] [--quiet] [--rsh-command=COMMAND] [pattern...] [< archive]

cpio  {-p|--pass-through} [-0adlmuvLV] [-R [USER][:.][GROUP]] [--null] [--reset-access-time] [--make-directories] [--link] [--quiet] [--preserve-modification-time] [--unconditional] [--verbose] [--dot] [--dereference] [--owner=[USER][:.][GROUP]] [--no-preserve-owner] [--sparse] destination-directory < name-list

cpio  {-?|--help|--usage|--version}

📖 DESCRIPTION

GNU cpio copies files between archives and directories. It supports the following archive formats: old binary cpio, old portable cpio, SVR4 cpio with and without checksum, HP cpio, and various tar formats.

The operation mode is requested by one of the following options:

📤 -o, --create (Copy-out)

Read a list of file names from the standard input and create on the standard output (unless overridden by the --file option) an archive containing these files.

📥 -i, --extract (Copy-in)

Read the archive from standard input (or from the file supplied with the --file option) and extract files from it, or (if the -t option is given) list its contents to the standard output. If one or more patterns are supplied, read or list only files matching these patterns. The -t option alone implies -i.

📂 -p, --pass-through

Read a list of file names from the standard input and copy them to the specified directory.

❓ -?, --help

Give a short help summary and exit.

ℹ️ --usage

Print a short usage message and exit.

📝 --version

Print program version and exit.

⚙️ OPTIONS

🔧 Operation modifiers valid in any mode

• --block-size=BLOCK-SIZE – Set 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. Same as -H odc.
• -C, --io-size=NUMBER – Set the I/O block size to the given NUMBER of bytes.
• -D, --directory=DIR – Change to directory DIR.
• --force-local – Archive file is local, even if its name contains colons.
• -H, --format=FORMAT – Use given archive FORMAT. Valid formats: bin (obsolete binary), odc (old POSIX.1 portable), newc (new SVR4 portable), crc (new SVR4 with checksum), tar (old tar), ustar (POSIX.1 tar), hpbin (HPUX binary), hpodc (HPUX portable).
• -R, --owner=[USER][:.][GROUP] – Set ownership of all files created. In copy-out mode, store owner information in archive.
• --quiet – Do not print the number of blocks copied at the end.
• --rsh-command=COMMAND – Use remote COMMAND instead of rsh.
• -v, --verbose – Verbosely list the files processed.
• -V, --dot – Print a "." for each file processed.
• -W, --warning=FLAG – Control warning display. FLAG: none, all, truncate, no-truncate. Multiple -W options accumulate.

📥📤 Operation modifiers valid in copy-in and copy-out modes

• -F, --file=[[USER@]HOST:]ARCHIVE-FILE – Use this ARCHIVE-FILE instead of standard input/output.
• -M, --message=STRING – Print STRING when end of volume reached.

📥 Operation modifiers valid only in copy-in mode

• -b, --swap – Swap both halfwords of words and bytes of halfwords. Equivalent to -sS.
• -f, --nonmatching – Only copy files that do not match any of the given patterns.
• -n, --numeric-uid-gid – Show numeric UID and GID in verbose listing.
• -r, --rename – Interactively rename files.
• -s, --swap-bytes – Swap the bytes of each halfword.
• -S, --swap-halfwords – Swap the halfwords of each word (4 bytes).
• --to-stdout – Extract files to standard output.
• -E, --pattern-file=FILE – Read additional patterns from FILE.
• --only-verify-crc – Only verify CRC's, without extracting files.

📤 Operation modifiers valid only in copy-out mode

• -A, --append – Append to an existing archive.
• --device-independent, --reproducible – Create reproducible archives. Equivalent to --ignore-devno --renumber-inodes.
• --ignore-devno – Store 0 in device number field.
• -O [[USER@]HOST:]ARCHIVE-NAME – Use ARCHIVE-NAME instead of standard output.
• --renumber-inodes – Renumber inodes when storing.

📂 Operation modifiers valid only in copy-pass mode

• -l, --link – Link files instead of copying when possible.

📁 Operation modifiers valid in copy-in and copy-out modes (2)

• --absolute-filenames – Do not strip file system prefix components. This is the default.
• --no-absolute-filenames – Create all files relative to the current directory.

📤📂 Operation modifiers valid in copy-out and copy-pass modes

• -0, --null – Filenames are delimited by null characters instead of newlines.
• -a, --reset-access-time – Reset access times of files after reading them.
• -I [[USER@]HOST:]ARCHIVE-NAME – Use ARCHIVE-NAME instead of standard input.
• -L, --dereference – Dereference symbolic links (copy target files).

📥📂 Operation modifiers valid in copy-in and copy-pass modes

• -d, --make-directories – Create leading directories where needed.
• -m, --preserve-modification-time – Retain previous file modification times.
• --no-preserve-owner – Do not change ownership of files.
• --sparse – Write files with large blocks of zeros as sparse files.
• -u, --unconditional – Replace all files unconditionally.

🚪 Exit Codes

GNU cpio exits with code 0 if it was able to successfully complete the requested operation. On errors, it exits with code 2.

📚 SEE ALSO

• cpio(5)
• tar(1)
• rmt(8)
• mt(1)

🐛 REPORTING BUGS

Report cpio bugs to bug-cpio AT gnu.org

GNU cpio home page: http://www.gnu.org/software/cpio/

General help using GNU software: http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/

Report cpio translation bugs to http://translationproject.org/team/

©️ COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html

This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

CPIO June 21, 2018 CPIO(1)

🏷️ NAME 🚀 Quick Reference 📋 SYNOPSIS 📖 DESCRIPTION ⚙️ OPTIONS 🚪 Exit Codes 📚 SEE ALSO 🐛 REPORTING BUGS ©️ COPYRIGHT