Copying Files with fcp

About fcp

The fcp command is patterned after rcp, a Berkeley service that copies files between UNIX hosts on a network. With fcp, you can create a copy (either local or remote) of an existing file (either local or remote). When fcp completes a copy operation, your local host redisplays its prompt.

When you work with remote files, the working directory for fcp on the remote host is a default directory that depends on the remote FTAM implementation. For HP-UX FTAM responders, it is your remote home directory.

Using fcp

The syntax for the fcp command is as follows:

fcp source_file [-X | -z source_access] dest_file [-X | -z dest_access]

The source_file is the file to be copied, and dest_file is the destination to which the file is to be copied. If you are familiar with the HP-UX cp command, you will notice the similarity. However, for fcp, the source and destination files can be either local or remote.

The options manage file protection. The -X option gives you exclusive access to the file during the copy. The -z option can be used to satisfy more stringent file protection requirements. File protection is the subject of Chapter 5 “FTAM File Protection”

	NOTE: Whether a file is local or remote depends on how you specify the file name. See "Specifying File and Directory Names" earlier in this chapter.

Example:

In this example, a user known as betty uses fcp to create a copy of the local file localplan in her home directory on a remote HP-UX host called chicago:

$ fcp localplan chicago:localplan Password (chicago:betty): $

Note that you are prompted for betty's password at chicago. Creating a .ftamrc file may allow you to bypass this prompt.

In fcp file transfers, you must explicitly specify both the source and destination file names. Directory names and wildcards are not allowed for either source or destination.