Hop to force a "cp" ??

R4z0r · 04-20-2005, 02:36 PM

Hey all, I know this is a simple quesiton but for some reason I can't get "cp" to replace files without prompting!

Example:

Code:

# cp -arf /media/cdrecorder/RedHat/ /mnt/inst
cp: overwrite `/mnt/inst/RedHat/RPMS/amanda-2.4.4p1-0.3E.i386.rpm'?

I thought "-f" forced so it wouldn't ask for confirmation, can someone advise what I am doing wrong?

Thanks

Technoslave · 04-20-2005, 02:41 PM

You probably don't own the file you're trying to overwrite. If you don't own the file, either become the person who does or root ( which is probably who owns it ).

The other possibility since you're trying to copy to a /mnt type deal, you might not have mounted the partition in a write mode.

R4z0r · 04-20-2005, 02:54 PM

Thanks, but I am already root and I do have write access to that directory.

Code:

[root@pandora inst]# pwd
/mnt/inst
[root@pandora inst]# touch something
[root@pandora inst]# ls
RedHat  something

I was trying to export it via NFS but have stopped the NFS service and now it's not exported at all yet still keeps prompting me if I want to overwrite.

Code:

[root@pandora mnt]# showmount -e
mount clntudp_create: RPC: Program not registered

It's also not isolated to these files/directories, I tried the same thing on /tmp.

Code:

[root@pandora tmp]# mkdir garbage
[root@pandora tmp]# cp -ar * garbage/
cp: cannot copy a directory, `garbage', into itself, `garbage/garbage'
[root@pandora tmp]# ls garbage/
garbage         oo
gconfd-nick     orbit-nick
gconfd-root     OSL_PIPE_500_SingleOfficeIPC_cb479e13a9743bca6ed44ec3f8a4936
keyring-HSQCEk  ssh-kvjkGe4426
keyring-MUijXD  vmware-nick
keyring-sXMfSd  vmware-root
mapping-nick    xses-nick.dSSw6O
mapping-root
[root@pandora tmp]# cp -ar * garbage/
cp: cannot copy a directory, `garbage', into itself, `garbage/garbage'
cp: cannot copy a directory, `garbage', into itself, `garbage/garbage'
cp: cannot copy a directory, `garbage', into itself, `garbage/garbage'
cp: cannot copy a directory, `garbage', into itself, `garbage/garbage'
cp: cannot copy a directory, `garbage', into itself, `garbage/garbage'
cp: cannot copy a directory, `garbage', into itself, `garbage/garbage'
cp: cannot copy a directory, `garbage', into itself, `garbage/garbage'
cp: overwrite `garbage/gconfd-nick/lock/ior'?
cp: overwrite `garbage/keyring-HSQCEk/socket'?
cp: overwrite `garbage/keyring-MUijXD/socket'?
cp: overwrite `garbage/keyring-sXMfSd/socket'?
cp: overwrite `garbage/mapping-nick'?
cp: overwrite `garbage/mapping-root'?
cp: overwrite `garbage/orbit-nick/linc-11c1-0-4bfb9a6872815'?
cp: overwrite `garbage/orbit-nick/linc-1170-0-5e4661c163262'?
cp: overwrite `garbage/orbit-nick/linc-119f-0-37a8605bce508'?
cp: overwrite `garbage/orbit-nick/linc-1199-0-4391e1e2ee44b'?
cp: overwrite `garbage/orbit-nick/linc-11b1-0-6cea2baded9d2'?
-SNIP-

R4z0r · 04-20-2005, 03:13 PM

Hmm, in the end I just used rsync which has worked a treat so deffo not a perms issue.

Would still like to know how to stop cp from promting though if anyone knows?

dosnlinux · 04-20-2005, 05:47 PM

Try typing "alias" minus the ""s and see if the output is something along the lines of cp='cp -i' somewhere in there.

on your system you may have the cp command actually mean "cp -i" which causes cp to prompt even if
you only type cp.

R4z0r · 04-21-2005, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dosnlinux
Try typing "alias" minus the ""s and see if the output is something along the lines of cp='cp -i' somewhere in there.

on your system you may have the cp command actually mean "cp -i" which causes cp to prompt even if
you only type cp.

Yup, that was it. Thanks for that.

dosnlinux · 04-21-2005, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Yup, that was it. Thanks for that.

Glad I could be a help for once instead of asking for it.