BACKUP(8) System Manager's Manual BACKUP(8)
NAME
backup - backup files
SYNOPSIS
backup [-djmnorstvz] dir1 dir2
OPTIONS
-d At top level, only directories are backed up
-j Do not copy junk: *.Z, *.bak, a.out, core, etc
-m If device full, prompt for new diskette
-n Do not backup top-level directories
-o Do not copy *.o files
-r Restore files
-s Do not copy *.s files
-t Preserve creation times
-v Verbose; list files being backed up
-z Compress the files on the backup medium
EXAMPLES
backup -mz . /f0 # Backup current directory compressed
backup /bin /usr/bin
# Backup bin from RAM disk to hard disk
DESCRIPTION
Backup (recursively) backs up the contents of a given directory and its subdirectories to another part of the file system. It has two typ-
ical uses. First, some portion of the file system can be backed up onto 1 or more diskettes. When a diskette fills up, the user is
prompted for a new one. The backups are in the form of mountable file systems. Second, a directory on RAM disk can be backed up onto hard
disk. If the target directory is empty, the entire source directory is copied there, optionally compressed to save space. If the target
directory is an old backup, only those files in the target directory that are older than similar names in the source directory are
replaced. Backup uses times for this purpose, like make. Calling Backup as Restore is equivalent to using the -r option; this replaces
newer files in the target directory with older files from the source directory, uncompressing them if necessary. The target directory con-
tents are thus returned to some previous state.
SEE ALSO
tar(1).
BACKUP(8)