Copies files between internet hosts. Enter the RCP command at the
DCL prompt. You can copy files as follows:
o From a remote host to your host
o From your host to a remote host
o From one remote host to another remote host
You can specify qualifiers in either DCL format or UNIX format,
but do not mix both types on the same command line.
DCL Format
RCP [qualifier(s)[...]] source_file destination_file
[/[NO]LOG ]
[ /PASSWORD[=password] ]
[ /[NO]PRESERVE ]
[ /[NO]RECURSIVE ]
[ /TRUNCATE_USER_NAME[=n] ]
UNIX Format
rcp [ -p ] [ -r ] /[source_file] /[destination_file]
This format is valid only on UNIX systems.
1 – Parameters
source_file
Required.
Source host and file specification in the format
"[username@]"host:file, where:
o username@ is the user name on a remote UNIX system. This
is needed only if the UNIX system has the name in its
/etc/hosts.equiv file or in the UNIX user's .rhosts file.
Enclose the username@ portion, or the entire specification
containing the username@ syntax, in quotation marks (" ").
o host is the remote host.
o file is the name of the file to copy. A file name without
the full path specification defaults to the default (or home)
directory. Specifying Source Files with the RCP Command shows
the possible formats.
Table 1 Specifying Source Files with the RCP Command
Host Possible Formats
UNIX hosts Specify the following, enclosing UNIX path names that
include slashes (/) in quotation marks (" "):
o Absolute path name, such as /etc/user/hosts,
followed by the file name:
% RCP/USER_NAME="jjones"/PASSWORD="letmein" STATS.TXT -
sysair:"/usr/users/jamesj/stats.txt"
o Path name relative to your default directory,
followed by the file name:
% RCP/USER_NAME="jjones"/PASSWORD="letmein" STATS.TXT -
sysair:"~jamesj/stats.txt"
OpenVMS Specify the following:
hosts
o Brackets ([ ]), which indicate your default
directory, followed by the file name:
$ RCP/USER_NAME=JJONES/PASSWORD=LETMEIN OUR.DOC SYSAIR:[]GROUP.DOC
o Full file specification, such as
DKA0:[WILDE.BIRDS.NORTHERN]CHAPTER1.TXT.
To specify a device name, enter a colon (:) and
then the name. Enclose the entire parameter within
quotation marks (" ").
$ RCP/USER_NAME=JJONES/PASSWORD=LETMEIN CHAP1.TXT -
_$ SYSAIR:"DKA0:[WILDE.BIRDS.NORTHERN]CHAPTER1.TXT"
o A logical name, such as SYS$LOGIN:ROBIN.DAT or
DIAK$9:[AMERICAN]FINDINGS.LIS.
To specify a logical name, enter a colon (:) and
then the name. Enclose the entire parameter within
quotation marks (" ").
$ RCP/USER_NAME=JJONES/PASSWORD=LETMEIN CHAP1.TXT -
_$ SYSAIR:"SYS$LOGIN:CHAPTER1.TXT"
destination_file
Required.
Destination host and file specification information is of the
same form as the source parameter, unless the file specification
is completely omitted or the file name portion of the file
specification is omitted. In these cases, the default file
name used is the same as specified in the source parameter, the
directory being the default (home) directory of the user.
2 – Qualifiers
2.1 /LOG
/LOG
/NOLOG
Optional. Default: no logging.
Displays information about files as they are copied to or from
the local system.
2.2 /PASSWORD
/PASSWORD=password
Required if /USER_NAME qualifier is used.
Password on the source or destination host system (whichever
requires authentication).
2.3 /PRESERVE
/PRESERVE
/NOPRESERVE
Optional.
Preserves the file protection mode and modification date during a
copy. The creation date and modification date of the output file
are set to the modification date of the input file. The dates
are truncated to the second on transfer. When these dates are
displayed on OpenVMS, the "hundredths of a second" field will
always be zero.
When a file is created by RCP/PRESERVE on an OpenVMS system
running TCP/IP Services, WRITE permission on the input file
grants both WRITE and DELETE permission on the output file.
2.4 /RECURSIVE
/RECURSIVE
/NORECURSIVE
Optional.
Recursively copies each subtree rooted at the directory you
specify in the UNIX file specification. For OpenVMS hosts,
specify [directory...] (with three trailing periods) in the file
specification instead of using this qualifier.
2.5 /TRUNCATE_USER_NAME
/TRUNCATE_USER_NAME[=n]
/NOTRUNCATE_USER_NAME
Optional. Default: no truncation.
Truncates the user name to the specified number of characters. If
you omit n, the default is 8 characters.
2.6 /USER_NAME
/USER_NAME=remote_user_name
Optional. Default: current name on local host in lowercase.
Specify user name on the source or destination remote host.
Use only if an entry allowing access to this user has not been
added to the remote host's authentication files. You must also
specify the /PASSWORD qualifier with the /USER_NAME qualifier.
Specifying "username@" with the source or destination parameter
is the equivalent UNIX style method.
3 – Examples
1.$ RCP/LOG NYX:STATS.BNT []
Copies file stats.bnt from remote UNIX system nyx from under
its home directory to a local file of the same name in the
current directory. The /LOG qualifier causes information for
the copy to be displayed. This command assumes the user has an
entry in the authentication file on host nyx.
2.$ RCP HIAIR1:AIRFRS.TXT [FLTAT.STATS]FARES1.TXT
Copies file AIRFRS.TXT from its home directory on remote
OpenVMS system HIAIR1, to a local file of a different name
(FARES1.TXT) in the specified directory. This command assumes
the user has an entry in the authentication file on host
HIAIR1.
3.$ RCP /PRESERVE HIAIR1:[FARES.SUMMER]FARES_SU.TXT ":DKA300:[]"
Copies file FARES_SU.TXT from directory [FARES.SUMMER] on
remote OpenVMS system HIAIR1 to the specified device and
directory on the local system. The new file maintains the same
name as the original. The copy preserves the source file's
protection mode and modification date.
Note the use of quotation marks (" ") to specify the device and
directory on the destination.
4.$ RCP /USER=MILLER /PASS="AirOut" ":SYS$LOGIN:PILOTS.LIS" FALCON:
Copies file PILOTS.LIS from the login directory of user MILLER
on the local system to the user's login directory on a remote
UNIX system. The user specifies the user name and password
for access to the UNIX system (the password is specified in
quotation marks to preserve the mixed case letters).
Note the use of quotation marks (" ") to specify the SYS$LOGIN
device and file name on the destination.
5.$ RCP /RECURSIVE ":DKA300:[MILES...]" "nyx:/usr/tmp"
Copies all files and any subdirectories in local directory
[MILES] to a remote UNIX host's destination directory. All
the files in the subdirectories are copied as well, creating
subdirectories as appropriate on the remote host. The directory
hierarchy is preserved on the UNIX host by default. This
command assumes the user has an entry in the authentication
file on host nyx.
6.$ RCP /LOG /RECURSIVE [MILES...] BOSTON:[FRFL...]
Copies the complete local subdirectory tree ([MILES...] and
all subdirectories) to the destination directory on remote
OpenVMS host BOSTON, while preserving the directory hierarchy
and logging each file copy. This command assumes the user has
an entry in the authentication file on host BOSTON.
7.$ RCP /LOG /RECURSIVE [MILES...] BOSTON:[FRFL]
Same as example 6, except that all files in the local directory
tree are copied directly to the destination directory itself.
The command does not preserve the directory hierarchy of
[MILES...] in [FRFL] on host BOSTON. That is, the command does
not create new subdirectories in BOSTON:[FRFL]; it copies all
the files in [MILES] and all its subdirectories to directory
[FRFL].
8.$ RCP /USER=VAUGHN /PASSWORD=MYLES /TRUNCATE=6 STATS.TXT FRAM:TISTICS
Copies the local file STATS.TXT to a remote user's login
directory. Note the truncation of the remote user name. A user
name and password are necessary if no entries for the user are
present in the remote host's authentication files.
9.$ RCP BOSTON:NAMES.LIS FRAM:ROSTER.LIS
Copies file NAMES.LIS from remote host BOSTON to remote host
FRAM (naming the file ROSTER.LIS). Assumes that appropriate
entries for the user have been made in each remote host's
authentication files.
10$ RCP "MILLER@BOSTON:SYS$DIR:T2.TXT" "nelson@nyx:/usr/nelson/T2.TXT"
Copies file T2 from remote OpenVMS system BOSTON in the
directory pointed to by the logical name SYS$DIR to remote
UNIX system nyx in the specified directory. Different user
names are used on the two remote systems. Entries in the remote
host's authentication files must be set up properly because the
passwords are not being passed.
11$ RCP /USER=ROSS /PASSWORD=LC12LC BOS:CLIENT.LIS "BEX:/usr"
Copies file CLIENT.LIS from OpenVMS host BOS to UNIX host bex.
The user has a proxy account on the UNIX host. The specified
authentication information allows access to the account for
ROSS on host BOS.