INSTALL(1) INSTALL(1)
NAME
install - copy files and set attributes
SYNOPSIS
install [options] [-s] [--strip] source dest
install [options] [-s] [--strip] source... directory
install [options] [-d,--directory] directory...
Options (shortest form):
[-b] [-c] [-D] [-g group] [-m mode] [-o owner] [-S SUFFIX]
[-V {numbered,existing,simple}] [--help] [--version] [--]
DESCRIPTION
install copies files while setting their permission modes
and, if possible, their owner and group.
In the first of these invocation forms, the source file is
copied to the dest target file. In the second, each of
the source files are copied to the destination directory.
In the last, each directory (and any missing parent direc-
tories) is created.
install is similar to cp, but allows you to control the
attributes of destination files. It is typically used in
Makefiles to copy programs into their destination directo-
ries. It refuses to copy files onto themselves.
OPTIONS
-c Ignored; for compatibility with old Unix versions
of install.
-d, --directory
Create each given directory and any missing parent
directories, setting the owner, group and mode as
given on the command line or to the defaults. It
also gives any parent directories it creates those
attributes. (This is different from the SunOS 4.x
install, which gives directories that it creates
the default attributes.)
-D Create all leading components of the dest except
the last, then copy source to dest. This option is
useful in the first format in the synopsis, above.
(New in fileutils-4.0.)
-g group, --group=group
Set the group ownership of installed files or
directories to group. The default is the process's
current group. group may be either a group name or
a numeric group id.
-m mode, --mode=mode
Set the permissions for the installed file or
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directory to mode, which can be either an octal
number, or a symbolic mode as in chmod, with 0 as
the point of departure. The default mode is 0755 -
read, write, and execute for the owner, and read
and execute for group and other.
-o owner, --owner=owner
If install has appropriate privileges (is run as
root), set the ownership of installed files or
directories to owner. The default is `root'.
owner may be either a user name or a numeric user
ID.
-s, --strip
Strip the symbol tables from installed binary exe-
cutables.
GNU BACKUP OPTIONS
The GNU versions of programs like cp, mv, ln, install and
patch will make a backup of files about to be overwritten,
changed or destroyed if that is desired. That backup files
are desired is indicated by the -b option. How they should
be named is specified by the -V option. In case the name
of the backup file is given by the name of the file
extended by a suffix, this suffix is specified by the -S
option.
-b, --backup
Make backups of files that are about to be over-
written or removed.
-S SUFFIX, --suffix=SUFFIX
Append SUFFIX to each backup file made. If this
option is not specified, the value of the SIM-
PLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX environment variable is used.
And if SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX is not set, the default
is `~'.
-V METHOD, --version-control=METHOD
Specify how backup files are named. The METHOD
argument can be `numbered' (or `t'), `existing' (or
`nil'), or `never' (or `simple'). If this option
is not specified, the value of the VERSION_CONTROL
environment variable is used. And if VERSION_CON-
TROL is not set, the default backup type is `exist-
ing'.
This option corresponds to the Emacs variable `ver-
sion-control'. The valid METHODs are (unique
abbreviations are accepted):
t, numbered
Always make numbered backups.
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nil, existing
Make numbered backups of files that already
have them, simple backups of the others.
never, simple
Always make simple backups.
GNU STANDARD OPTIONS
--help Print a usage message on standard output and exit
successfully.
--version
Print version information on standard output, then
exit successfully.
-- Terminate option list.
ENVIRONMENT
The variables LANG, LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE and LC_MESSAGES have
the usual meaning. For the GNU version, the variables SIM-
PLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX and VERSION_CONTROL control backup file
naming, as described above.
CONFORMING TO
BSD 4.2 (which had the -c, -m, -o, -g and -s options).
NOTES
This page describes install as found in the fileutils-4.0
package; other versions may differ slightly. Mail correc-
tions and additions to aeb@cwi.nl. Report bugs in the
program to fileutils-bugs@gnu.ai.mit.edu.
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