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Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1999 20:52:10 -0800 (PST)
From: Matthew Dillon <dillon@apollo.backplane.com>
Message-Id: <199901260452.UAA12753@apollo.backplane.com>
To: cvs-committers@FreeBSD.ORG, cvs-all@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject: 'cpdup' program, and question
Sender: owner-cvs-all@FreeBSD.ORG
Precedence: bulk

    I have received permission to commit 'cpdup', a program that Dima and I
    wrote at BEST for doing our machine templating.

    This program is relatively simple in design:  It takes the source and
    creates as near an exact duplicate on the destination as possible.  It
    has the following features:

	* is able to delete files/directories on the destination not found
	  on the source.

	* has safety features, i.e. will not cross partition boundries on
	  either the source or destination ( separately ), during the copy.
	  Will not copy a file over a directory ( aka delete the directory
	  and replace it with a file ).

	* copies files using write-to-temporary-and-rename methodology, 
	  allowing operation on a live system.  At BEST we used it to update
	  shared libraries on moderately loaded live systems!

	* retains exact uid/gid, modify time, permissions, etc.

	* is able to copy devices, softlinks, and even maintain hardlinks
	  if you are cpdup'ing an entire partition.

	* by default, checks file size, modify time, and permissions and if
	  they match does not bother to physically copy the file ( making 
	  it suitable for updating systems ).  ( This can be overriden to
	  force a copy, of course ).

	* Can be given an exclusion list from files called .cpignore, residing
	  in any directories on the source, containing files & directories 
	  in that directory that it isn't supposed to touch.  This is 
	  especially useful when you are maintaining a template machine.

	* Attempts to play permissions and flags smart, allowing schg files
	  to be overwritten ( but never deleted ), if the system allows it
	  of course.

    This is an extremely useful program not only for templating, but for
    setting up run-time environments as well.

    I would like to commit it.  Should it be a port or should I commit it to
    /usr/bin or even /bin?  The only reason why I ask is that I think the
    program could be very useful in handling diskless workstation startup
    as well as templating, and the program can also be extremely useful in
    single-user mode when recovering a system over an NFS mount because, unlike
    tar or cpio, you can ^C it and start it over again without wasting all the
    work that has already been accomplished.  This would argue for /bin.

						-Matt


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